My 9 year old daughter has had the pleasure of getting Flute lessons from Mas for nearly a year…read more She had never played an instrument before and both myself and her Mom aren't musicians. You can imagine our surprise when she quickly learned how to read music, perform for us nightly in her practice sessions, and stick with this activity while others have gone by the wayside. Mas is a huge part of the reason for her success. He is calm and patient. He keeps her from losing focus but also allows for the fun in practicing. He teaches her musical theory as well as how a musician from 5 different countries might count time in various languages. My daughter has also shown newly found confidence in school as she has already played for her class and other grades as well. We are so lucky to have found such a wonderful teacher in Mas who has given my daughter the gift of music.

I am the first to admit that I am not the ideal student. I easily get bored & find myself losing…read moreinterest in most classes. On a lark took lessons with Mas for the saxophone (with no previous experience with this instrument.) Mas is so kind, patient & fun. If he can teach me; he can teach anyone. You really will find no one better than Masaru as an instructor. I have caught a couple of his performances with the band Kat Parra at several venues including Jazz festivals. It's always a pleasure to watch this talented musician.

The teachers are so warm and caring, but also very professional in educating and disciplining kids…read more One day I was picking up my baby and his teacher came out and asked if we could wait a bit because my boy wanted to finish his book. I love their patience and thoughtful approach to the little ones.

As with any school, a child's experience is largely dependent on the teacher. My son started off in…read morethe toddler classroom with Ms. Peralta, who was an excellent teacher. My husband and I noticed how fast he developed and advanced academically. She was kind, loving, and always kept the kids busy with various activities over the course of the day. Ms. Peralta left suddenly a few months after we started, and things immediately took a turn for the worst. In fact, it seems like many of the experienced teachers had left this year, and the administration chose to promote the assistant teachers, who were highly inexperienced and lacked the proper training and qualifications. During the few months we stayed at the school after Ms. Peralta's departure, my son was moved from the toddler classroom to the preschool classroom. This was a complete disaster. His new teacher had a short temper. It was almost daily when my son would come home and tell me that his teacher was angry. I had heard from other parents in the class that they had noticed her temper as well and addressed it with director. She did not invest in the kids education, and was constantly having them sit on the floor as they passed the time. It had turned into more of a daycare than a school. My son even started forgetting the numbers and alphabet he learned in Ms. Peralta's class. His new teacher did not invest any time in the curriculum or his education. This isn't even the worst of it. A few weeks before our departure, I received a call from the school director reporting an incident that had taken place. Apparently the kids had returned from their daily play on the playground, and my two year old son was forgotten outside and left alone on the playground! Thankfully, another teacher saw him and reported the situation to the director. The director informed me that she had the intention of addressing it with the teacher and other staff. Regardless, I was absolutely livid to hear this. After this incident there continued to be no improvement in the quality of care or education, so we decided to pull him out permanently. I hope this review helps prospective parents make an informed decision on where to send their child. As I mentioned in the beginning, it is all dependent on the proper teachers. It seems like all the experienced teachers left during covid, and the administration made some poor choices with the teachers they hastily hired. I would also like to note that the school director and assistant director genuinely cared and wanted to work with our family on resolving these issues. However, it just got the the point where there were so many issues with the teacher that we could not stay at this school.

I researched seven schools in the neighborhood before selecting Learning Ladders and I sure am glad…read moreabout my decision. Sending your child to a pre-school is a big decision - and that is why this review is really long and detailed. I am an Internal Auditor with over 20 years of experience - which gives me unique skills to see processes, controls and risks - and make an informed decision. That's why I have also provided examples for each of the reasons why I gave this unsolicited five star review. Here are the reasons why this school worked out great: 1) Staff - a really caring and expert staff - especially the teachers my Neil got - primarily Ms. Latisha, Ms. Nia as well as other visiting teachers and administrators such as Ms. Khyati and Ms. Shiobhan. These people TRULY love the children in their care. For example, when my son reduced eating - they sent us personalized emails about his eating habits. There is no way we would have known or addressed it but for this. If you drop off before 9 AM they allow you to take the child to the classroom and my son's eyes lit up whenever he saw Ms. Latisha and Ms. Nia - giving them hugs - if he didn't feel love from them that would NOT happen. 2) Expertise - it is clear that the school invests a lot in their curriculum. They do arts and crafts, story time etc. even for really young babies and in doing so exercise their gross-motor skills. My son was also delayed in speaking, and the pediatrician had recommended speech therapists but he did not accept strangers. Since he was already happy/familiar with his teacher - Ms. Latisha, Ms. Nia, Ms. Khyati and Ms. Shiobhan PERSONALLY worked hard on him such that he developed the confidence to speak without us having to spend for a speech therapist. They ALSO guided us on practical things we can do at home to help speed up his speech development. 3) Interiors - New, spacious, well-lit and lively, the interiors have an amazing energy about it. Real estate in this area is VERY expensive... 1000 sq feet 2 bed room apartments go for $5,000 so you can imagine why all the other schools I saw were cramped - perhaps to squeeze in as many students/classrooms as possible - BUT NOT this school. The classrooms are expansive, with a play area, a seated activity area, a dining area, a big private bathroom and a cubby dedicated to each child. 4) Safety - the classrooms, all the furniture etc is very safe - rounded corners and padding everywhere... this makes it VERY safe for the children. Over and above - the school follows all applicable laws in a very strict manner. Once my son had a fall while running and they filled a complete incident report for me EVEN THOUGH there were NO visible scratches and he of course could not communicate. My point being, they could have NOT followed procedure and we would be none the wiser - that day my trust on this school and its staff increased even more. 5) Transparency - at least 3-4 updates about the class's activities, videos and keep sake photos (you are only allowed to download solo photos of your child) show how the children are progressing and what they did during the day. It allows you to connect with them better. They check diapers frequently and update the app. They keep the children so clean. 6) Dashboard - before each parent teacher meeting - the school sends a graphic report that shows how your child is doing vis-a-vis what is expected for his age. Then the teachers explain their plan to work on the areas where the child is falling behind. 6) Ramp-up plan: We were amazed with their plan and guidance to help my 2-year-old adjust to pre-school. They warned us about what to expect, and what mistakes to not make. Within a week the crying stopped and within two weeks - our son was EXCITED to go to school. 7) Honest billing - month to month with no long-term commitment. Easy to exit when your situation changes.

We've been associated with learning ladders since my child was 1.5 years old in 2019 until now when…read morehe is 5.5 years old in 2023. Our experience has been pretty decent in terms of the child care, extra curricular activities and tuition for extended hours. What I like the most is the freedom to share my concerns freely with Swati/Zenaida and ensuring that they're being addressed. I also appreciate the transparency in curriculum which they added in last school session and the graduation ceremony. In all, I have felt the my child was very safe and in good hands throughout our time. I'd definitely recommend the school for infants/ toddlers.

So glad I found iCanMandarin. They customized the curriculum to meet my son's needs and interest…read morefrom the beginning, which helped my high school son to stay in the class for several months in spite of his busy schedule. His teacher helped him to become interested in speaking and reading in Chinese again. The small class size helped him to get individualized attention from his teacher as well. Highly recommended!

My child is really enjoying Fun with Mandarin via zoom. The teacher is engaging, and maintains a…read morehigh percentage of Chinese speaking during the class, interspersed with English for instruction. iCanMandarin staff are very communicative and responsive to our questions. I'd recommend this class to anyone interested in a fun and age-appropriate introduction to Chinese for their child.

I can say nothing but the best about Atelier de la casa. My son had the best experience here. He…read morehugged Miss Lily on the first day he started because Miss Lily, like the rest of the staff, is warm and genuine and make the kids feel at ease right away. I was also impressed by their approach to tackling the bi-lingual aspect and teaching the same curriculum in the morning in English and in the afternoon in Spanish or French, which helps them avoid mixing and confusing the two languages. My son was in the Spanish-English track and picked up so much of the Spanish in such a short period. I love how warm and inviting the space is and how extensive the resources are. It feels like nothing is lacking, and the kids have access to all of what Montessori offers. Atelier de la casa is also makes a point to take the kids to the local playground when weather permits, which was very important to me since I don't want my son to be confined to one space and a backyard for a full day. We are taking a short break for family reasons are the moment but can't wait to have Neo rejoin in a couple of months.

We sent both of our children to HCA when we lived in Hoboken and could not have found a better…read moreplace. Management - Marisa and Marissa - were excellent from the moment we took a tour of the place until the day we left Hoboken. The teachers are also wonderful. Our kids were treated with love and care and learned so much during their time at HCA. Bonus points for the three meals prepared each day plus snacks; few school closures that matched our work schedule for the most part; 7pm close time to accommodate working parents; video camera accessible all day; and a user friendly and informative app with pictures of our kids. HCA was a big part of our family and we are eternally grateful for them. There's no better place in Hoboken.

A truly amazing place that will always hold a special place in our hearts. Our son went to HCA…read morestarting as an infant and he is now 3 and he has thrived under their care. It was a wonderful second home to him. HCA staff is everything you would want in a daycare - warm, loving, communicative. On top of that, they cook organic meals on site so the kids eat very well. They taught him SO much and we are so lucky to have them.

My 9 year old son just started his 3rd year at this wonderful school, and it has been amazing for…read moreus! They really understand him, and his social-emotional issues. The small class size allows for very individualized attention. He is (like many of the students) an uneven learner. He reads and does math way above grade level, but needs help with writing and expressive language (but some children have more typical learning difficulties). Each family is assigned a social worker to meet with on a regular basis, and the social workers also go into the classrooms to work on social skills through "friendship" and "games" groups. There is a "black & white" notebook that goes back and forth every day, providing a means of valuable communication between the teachers and parents. He has met some great friends here, and there is a warm parent community. We can speak freely with each other about our children's "issues" - we're all in this together! So happy we found this little gem of a school! P.S. The Parents' Association hosts a wonderful lecture series on a variety of topics, mostly concerning special needs children.

A small but terrific school with a strong social conscience. It is spiritual but welcomes all…read morereligions. Academics are top-notch. For instance, last year the 5th grade performed an abridged version of "Macbeth." There is no "dumbing down" here.

We heard good comments about the school but we found it snob, the kids talk about their clothes…read morebrands and skiing vacations. Not very welcoming for ethnic groups different than white american. Focused in planet conservation which is nice but too expensive for what you get in general