Necole and Sarah are like two peas in a pod!!! I've never said that before in my life.lol they are…read morefantastic instructors though and the academy itself is beautiful and modern.. I'll be back!!

We feel very fortunate that we found this amazing, caring, special little place called - Step By…read moreStep. When our son was younger he attended Preschool at Step by Step and now that he is older he continues to attend the Social Skills classes every Saturday. The Step By Step staff - Administration, Teachers and Support staff are extraordinary. Step By Step is a very rare combination of clinical expertise, a remarkable knowledge base, true compassion for each individual's needs, in a safe, nurturing, and fun "edu-play" environment. Our son started in Preschool at Step By Step with severe developmental delays. He had Early Intervention services at home but we truly saw dramatic improvements and great strides in his overall development - once he got to Step By Step. The teachers worked tirelessly with our son helping to support his development his all areas - physical, emotional, behavioral and language. We feel our son's dramatic developmental progress is a direct parallel to the work, support and guidance he received and continues to receive at Step By Step. He is thriving. The entire staff is very communicative about our son's challenges and successes; and are always available to answer questions and make suggestions regarding his development. Over the years, we have done extensive research looking for programs in the greater Los Angeles area (especially the westside and valley) for our son and Step By Step's program is extremely rare. The Step By Step Social Skills program is fantastic. This program nurtures and helps to build each child as a whole person with a focus on social communication, thinking and intelligence - becoming a good citizen, building character, being active and healthy, and being a positive contributor to a global community. In our opinion, Step By Step is unique and unquestionably impressive! We are so fortunate to have found Step By Step. It was a true blessing to discover Step By Step at a time when we were feeling helpless and lost with no real options for our son. Now, fast forward 5 years and we are forever grateful and so, so thankful to Shelly, John and their extraordinary Step By Step team! Read more

This place was a savior for my daughter who has rare genetic mutation, autism, intellectual…read moredisability, seizures and is non verbal. We first tried UCLA intervention and they kicked us out of there because my daughter had a seizure on the second day and I am guessing she was just too much for them but we even offered to supply our own 1 on 1 person for the program but they still dismissed her. They didn't even try to give her an adjustment period, even schools for typically developing children have an adjustment period! I felt devastated because if a program that was designed for kids with special needs such as UCLA intervention did not even want my child then what does the rest of the world hold for her! I've never felt so sad and dejected in all of my life, not even on her diagnose day! But then we enrolled Luna at step by step and it turned out to be the best for our family. The had a small student to teacher ratio which is just what my daughter needed. At the time we started there were two adults to 3 kids. Francesca is so dedicated and really passionate. My daughter loves her and used to cry when she left the room because she was really attached to her. She knows my daughter so well that we are always amazed by her keen and insightful observations, she knows exactly what is going on with my daughter and just as well as we know her! The staff is all very supportive and knowledgeable. They will work with you whatever your needs may be and that to special needs parents is like music to our ears because often times our kiddos have such complex needs that we can't follow the rules, we don't fit into a cookie cutter, and it's just not so cut and dry. They are also really great about advocating for your child and gives great advice and is a great resource to have on your side. Shelley the owner is very dedicated to the cause and she does all of this altruistically. I have never felt that they were trying to just acquire more money from us. When we were going through IEP they never asked to be compensated for their attendance and we've had many calls for advice and Shelley has always been there always available, she's gone above and beyond in the services that she's provided us and all because they care about my daughter and not because she think that she will get a good review or could bill for more services! When the world rejected my daughter they welcomed her with open arms and for that I can never thank them enough!! I highly thinly recommend this place if you ever have the chance to try it out

I'm so pleased to write this review for Andrea. Our son was having difficulty In elementary…read moreschool. We had him tested by Dr. Alison Kawa. He was diagnosed with a processing deficiency. After finding out what was causing him issues we were referred to Andrea Chernin. They hit it off immediately. He never dreaded going to see her. He started to improve almost immediately. They saw each other weekly for many years. While he struggled in elementary school, he improved beyond our wildest imagination in both middle and high school. His GPA in highly school was 4.3, with 5/4's in all his AP exams. While grades were important to him, and to us, his growth and self confidence were instrumental in achieving a higher degree of personal and educational success. He is now a sophomore at the University of Michigan. While his issues will be a life long challenge, Andrea has given him the tools to navigate life in a positive and productive manner. If your child needs a kind and caring person, who knows how to cajole, motivate and inspire, then Andrea is your person. She is amazing.

If I could give 10 stars, I would. We worked with the team at Illuminate for nearly three years as…read morethey designed and delivered a custom program for our child to improve Executive Functioning as well subject-specific tutoring. When she began working with Kim at Illuminate just after her Freshman year, her grades were low, but worse, her confidence had taken a hit and we struggled to come up with a strategy to unlock joy in learning. Flash forward: Our child has had multiple 4.0 semesters, was awarded "Most Improved Academics" in her class, and received multiple college admissions offers (and sig. scholarship awards.) Beyond the grades and achievement, our child has developed a love of learning, has navigated her Executive Functioning issues, and has a strategy for ongoing academic success. There are no words to describe how gratifying it is to see her growth and confidence as she heads to college. This would not have been possible without the team at Illuminate.

I contacted Jenny about support my kiddo needs which wasn't her focus area (she supports more…read morekiddos with ADHD). Instead of just letting me go, Jenny was very helpful offering me advice and referrals to other professionals who do specialize in my kiddo's need area. This is the mark of a true professional who cares are helping children. Willing to redirect business to another professional who is better suited to help that kiddo because that is in the best interest of the child. Thank you Jenny.

I can't say enough good things about Jenny and WeThrive Learning. Her knowledge, compassion for her…read morestudents, and professionalism sets her apart from other Ed. therapists. I had the pleasure of teaching alongside her for many years and have seen firsthand the commitment she has to the children in her care. She stays abreast of best practice, supporting her work with scientific strategies. I highly recommend reaching out if your child is in need of support, you won't be disappointed!

Did not help my child at all. They knew the issues he would have to be resistant to the program and…read morethey said they have ways of getting kids motivated but he never did and when I pulled my son out of the program after 4 months they only returned $200 of the $5,000 I paid for it. It was not effective at all.

I am reposting this from a buried review, but it is SPOT ON! The only difference is we were…read morecharged MORE than 10K. They might mean well, but the program is a scam. Please, do yourself a favor and save the 10K they are going to ask and DON'T DO IT. The warnings were all there. If you read the book by the "founder", you will find it has some very basic factual errors. A few pages in the book uses Albert Einstein as an example of this mythical lack of balance between left and right brain; however, the "facts" that it states about Einstein.. how he supposedly did poorly in math early on, didn't talk until later in life, did poorly in college.. well, they are popular myths, but not reality. However, despite the warning signs, I really REALLY wanted to believe this would be useful in getting my extremely gifted, but immature 7 year old to focus better and not be a disturbance in school due to "boredom". They put him a series of tests and showed me how the program would work and that he was the exact model for which this program was made. His brain was out of balance and they have the perfect fit. Look, it's right there on the sign. 10K and 6 months later.. NOTHING changed. He did the daily exercise routine, went to every appointment and while his "scores" showed improvement according to them. ("Oh, look, he went from a 1 to a 7 in BLAH") NOTHING changed. We still got calls from his school regarding his lack of willingness to sit still in class, his general disturbance. In our final session, as they showing me again how much his scores had improved over time, I mentioned, that it seems like nothing has really changed. This is when they tried to sell me ADDITIONAL classes, saying "well, you can't expect everything to be fixed in 6 months". Ignoring the fact that this is what they had told me would happen, we had seen no improvement beyond the fact that he was now 6 months older and had matured slightly in that time. This program wants to take credit for the natural maturity your child is going to gain during these formative years. However, having them take 1 sock off and preform a series of toe taps on a balance beam isn't balancing their brain.. it is just take your money and making you feel like you are getting somewhere and you will be so desperate to believe you didn't waste your money that you will hail any maturity gain on the program. Just don't do it!!!

Our daughter is happy, healthy and passionately engaged at Muse. We couldn't be more delighted…read more Staff have been supportive, and willing to go the extra mile. And I've liked all the parents I've met! Also, the campus is in a beautiful canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains, just north of Malibu. Students walk thru' nature when going from building to building. It's a great education, but within this uniquely calming, natural setting.

We had just moved to LA, and I was looking for something special. Luckily, I heard from a friend…read morewho was in education to check out Muse. Besides the gorgeous campus in the Santa Monica Mountains, the thing that sold me on Muse during my visit, was none of the adults were talking down to the students, they seemed liked equals. Students are active in their education and we especially love that they choose a passion project every semester to focus on a subject of their choice. I really love the staff at Muse. Not only are the teachers stellar and extremely qualified, they are kind and inspiring leaders. My kids couldn't be happier. They bring home plants. They have their own gardens at school and eat plant based meals for lunch every day. They have amazing friends and love playing sports and performing in the school plays. We couldn't be happier with Muse and it keeps getting better! This is our 5th year!

We could not be happier with our experience at Saint Monica Preparatory for TK! From the very…read morebeginning, the transition from preschool to a brand-new school was seamless thanks to the incredible staff. Ms. Stickley and Ms. Lagos are absolute dream teachers--warm, attentive, and so gifted at creating a joyful classroom. Our daughter comes home every day happy, tired (in the best way!), and singing new songs she's learned. The program is so thoughtfully structured, including Art, Music, Spanish, and PE. Our daughter especially loves going into the designated classrooms for each subject, which makes learning feel special and exciting. In addition to a strong focus on early writing and reading, the teachers are very intentional about supporting social and emotional growth, which has been just as important for us as academics. The support staff make such a difference too. Early care with Ms. Christian is filled with fun and kindness, which gives us so much peace of mind in the mornings. After Care is run by a fantastic outside company on campus, and our daughter has such a great time she often doesn't want to leave--which is a gift for working parents. We are so thankful to have found SMPrep. It's a school that not only builds a love for learning but also fosters a warm, caring community for both kids and families.

My son has attending SMCHS for 4 years and had the best experience. The teachers were kind and…read moreattentive. The administration is thoughtful and they actually listen when concerns come up. They listen to parents and teachers and are willing to make changes if needed. Performing arts is a highlight of this school. This school has been a second family for us and we are proud to have been part of the family.