Very kind and respectful staff overall. Ease of finding the building, and escort support from the…read morefront desk person. Clean space all around, easy instructions upon arrival, and no confusion whatsoever. Testing space RE lighting, temperature, and comfort was satisfactory.

Just passed my second (and final) test for my professional license at this center. It's well…read morelocated, easy to get to and most important, when I am 100% freaked out about my high-stakes test, VERY NICE and VERY KIND people that work there. Check in and security check terrific. I can't express how grateful I am that they are organized and really put one at ease. Note -- everyone is taking a different test so don't go by what time others leave. They have noise canceling headphones available at each cubicle, this easily distracted person is very happy for that. THANK YOU!

Having taught at several Ivy League institutions as well as at Berkeley, having sat on a few…read moreadmissions committees and being a pretty good writer/editor, I thought I knew a lot about what my daughter would need to do in the college admissions process. I kinda did. But Michele Rabin of Admissions One Consulting knew soooo much more. She started out by coaching my daughter to a good list of places to apply and then staying on her to write excellent essays and put together a great "package," including all the secret tips about how to get admissions officers to really notice you. Most impressive was that she gave really flawless insight about how to improve and deepen my daughter's essays. When I thought they were pretty darn good, Michele knew exactly where they could go deeper to really make an impression. She found the spots my kid could polish to a gleam. She definitely caught/suggested things I wouldn't have. For example: "Please describe where you've lived in your life to date, in 50 words or less." The normal thing is to list things in chron order...but no. The best answer is to focus on one place and say something memorable about it. Pretty sure she was right given my daughter's admissions success rate. Nothing but good to say about her!

From the owner: My goal is to provide highly personalized, strategic and structured support throughout the college…read moreexploration and application process and my passion is to help you understand and articulate your strengths and explore college options that will provide the best fit for your interests, goals and unique personality. I tailor a comprehensive strategy for each of my clients to highlight your individual strengths and work closely with you to help you tell your unique personal story so as to distinguish yourself in an applicant pool. With over 25 years of experience in admissions at different colleges and universities, I’m up- to-date on the latest admission trends and school profiles, and make it a point to visit campuses across the country so I can help guide you to make an informed decision about schools that will be good matches for your academic and personal growth. I offer comprehensive packages for juniors and seniors, and hourly rates for younger students. I also work with prospective transfer, graduate, JD and MBA students and offer similar packages. I’m based in Sonoma County, California but my clients span the globe and I’m happy to work with you over Zoom/Skype.

PEL stands for "Pre-Eminent Learning" and is the new Kumon with the Singaporean math trend focus on…read morecommon core math that us millennial parents didn't grow up with. There aren't any Russian math options around Alameda yet so we decided to sign up for the free consult/testing for PEL for our then five year old at the end of TK to see where he was at and he's been enjoying it ever since. We go twice a week for one hour and with the daily homework, our kindergartner is enjoying math drills and writing practice/phonics/reading. It takes a second to make it a habit but now he enjoys it and timing himself on the homework (cue childhood trauma from Kumon where my mom had a stopwatch!). I stopped correcting the homework for my sanity (more trauma - my mom corrected all our Kumon with the borrowed answer books and yelled if we got too many wrong). At this young age, they have Junior PEL which is with a teacher in a small group (versus the older kids who independently work and then raise hands for help). Our son's favorite teacher is Teacher Anna. For the waiting parents, this place has better parking, location and amenities than Mathnasium or Kumon with the Southshore shopping center. You can go grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and Safeway, pickup dinner, get a foot massage at W Spa, go for a run/walk by Crown Beach, return Amazon purchases at Kohl's, go to the bank, charge your car, etc. It's a carve-out time for errands that makes PEL seamless into our hectic family life with two young children. You can also just veg on the phone or work while waiting in the lobby (they have a super clean bathroom and it's quiet). The couple that owns this location also has a sister location in San Leandro and they run it efficiently and smoothly bc Alameda is their second location. Director Lawrence and Ms Kiwi are caring and kind and they also conduct regular parent teacher conferences, which is helpful at projecting and quantifying the hours invested into PEL. The icing on the cake is the annual honor roll ceremony in October. They did a great in putting the event together with the kids and parents in mind and our son is so proud of his honor roll trophy and shows everyone that comes over. Highly recommend PEL (especially those in public school in alameda bc K doesn't have homework!)

My son has been going to PEL for over a year now and it's definitely positively supplemented his…read moreregular school learning. We felt like he was starting to fall a bit behind and school work/assignments alone weren't giving him enough practice/rigor. He's been doing both English/language arts and math programs. The extra attention and practice/repetition caught him up and then some. PEL also has some fun incentives for kids to help support their motivation: they earn "money" for work completed successfully and can "buy" prizes. This also helps teach value and rewards/incentivizes saving for bigger prizes. If your kid could benefit from some extra practice/structure, it's worth at least doing the free consultation to see if PEL would be a good fit for their learning style.

This is a nonprofit focused on bringing the community together…read more This is my long overdue review for the Community Orientation Workshop Community Tour. One May Saturday, the Mr. and I rented a kayak to paddle around Lake Merritt... and by "rent", I mean it was National Boat Safety Week and they were doing free 30 minute rentals, so we decided it was the best time to do it. On our way back to the car, we were approaching a luxury shuttle bus in the parking lot. The lady overheard us making comments on a party bus, so she gave us a flyer on what exactly the "party" was for... "The Spirit of West Oakland Tour" brought to you by ECC. The Mr. and I said we wanted to hop on the bus to "check it out". I think it was the COLD AC and soft leather seats that sold him. For me, it was the $20 cover charge and because I'm spontaneous and random like that. We found our seats in the back where cute goody bags filled with pamphlets, snacks, water, "stunna" shades, stickers, granola bars, etc. waited for us. There was about 10 -12 of us on the bus... first taking turns introducing ourselves. I was surprised to learn that only a few were Oakland/Bay Area natives. Well, I guess it's not that surprising if you think people don't usually "tour" their hometowns... but I'm so glad I did. First Stop: Beastmode Store. We were welcomed by the staff giving us an intro and some info on how their family-owned and run shop works for the community. We even got a surprise visit from Marshawn Lynch who stopped by to say hi to his family before skirting off in a Tesla. Next: Everett and Jones BBQ in Jack London Square. They had plates pre-made for us: 2 pc chicken, beans and potato salad... FOR FREE! Yes, folks... they fed us for free. Don't forget to tip! Then: We were off down 7th Street all the while getting a history lesson on the richness of the now almost abandoned neighborhood. Then to the Port of Oakland. Were we had great waterfront views among giant Star Wars-inspired cranes and dodging piles and piles of goose poop... few photo ops and a mimosa toast. I said it - free mimosas! Cheers to Oakland! Lastly: We made our way to a park (forgot the name) where we were met by none other than award winning line dancing queen - Chocolate Platinum. Aw man, was she entertaining af! She taught us a few moves, and by no time, we were line dancing away! I have to say, it was the best $20 I ever spent! The people were great. Letitia was awesome. Ultimately, I think what this organization is doing is great! Great for the community. Great for preserving and teaching the history of Oakland. Very educational. I love it! The Mr. and I have to be sure to book our next tour soon. Thank you ECC for doing what you do. "Team Chocolate Platinum"

SUCH an amazing tour and a must-do for anyone who wants to learn more about Oakland, grapple with…read morethe reality of the times, and learn about local culture. Support local, Black owned businesses and take this tour!!!!!

I honestly wouldn't recommend sending your child to Oakland Unified schools. My experience with the…read moredistrict has been frustrating and disappointing. While I've dealt with a specific school, the bigger issue is the district as a whole. They weren't transparent, they were often disrespectful, and they rarely took accountability for their actions. If your child has special needs and you're the type of parent who advocates for them (as you should), prepare for a fight. The district doesn't make it easy--they operate with a "this is how we do things, take it or leave it" attitude. I experienced firsthand how real the discrimination is and how poorly privacy is handled by some of the staff. Communication is seriously lacking, and trying to get clear answers or basic follow-up was like pulling teeth. There's also a strong sense of favoritism--when staff mess up, others rush in to cover for them instead of fixing the problem. It feels like a system designed to protect each other, not serve families. That said, I won't say everyone is bad--there are some amazing staff and not all schools are the same. But unfortunately, the leadership and culture at the district level trickles down, and it shows. If OUSD wants to do better, they need to start with training their employees--especially the ones at the top--on the rights of students and parents. And they need to hold people accountable across the board. Until that happens, I'd strongly suggest families think twice. And let's just take a moment to appreciate the fact that Oakland Unified built themselves a brand-new, shiny district headquarters at 1011 Union St., Oakland, CA 94607--ground up, all the bells and whistles. Meanwhile, the auditorium seats at Oakland Tech still look like they're straight out of the 1950s. But hey, at least the admin folks are sitting pretty.

After several failed attempts to get my info from their website, I decided to go here in person…read more Although there were 2 ladies sitting at the front counter, only one was willing to work. The unhelpful older lady just sat expressionless and uninterested. I pleasantly explained to the other lady what I was requesting, but was redirected to another location for my request! The next day, I went to the recommended location, but that lady only worked on certain days of the week, so I was told to come back on another day. I'm currently trying to find out how I can get a job with OUSD Admin so I too can get paid for doing nothing.

This is a wonderful swim club, with a gym. It's not a huge anonymous health club; but a…read morewell-maintained 95 year old community treasure. The gym equipment has been updated, is clean and works well. The service team keeps the pools clean and at 81-82 degrees. Baby pool is a little warmer. It's a very warm & casual vibe. Staff are friendly and attentive. Milan, the manager, seems to recognize and have a warm word for everyone. The members, too, are very friendly. Through a cooperative agreement with Piedmont Swim Team, there are excellent swim lessons for all ages. My husband and I took refresher courses from Zoe, who is a truly talented instructor. Lessons are also available to non-members. The downside for some families will be the swim-at-your-own-risk policy: there are no lifeguards. Staff are pretty attentive, but also have other duties. PROs - This is a great club if: - Lap Swimming is your preferred activity; or - You live or work in the area; or - Mid-Day is your preferred Sun bathing period; or - you avoid crowds; or - Your backstroke is improved by watching red-tailed hawks. CONs - If your pod needs a lifeguard, or if historic facilities are not your vibe, you may want to check somewhere else. I heartily recommend this club. Enjoy your swim!

I joined Montclair Swim Club because I was looking for an option closer to home and after about a…read moreyear decided it wasn't really for me. They have good hours and the lifeguards at the front office are super helpful. The pool itself is a bit unusual - one end is quite shallow so it takes a bit of getting used to it for doing flip turns. There are always kids around - and quite often children's swim teams practicing. When I first started swimming there, I kept hear the name "Marco" being yelled repeatedly and thought "This must be the worst game of Marco-Polo ever!" I later found out it was that one guy on the kids' swim team who doesn't hear instructions and keeps swimming when everyone else is stopping. The hot tub is not bad - it's quite big. It's sadly full of people who all seem to want to talk OVER the noise of the jets. I can only imagine what it must be like for the people who live in the canyon all around and have to hear banal conversations, frequently alcohol fueled as there are many people with cans of beer in the hot tub, about personal relationships and compost bins. While parking is plentiful - there are plenty of people who block the road because they can't be bothered to park and walk 20 feet. There are even some rather entitled white male Tesla drivers who will criticize another person's driving despite the fact that they had no problems parking themselves (and the parking lines are many, worn down, and contradictory at best). There's definitely a bit of elitist element among the long time/regulars. Finally, the locker rooms are a horror. They are not kept clean and could do with re-tiling. The lockers are a mess. The toilets are miniscule and not much bigger than what you'd find in an airplane. I do confess that the source of my discontent was a visit to Villa Sport in San Jose last summer -- and the realization that for HALF the money, I could be getting way way more value. Let's not even get into the strange cash-only deposits and lack of policy to suspend membership when out of town or out of commission for long periods of time. It's a really great pool and club for families -- it's got picnic tables, grills, and you can bring the au pair as part of your membership. Two stars for single people without kids who prefer clean lockerooms - but five stars for families with lower standards and more money.