We really love this Kumon center. While Kumon is not a 1:1 tutoring or instruction center it…read moreutilizes self motivation and repetition to progressively advance the kids in both math & reading. However, not all Kumons are created equal. Mrs. Patel is the owner of this center and I fully credit her hands on involvement to the success of my student. She really knows the individual students strengths and weaknesses and tailors their instruction time to push them forward. She is approachable at any time and even has parent teacher meetings. The zoom option wasn't the best fit for my child but they do have that option which is nice for summer break or in the case of illness. I am so grateful for this Kumon center!

We started Kumon 6 months ago for my 5 year old and we are amazed at how quickly his reading has…read moreimproved. I can't recommend it enough!

My daughter looks forward to for her piano lessons! We love…read moreMs. Shavianne ! She knew exactly what my daughter needed to work on and is helping her to thrive in her piano skills, she is also her reading tutor and I just can't thank her enough my daughter is reading above her grade level! Ms. Shavi is so sweet and friendly and an excellent teacher thank you so much !

Liam has been working with Jonathan for tutoring, and the improvement has been incredible. Jonathan…read moreis patient, knowledgeable, and knows how to explain things in a way that really clicks for Liam. He's not only doing better in school but also feels more confident tackling tough subjects. We're so grateful for Jonathan's support!! highly recommend!!

Mathnasium have helped both of my children improve their math skills. The owner is very…read moreaccommodating and easy to work with. The tutors make learning Math fun. I highly recommend this location.

The owner and tutors are very dedicated in helping all the kids. My 6.5 yo son loves coming here to…read moredo his math (I'm still in awe since I can't get him to do any math homework at home!).

My son has been attending Kumon of Brea, and we've had such a wonderful experience! When he first…read morestarted, he was just learning how to count and did not yet write. Now, he's confidently counting and writing numbers and he continues to make great progress every week he's now learning to read as well. The instructors are incredibly patient and encouraging, they really take the time to help him understand each step. What I love most is how excited he gets to go to his sessions. It's clear that the Kumon team has created a positive and motivating learning environment. I was worried about putting him in at 3 yrs old but he loves it there and he's only 4 now! I'm so grateful for their support and highly recommend Kumon of Brea to any parent looking to build strong academic skills & confidence in their child.

My soon-to-be 8th grader was going to this facility for over a year. Since they have a policy in…read morewhich parents are not allowed inside, the expectation was that the staff was going to communicate with me. Communication was never initiated on their end. I would have to ask about progress. The expectation we had was that my daughter was being helped in math and reading. Just for reference, there were times my daughter was allowed to enter Francisco's facility and walk right out with the new work. When I questioned her, she said it was okay. She said the tutors would review her work and let her know the following week how she did. We recently transferred to another Kumon facility closer to her new school. As soon as I met the owner of this facility, I knew Francisco ripped me off. This new facility utilizes an app to facilitate conversation between parents and staff. They also have regularly scheduled parent meetings to discuss the progress of the child. I never had one with Francisco. The new facility requires 30 minutes of one on one tutoring per subject. They require you to schedule a time to enter so that the facility has enough tutors on staff to meet the needs of the students. Francisco has a "drop in whenever" policy and I have seen his facility crammed with students with only a handful of tutors. Definitely not one-on-one tutoring. Sadly, now that we are about two weeks into our experience with the new facility, we have learned that Francisco and his staff didn't help my daughter as much as we expected. With the one-on-one tutoring, we have found that the Francisco's tutors allowed her to move on in a section without demonstrating mastery. It was nice getting those little certificates; however, they now mean nothing. I'll also add that this new facility charges the same amount but we got far more for our $$$. Lastly, I will add that Francisco tried to con me out of a whole month's tuition stating that Kumon requires that I pay for the whole month, even if I gave fair warning of our leaving in the middle of a month. I called Kumon HQ and the representative there said that it wasn't a policy of theirs and that each facility is independently owned and operated. I informed Francisco that he lied and that it wasn't Kumon's policy and that he was trying to squeeze more money out of me. He relented after being caught and I paid a prorated amount for the month. IF YOU THINK THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU, THINK AGAIN. I spent a lot of money here only to realize by going to another Kumon that there are better facilities. My daughter lost a whole year's worth of work and we are out $$$. This facility is a rip off.

On the contrary to other reviewers, Aloha Mind Math greatly helps children to be more comfortable…read morewith math on a different spectrum. My eldest son, 9 yrs old, is one of the pioneers here. He has been with Aloha since he was 5 and excels in math in school. For years he constantly tests a grade higher in mathematics. My youngest, 6 yrs old, has also been with Aloha for almost 2 years. When my youngest started at 4 years of age, had a hard time writing his numbers especially 3s and 5s. He knew how to count and do simple addition but did not write well. With the suggestion of the Aloha Mind Math team, I enrolled him first with their reading and writing program which Aloha also offers. After less than 6 months in the reading and writing program, we decided to put him back to the math program after strengthening his basic skills. The math program utilizes the use of the Abacus. For those of you that do not know, the Abacus is a very old tool to help in math that is made up with beads. In learning to use the Abacus, the kids need to learn how to use the beads properly. Something as basic as using the index finger and thumb on the Abacus will become second nature after repetition. It will be most useful when applying "Mind Math" as they add and subtract in their head. It may be an odd way of learning but very effective in problem solving numbers mentally. Math is really a challenging subject and may be 'boring' to some. Aloha makes for a more enjoyable environment by giving children birdie bucks. Birdie bucks can be turned in for toys that are displayed on the wall. Its a sort of reward / fulfillment to encourage kids to keep learning and strive to do better. When my eldest son graduated from the Junior Class Program, the owner provided him an ice cream party, a trophy, and a medal to acknowledge his achievements. He is now finishing the Senior Program. Prior to sending my kids to Aloha, we searched different educational outlets around the area (dont want to name them) just to affirm what they are learning at school. They all seemed great but also seemed like an extension of school. Aloha offered a different concept in learning numbers. I believe in learning the Abacus with Aloha was the biggest reason my son did not struggle with the common core criteria in their school. I am very happy with the results which will last a lifetime and have no reservation in giving them 5 stars.

My son is 4 1/2, but seems to have a natural mathematical ability. I began looking for a math camp…read moreor class that could be fun for him and expand his work with numbers (he's already experimenting on his own with arithmetic, multiplication/division, fractions, etc. - in two languages) I had heard of Aloha math from a friend of mine whose children took the course in Irvine with great success, so I'd figure I'd give it a try for my young son. I found, what seems to be a fairly new start up in Artesia. Aloha starts at 5 years old, but agreed to evaluate my son to see if he would be a good fit for the program, before allowing him to take the course. This is what we experienced: -- Red Flag 1: Upon arrival, the person that was to evaluate my son was young (maybe still in high school, or close to fresh out). I figured this was ok, as long as she was bright and had experience with children. She told me she was the office manager and NOT one of the instructors. -- Red Flag 2: She greeted me, and didn't even acknowledge my son. Then asked him to follow her into another room while I stayed to fill out paperwork. Hmmm, not really what you do with young children. I finished quickly and followed. -- Red Flag 3: She proceeded to go through the parts of an abacus and wanted my son to repeat after her. She informed him that there were lower beads and upper beads and asked him to repeat the parts. He repeated that there were lower beads and upper beads. She told him he was incorrect, because he referred to the upper beads as "higher" beads. -- Red Flag 4: She proceeded to show my son how to move beads on the abacus. She wanted him to use his thumb to add and his index finger to subtract. He used his index finger for both, and was corrected. Weird. -- Red Flag 5: She then proceeded to go through a worksheet with my son, which added/subtracted up to three numbers (using only numbers 1-4) using the abacus. It was obvious my son knew the math and would answer her in two languages. But he needed to show his work on the abacus. I think they did 5 or 6 of these, but it was painfully boring to watch, let alone have to do. Remember, I bringing him here to have "fun" with math, not do rote exercises. -- Red Flag 6: At 4 1/2, my son knows his numbers (knows to count to the thousands and knows what decillion is), but can't necessarily write them well (anyone who has studied bright children knows that handwriting is usually slow to come and atrocious, especially for boys). He knew the answers to the simple problems, but had a hard time writing the number 3. When he asked if he could write the answers using slash marks, he was told no. We were informed he was rejected for the program, with the main reason given that he could not write his numbers well. Aloha mind math touts that the program is for genius children, but I disagree. The "fun" that I was hoping he'd find in a different kind of math program, was not there. From what I experienced the abacus is used as a tool for what looked like a rote learning method. Instead of being inspired by math, he was drilled on simple math and how to use his thumb. Nothing fun, innovative, or mind blowing here. NOT for bright kids, I'm not even sure the staff here that evaluates children, knows what they actually look like.

If you like that small town feel La Pluma is it!!! We live in the garden hill area but drive our…read moredaughters to La Pluma because of its vibe. Everyone knows everyone. The kids are seen and each child is well loved and taken care of. The teachers care and its like a small town where families help eachother. It takes an army to raise children and we are so grateful we found La Pluma. Since TK till 5th grade every year has been a blessing.

This school is such a hidden gem in our community! The principal, staff and teachers are all such…read moregreat people! I would highly recommend this school! The ladies in the front office are so welcoming every time I come to the office. The teachers always go above and beyond to help the kids. I also am super happy that the class sizes are smaller in the lower grade levels! Thank you Mrs. Bixby and your team for such a great elementary experience!

Special mention to Mrs. Prado for the love, patience, and care you gave my son, Jayden, throughout…read morehis kindergarten year. You made such a positive impact on him during such an important stage of his life, and I'll always be grateful for the kindness, encouragement, and safe space you created for your students every single day. Watching how much he's grown this year has been so emotional as a parent, and I know a big part of that is because of you. Thank you for loving and guiding our babies like they were your own. We're so sad that we had to move and that Jayden won't be continuing at the school, because we truly loved how safe, welcoming, and caring everyone has been. If we could've kept him there, we absolutely would have. If you're thinking about enrolling your child here, I truly couldn't recommend this school enough.

My niece attends Valencia Park elementary. I feel compelled to share my experience with others, in…read morethe hopes of sparing others from similar distress. While initially promising, the reality of this institution fell far short of expectations, leaving a trail of disillusionment and concern in its wake. From the outset, the school boasts an impressive roster of teachers who purportedly excel in connecting with their students. However, this is untrue and unfortunately there is an alarming lack of professionalism and boundaries. Rather than fostering a safe and conducive learning environment, the unchecked familiarity between teachers and students creates an atmosphere ripe for exploitation and misconduct. Such behavior not only undermines the integrity of the educational system but also puts students at risk of emotional and psychological harm. Moreover, attempts to address these concerns were met with dismissiveness and defensiveness from school administration, further exacerbating the sense of unease among parents and students alike. It became increasingly clear that the prioritization of maintaining appearances outweighed any genuine commitment to safeguarding the well-being of those within the school community. In conclusion, while Valencia Park Elementary may tout its personalized approach to education, it is imperative for prospective parents and students to exercise caution. The allure of close teacher-student relationships should not come at the expense of safety and professionalism. Until meaningful reforms are enacted to address these systemic issues, I cannot in good conscience recommend Valencia Park as a viable option for quality education. I rated this school 1 start because there is no option for 0.

My nephew's 6th grade teacher at Emery Elementary School (Ms. Karen Chalmers) poured water all over…read morehis head because he fell asleep in class. All of his classmates witnessed it. He was humiliated and said it was the worst day of his life. It's hard enough being a kid. But when your teacher is the bully? Speechless. Their STOMP Out Bullying campaign clearly does not apply to their teachers.

Meet the Masters is a weekly art program, yet Young Rembrandts after school fee-based lessons are…read morealso available. Students with allergies sit in a designated area, otherwise they eat with their class for lunch. The garden was built from a grant by Loewe's, an outcome of project-based learning that involved proposals written by students. The principal has been at Emery for four years, but she has worked at every school in the district (for a total of 28 years experience). There is a STEAM lab for engineering activities as well as violin and wind instrument instruction.