We are starting our 3rd year at Frostig. The academic growth that my daughter has shown has been…read moreamazing. Her teacher, Mary Frances was able to find the perfect balance of giving her space while strongly encouraging her when the time was right. As a result, she loves school and has become so much more confident. She even likes PE now which has always been difficult for her. She has participated in music recitals and school plays and she is very proud of being a part of these performances. In the past it has been difficult for her navigate through having more than one friend. She has made so many friends at Frostig and has the support she needs when she doesn't know what to do. The social skills program gives her a space to ask questions and gain understanding. People with autism often do want to understand things they just aren't able to on their own. Frostig understands this and gives her the extra help she needs to be successful socially as well.

This is a school that caters to special needs students. I've seen how the teachers interact with…read moreeach student, they are caring and give all of their time and attention to each! I appreciate all of the programs and how they work to fulfill each students individual needs for success! Parking can be tricky around pickup, arrive early to grab a spot!

We worked with Ms. Emma for about a year and a half for my son who was there for early…read moreintervention. From the get-go she would have suggestions and tips on things to work with him at home and they were all so insightfully helpful. She was so keen on sharing that although there were goals to meet, what mattered most was that he would progress. It alleviated so much of my anxiety as a parent. She was always so sweet and so encouraging with him. She is already missed and it hasn't been a week since we've said goodbye. And it would be rude of me not to mention Ms. Justine and Ms. Macarena for always communicating promptly and working with us for makeup sessions. Thank-you ladies!

My 9 year old son has ADHD. He went to Sensory Brain to help him with his 'big feelings' for about…read morea year with great results. Emma is great and helped him learn strategies to deal with his temper outbursts.

Great learning center. You can park across the street or in the lot next to this parking lot that…read morethe facility is in! Easy to find, go up the stairs and through the doors. There's a great waiting area inside or outside there's a courtyard and clean bathrooms to wait. They take your child back, tutor them and bring them back out when the session has ended. Clean, bright, and they do a great job with hiring caring patient staff. I recommend bringing your kid for whatever tutoring needs they may have. Welcoming, comfortable environment.

I took my daughter here for a couple of years. It's a very large commitment of time and money for…read morethe program they put the kids through. They "customize" the program to the child and use a lot of un-scientifically sound programs. Still, we were committed or perhaps desperate to help our child. After all the time and effort, I think what happened is that she just got older, and they called this progress. I don't think it was worth the time and especially the money. Most of the "clinicians" are young college graduates and they are friendly and follow the programs well. They are good people, but I voiced my opinion that I didn't think the program was being effective and wanted to make sure we were on the right track. I was repeatedly told that it was a part of the program and that we'd "see" all the work done as it begins to translate outside of their program at the very end of the program. At the end of the program, I feel like they just "finished" the program because they couldn't justify taking any more of our money and time. At the end we still have major behavior problems and poor grades, etc.

What an amazing place. The care they clearly have for their visitors is admirable. Brenda and…read moreMichael in particular work very hard to provide a welcoming environment for everyone. They produce entertainment programs and Friday Night Socials that include some of the best entertainers in the area. One night alone included dancers, magicians and even knife throwers. The world needs more places like this.

I have contacted them a couple times in the past month, they said someone will reach out to me but…read moreno response at all.

I honestly love this place! My son has grown! the staff are amazing and help me when I need it…read more They are understanding to both my son's needs and my own. Working with them through this season has been just a blessing 10/10 for sure

Michelle is OUTSTANDING! She saved my daughter's life. The school was unwilling to help us at all…read moreuntil we got Michelle on our team. Michelle was patient, kind, knowledgeable and direct. She got the job done for my daughter and got us the tools she needed and deserved to get successfully through high school! She knew her stuff! Had it not been for her, my daughter would have been it a much worse place. Because of Michelle, my daughter went from home hospital to graduating with honors with a scholarship to the University of her choice. Michelle was with us every step of the way negotiating IEPs and finally her exit 504. Michelle isnt just an attorney but a friend! Excellent rates! If you need an attorney to fight for your child's special education needs, LOOK NO FURTHER! We are forever grateful to Michelle Becker!

We struggled significantly with our child's IEP and educational needs. By the time we met…read moreMichelle, I had spent thousands of dollars on non-attorney IEP advocates. The advocates we hired were good and supported us in our IEP journey, but we never ended up with an IEP substantially better than we started with. Even the smallest gains in the IEP were prefaced by multiple, sometimes painful IEP meetings with many overt and covert reminders that compromises inevitably had to be made. These compromises were made at the expense of substantially underserving my neurodiverse child's learning, social, and emotional needs. My husband and I debated whether shelling out more money for an attorney would be worth it. Parents may not know that there isn't a standardized, licensing, or credentialing administrative agency that oversees IEP advocacy accreditation. You can call yourself an "IEP advocate" without any overseeing administrative agency, competency exam, or experience needed to begin your business. That said, there are many excellent, wonderful non-attorney IEP advocates. However, there isn't a standardized accreditation process and though we hired multiple strong IEP advocates, none were able to make the substantial, dramatic gains in our kid's IEP that Michelle accomplished. In the end-I consulted with 4 IEP attorneys and 8 non-attorney advocates in two school districts. Among the attorneys we consulted with-Michelle had among the most reasonable rates. Moreover, attorneys differ in their approach in how heavy-handed they are with district personnel. Michelle is a team player-she is very respectful, humble, and collaborative when dealing with school personnel. Moreover, she is very honest about your odds of winning something in due process & the high costs to parents (emotional, time-wise, and financial) with regards to litigation against a school district. She is firm when she needs to be-but it is delivered with the right degree of both strength & tenderness, collaboration and clarity/power in advocating for her client's needs-that is an art that is not always taught or intuitive to attorneys or non-attorneys. Michelle's ability to work with others even as she strongly advocates for her clients is remarkable to watch-she knows when to pick a battle, gently/indirectly showcase when procedural (or substantive) violations may have been made-without going on full attack mode, but still making her points and agenda abundantly clear. We plan on working with Michelle for years on end. I am not letting go of this gem we found. We finally found an ally who has an incredible mastery of assessments (her knowledge of every assessment, from phonemic understanding, to behavioral assessments, to visual/auditory processing, etc.) that the school staff administered completely blew us away), her understanding of even fine details related to evidence-based curriculum/pedagogy for disparate learning disabilities (ask her questions about dyslexia-you'll be amazed by her content knowledge), autism/ADHD, and sensory-related needs for neurodiverse learners is incredible. I am amazed by Michelle. She is an outstanding IEP advocate, attorney, and has a personal understanding of the journey as a parent of children with disparate special needs. My kid is finally getting an IEP that is truly individualized to her unique learning-related needs. I finally sat through an IEP meeting without holding back tears-because we were finally being heard through the support of an exceptional, singularly gifted and compassionate advocate & attorney. Don't hesitate. She's the absolute best.

Dr. Laurie Stephens has been there for our child going on 14 years now. We don't know what we…read morewould've done without her. From elementary through college, she has been there for us. Early childhood, her summer camps were empowering. Individual and family counseling has gotten us through some challenging times and we are forever grateful.

My son has gone to Education Spectrum since he was 3 years old. Now he is 14 and is thriving in…read moremiddle school. If it wasn't for Education Spectrum's help and support my son would not be as successful and well rounded in all aspects of his development. He is now very social and knows how to keep triggers at bay. He is able to make and keep a network of friends. Education Spectrum has been a blessing to our entire family. We have confidence in our son to strive and be successful in life. He now is capable to own his creativity and his individuality. Thank you staff at Ed Spectrum!

We switched our second grader to Friends Western in February 2024 after it became apparent that it…read morewas a better fit than our school. We are coming to the end of the third-grade school year, and our third grader has experienced increased confidence, a lifting up of strengths, and targeted support in areas that needed growth. Even though this is a small community, I'm awe-struck at the dedication of both the administration and the teaching staff. The school's overall approach intertwines tried-and-true teaching techniques, evolving educational modalities, social justice, and the needs of the students. Their enrichment and exploration programs aren't boilerplate; they are well thought-out. At first, the parent participation seemed daunting. Still, I realized that while families of all beliefs comprise this community, the school's social-justice-inspired Quaker philosophies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship have made collaboration seamless.

This has been such a wonderful school for our son Gavin. Honestly we don't know where we would be…read moreif we hadn't found this amazing place for our son. The community and care this school gives our child cannot be found in any other school. This is truly a gem of a school. Gavin is excelling and thriving here.

我们真的很庆幸当初选了这所学校。孩子在这里不会觉得被学习压的喘不过气，反而觉得有人在支持他帮助他。老师关心的是每个孩子是个什么需要什么，而不仅仅是分数。看到孩子在自信和学习上的进步，真的让我们觉得太值…read more了。

This school was very good! Every teacher is kind and helpfully. I was a student from public high…read moreschool to Arroyo Pacific Academy, My grades were so bad at the public high school that I thought I couldn't go to college. But with the help of my teachers in the Arroyo Pacific Academy, I was able to get into college! UC Davis I'm Coming!!!

My children all have different personalities and needs, but they are all thriving at Aveson. We…read morelost our beautiful campus in the Eaton Fire, but we're settling in at our temporary home, co-located with Alma Fuerte Charter on the former site of Cleveland Elementary. Despite it all, our kids still love Aveson, and we're still here because the community is wonderful and we share the values of the school. Aveson focuses on social-emotional learning, project-based curriculum, and personalized mastery. In practice, what that means is things like: -- Classes that begin with a short mindfulness exercise to help kids transition into a new task. -- Time spent teaching even little ones about how the brain works, and how to process big feelings. -- An emphasis on kindness and mutual respect, in how teachers interact with students, and how students interact with each other. -- A "safe spot" (cozy corner) in each room, for kids to go to if they're having a tough time or just need a quiet moment. -- Projects that are very open-ended, that all kids can get something out of regardless where they are in their growth. All grades do a lot of writing (and/or drawing, for the little ones) and learn about editing and proofreading--always useful, regardless of your level. Grades 3-5 do Passion Projects, where kids learn about the many steps in researching a project and present on it at Celebration of Learning, the twice-a-year open house. It's really cool to see the growth from year to year as the kids better understand how to research, find cooler and cooler topics, etc. They build a lot of skills while doing something they care about. -- Small groups in the core curriculum classes (Literacy and Math), so kids can work at their level while the teacher and an aide float between groups. In a math class, it's typical to have groups working at multiple levels, ranging from extra support to working ahead. In grades 1-2, the teachers have organized reading groups that each have a dedicated aide or teacher. -- A Healthy Living class, where the wonderful and warm Ms. Arlynn teaches garden and cooking. My children will try foods in her class that they'd run away from at home. And there's nothing as beautiful as starting a school morning at a garden. -- At 2nd grade, a camping trip to celebrate moving from the younger division (TK-2) to the older division (3-5). On our old campus, the campout would be on campus, which was a thrill for the kids. This year, post-fire, a parent organized a fabulous trip to Trask Canyon instead. At 5th grade, students celebrate the end of their time at school with a trip to Catalina that was their first sleep-away trip. The kids have an incredible time and come back with a new swagger. The time since the fire has been so hard, in so many ways. A lot of families in our community lost their homes or have been displaced long-term from standing homes. Some of our families have had to leave the school because of where they've had to move, or because they needed their children back in school faster than the school was able to pivot to a new location. The school is in transition as it recovers, and I suspect it will be for years to come as we figure out where we'll be long-term. But the spirit of what makes Aveson great is still here: the classroom experience. The amazing Ms. Weinstock, in 5th grade, helped her students process the fire by creating a unit on first-person historical narratives, reading accounts of Pearl Harbor and the Holocaust, and encouraging students to write their own accounts of the fire. They wrote poetry--odes to things they lost. As a class, they kept learning while also processing and grieving together. Things like that were happening in every grade. We have phenomenal advisors and caring staff, and that means so much. If you're reading this, you're probably looking for a school, and I do agree with the negative reviews that, if you're socially conservative, you might not agree with Aveson's curriculum and culture. It's a welcoming space for a diverse community, and teaches a curriculum with anti-racism and affirmation/acknowledgment of LGBTQ+ people as some of its values. My children did have questions, and sometimes misunderstood things, but talking things out at home has always been really fun and interesting, and also something I've learned from a lot. I don't think that's age-inappropriate, however; kids are capable of learning complex things if you're willing to talk and keep talking as they grow. For me, the fact that they teach these values is something that I was hugely excited about when I learned about it, and it's a piece of why I love the community. Despite everything it's been through, it's still such a beautiful school.

Heartbroken over the loss of our beloved school and eagerly await its revival in a new form.read more