We couldn't be happier with our experience at Corner Coop. One of the standout features for us has…read morebeen its flexibility with scheduling. As our daughter has grown more comfortable, we've been able to easily add on days and enroll her in the lunch program. The best part of the Coop is the teachers. They are fully engaged with the kids, always there to play, help manage those big feelings, and tailor activities to each child's interests. We've seen no staff turnover in the year our daughter has attended. We appreciate the play-based approach, allowing kids to choose their own activities and follow their passions. The kids spend at least an hour at the playground every day , weather permitting. They also get to play in the splash pad when it's hot and sled in Waldstein Park when it snows. Being a parent cooperative, we love being involved in the school's operations and feeling like true partners in our daughter's education journey. Corner Coop has exceeded our expectations and we're grateful to be a part of such a nurturing and supportive community.

I appreciate teachers and Co-op community. We came from a…read moreforeign country and were anxious to find my daughter's nursery school. But when we opened the door at Co-op, teachers warmly welcomed us. My Kids is learning English naturally. My kids love Corner Co-op, too. Kids have something special every day using their imagination. School generously offers flexible schedule (2-5 days a week) There is the Waldstein playground behind the school.

My now six year old son attended Storyville while he was in Pre-Kindergarten. This was our first…read moreexperience with daycare and I could not have been more satisfied with the Storyville team. The staff was warm, professional, and well-prepared to share their experience with my son for the day when I arrived to pick him up. My son has several chronic medical conditions which requires a significant level of coordination between school, his medical team, and child care provider. Through it all, the entire Storyville team contributed significantly to: (1) his speech development; (2) ability to interact with the staff and fellow classmates; and (3) his ability to explore new and exciting activities through field trips, swimming lessons, or magicians and storytellers, which were all a part of the regular activities line up. Regarding administrative matters, I found the team to be wonderful. The director Pam would personally send me email updates regarding administrative matters and was quick to respond to any questions I asked. Joan is equally amazing, extremely helpful, responsive, and knew my son very well. The teachers were supportive, attentive, caring and aware of upcoming programming. I think they went out of their way on many occasions to invite my partner and I to join in on field trips and become a part of my sons experience. With my son's medical conditions, safety in an integrated environment was a top concern in selecting a daycare. The care that the entire team demonstrated in working with him reassured me that this was the right place for him. Because of this experience, my son has had a smooth transition into Kindergarten and I am forever grateful for all the support we received from the entire Storyville team. He enjoyed his experience so much that I had very mixed feelings about his transition to Kindergarten and that school's extended-day program verses keeping him at Storyville. But ultimately, the momentum he gained after this experience led me to keep him moving forward. Thank you.

Can't say enough good things about this school. My son transitioned here at age 3 due to a move and…read moreI was a little nervous about how the transition would go (he'd been at daycare since 3 months old and loved his previous school). He was welcomed with warmth and affection and it went smoothly! The teachers are great, they always tell me how his day went and are open to discussing ideas about how best to handle my energetic little guy. He's learned so much and has really developed the academic and social skills that I hoped when enrolling him. The administration is fantastic, always flexible and accommodating to my crazy work schedule. My son starts kindergarten in the fall and is well prepared thanks to the school and it's dedicated teachers and staff. I highly recommend sending your little ones to Storyville!

GISB is not only our three kids' school, but it is also our family's cultural home. All our…read morechildren started in GISB preschool, and by now, our oldest daughter is studying neuroscience at Boston University, our son is writing his "Abitur" right now and will decide if he wants to study in the US or in Europe, and our 8th grader can't stop talking about how excited she is to go for a school exchange with Oslo next school year. Over the 16 years at GISB, our kids have always been taken care of, both emotionally and academically. The teachers are young and committed, the principal is competent and visionary, the parent community is strong and supportive. The German International School Boston has that name for a reason. The curriculum is German based but also covers the American highschool curriculum, and our families are international. Last year we had 39 different nationalities at our school. The annual turnover is hard, many families come for a predefined amount of time to Boston and then leave (some also stay!). But that also means that you have friends all over the world since GISB by now has a worldwide network of families who help each other. Our graduates finish school with the International Abitur and the Massachusetts High School diploma, opening doors all over the US and Europe. If you want your child grow up in a warm, nurturing setting where he/she will be raised with excellent academics and a strong focus on character-building, then you should consider this truly wonderful school!

My children attended GISB for four years. Below is an honest review of our experience. I wish I…read morehad an honest review of the school before we had decided to enroll there. Hopefully this will help parents who are considering GISB make an informed decision. Location: The traffic in Allston is bad now and will only get worse as Harvard opens its new Engineering Campus in 2020. Facilities: Upper campus is an old Catholic school that is quite shabby in areas. There is no air conditioning in the summer. The heat fails in the winter. The paint is worn out in the stairwells. The parking lot has rusty twisted broken fences. Some specific spaces such as the library have been renovated recently and are OK. Lower Campus, where the pre-K and K grades are located, is a recently converted office building. The lower campus space turns out to be quite cramped when it is full of students. If you have a young active child that needs to move and get their wiggles out over the course of the day this will be a challenging environment for them. Tuition: The German International School of Boston (GISB) demands all the tuition upfront for the school year and there are no refunds for any reason. Buyers beware of any service that demands all the money up front and puts "no refunds for any reason" in the fine print. There are also a lot of various extra fees for the after school classes, ski week, vacation week camp, etc. School Calendar: The GISB academic calendar follows the German academic calendar rather than the American academic calendar. This means that there are two week breaks in February and April where parents must scramble for childcare. Teacher turn over: In the four years that my kids attended GISB they lost teachers every year (sometimes even mid-year) for a variety of reasons (disputes over pay with the administration, visa issues, pregnancy, health problems, etc.). There is no substitute teacher pool to draw on so when a teacher is sick it is a mad scramble to cover the classroom. Even when there is plenty of advance warning of a teacher's departure. (This teacher is pregnant. She will be going out on maternity leave in 4 months.) There was no planning on the part of the administration on how to cover the class room and it was an ad hoc assortment of people covering the class which was very detrimental to the students. Teacher's Credentials: Being a private school the teachers are not subject to the same credentialing criteria as public-school teachers. When I asked the administration if I could see the credentials of my kid's teachers, I was told no. What are they hiding? Why won't they share their teaching staff's credentials? Teaching style: Modern pedagogy acknowledges that students have a variety of learning styles and that teachers need to craft their lesson plans to cover different types of learners. GISB seems firmly stuck in the 19th century with one method of teaching and if your kid doesn't get it too bad. It obviously must be the kid's fault. My older child entered public school a full year behind in reading skills than his peers after we left GISB. Thankfully he was immediately identified as someone who needed some extra help with learning to read and after just one semester in public-school, he was up to grade level. Clearly there was no learning disability on my child's part. My child just hadn't been taught to read. I have talked to other parents who have left GISB for public-school and they have related similar experiences. If a school can't do something as basic as effectively teach kids to read... Social Environment: The small classes mean that the social environment is somewhat stifling. If you kid doesn't make a friend in the handful of other kids in their class, it will be a long lonely year. If your kid becomes the target of a bully, there is no avoiding the bully. The bully is right there all the time. The teachers seem at a complete loss of what to do when bullying is brought to their attention. The teachers and school administration at GISB clearly view the student's behavioral, emotional, and social development as not their responsibility. My experience so far in the public-school system is the complete opposite. The public-school system views its mandate as helping children grow as a whole person and this includes the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral development. Addressing of Concerns and Grievances: The GISB administration, parent council, and GISB board have no interest is addressing issues that are brought to their attention. There is a constant shirking of responsibility. The standard excuse they all give is "But you have to understand GISB is a young school." GISB has been around for 18 years and there are plenty of resources available on how to effectively run a school. The public-school principal of my children's current school has a clear "The buck stops here." attitude which is so refreshing after GISB.

I would definetly recommend this school. My daughter loves it there, it's her second year and…read morealways in a good mood when I pick her up. They do lots of activities even pony rides :)) i couldn't ask for any better learning experience and more dedicated teachers.

I could not be more pleased with the experience my daughter is having here! She is excited to go to…read moreschool each time. The teachers are very dedicated. Most have been teaching there for several years. They find a way to turn everything into a learning experience and foster independence in the children. My daughter has been there only a couple of months and I can see the positive influence her teachers have had on her already. I would absolutely recommend this preschool!

As I know, the owner will end up responding to this review with false allegations and blame…read moreeverything on us instead of being appropriate and professional about our feedback (which we brought up to her over and over in a documented way for our safety), I will not put in writing all the reasons that we took our child from this program. The concerning things will come up over time and not during the initial tour or even the first few months. After we left, we had many parents (past and present) sharing with us that they had "unpleasant interactions" with the director and describing similar behavior we experienced. Some prefer to avoid drama and go with it, and some spoke up and had a direct conflict with her that led to them leaving the program. The bottom line is that while I think your child will be safe in A to Z, any interaction with the director when you are not pleased or have a concern will most likely end up being an unpleasant one and you will end up feeling attacked if you will not back down. This is a cheaper program, but we feel that there are much better programs out there that can combine nurturing environment for your child AND more pleasant and cooperative interactions with the director and staff that are worth the extra cost. When I read Tiffany's review, and based on our experience, I believed her without knowing her and her story, but the patterns are the same. I can also see that the director's patterns of blaming it all on the parents and not taking into consideration any feedback haven't changed in the years since it was posted.

This was a suggested "Like" for me on Facebook, and it reminded me of the experiences I had with…read morethis place back in college when I used to babysit. Glad to see this place is still thriving! My interactions with staff during pickups were always friendly and pleasant, after the first few times when the director wanted to be REALLY sure that I was authorized to pick him up, and the little boy I babysat often did not want to leave his friends and teachers when I would come to pick him up. Once I was able to pry him away, he would babble to me all the way home and all through his dinner about his day playing on the playground, all of his friends, and what he learned that day (I can't believe they teach Spanish to pre-schoolers! I wish I had gone here myself!). If I lived closer (and who knows -- maybe in the future I will), I would not hesitate to give this place a visit when selecting a preschool!

We have been fortunate enough to have our son at Needham Montessori since he was 15 months old (he…read moreis now 2.4). He can't wait to get there each day and engage with his excellent teachers and friends. We have noticed a big difference since he started there with his independence and helpfulness around the house. He helps set/clean the table, feed the dog and empty the dishwasher, all without prompting! He also makes sure each plaything gets put away before he takes the next thing out. We feel he is so cared for and loved and he is thriving!

Needham Montessori has become a part of our family. We are so fortunate to have found a place with…read moreteachers that are so caring, loving and nurturing. Our son has absolute thrived here. He has blossomed over the past year into a bright, happy, social and confident kiddo. We are absolutely thrilled with his progress. The teachers foster his interests and encourage his independence. My husband and I also have a totally open line of communication with the directors and teachers. This is so important to us! The directors Christine and Allen are 2 of the nicest people you will ever meet. We love Needham Montessori!

This school is incredible. The teachers care so much about each of their students and take time to…read morefoster each child's growth. It is a safe and loving environment for children of all backgrounds. The director Leslie is superb and is so involved that the children know and love her as much as the teachers. She is understanding of many different personal situations and will work with any family to provide the best care. The ratio here is great. Kids get the attention they need. They get tons of outdoor time and enrichment. Scheduling is flexible. After coming from another school in the area that did not meet expectations I can firmly say that changing to Pilgrim was the best choice I ever made for my child.

I have a child in their first year of attendance at PNS. I have nothing but great things to say…read moreabout the school and its teachers. The women who teach there are all quite nurturing. My child loves going to school at PNS.I feel like my child is learning a lot there and just not being babysat for three hours. My child can now write their name, recognizes letters and letter sounds, and can use scissors (at 3yo). Classes are small. The atmosphere is relaxed. The teachers are all experienced and have taught there for many years. As a parent, I highly recommend going for a tour if you're looking for a small nursery school that will give your young child a great start in their school career.

I have to agree with Liza's review. My biggest regret is not taking my son out of here earlier. It…read moretook almost the entire summer for him to build back the self confidence the female teacher absolutely destroyed. I'm not angry- but want to flag if your kid has issues sitting still, has a mind of his own, or is 0.01% neurodivergent, don't do it. Differences are not encouraged and this place dramatically favors the kids who are most likely to excel (initially) in the tony school districts that surround it. My son is almost 9 and he still talks about what a nightmare his last few months at this place was, but does have good memories of his first year here with the male teacher. My husband wanted to give his last "report card" back to them and I wish we did. Our son has done nothing but thrive in our school district since.

If I could give 0 of 5 I would. Anytime they can't accomplish something they promised they could…read morethey blame the kid and shame the parents. I waited 2 years to write this and I've had 3 other families tell me what a horrible experience they also had. They told me my kid was the hardest kid they have had in 30 years -- and if that's the case I'd be FLOORED. No behavioral issues. No acting out. Nothing. Bad behaviors have emerged with other kids during their time there. They have no concept of what age appropriate behavior is. The man is nice but the woman is a nightmare. Steer clear. I wouldn't send my younger there if they paid me.