We weren't sure what to expect even though we were totally prepared by Ayusa and our community…read morerepresentative, Brian. It's been wonderful. The connections we've made and experiences we've gotten to experience with our students is absolutely incredible. I'd encourage anyone to welcome a student for a semester or year! We absolutely adore our girl!

First, I want to point out that the negative reviews that are on this page reflect the sentiments…read moreof families where the kids were often removed. Second, there are certain rules the state department requires that are out of AYUSA control. AYUSA must adhere to State Department polices, or else they're in violation, and risk their standing as a safe organization. AYUSA doesn't create policies out of the blue. They have the responsibility of ensuring that these children are cared for and in good hands, which is not an easy thing to do. Many host families that are posting negatively did not meet the needs of the student they chose, which is a natural and human thing to happen. Obviously, it feels yucky to be rejected, and it doesn't happen frequently, but it does happen. AYUSA steps in to mediate where it makes sense, but sometimes the student may just want to leave. AYUSA cannot force a student to stay in a host family that they don't like. The students pay lots of money and make sacrifices to be here, so they want to have a placement that they love. Some teenagers are braver than others when it comes to being assertive about their needs. Third, most of the CRs are host families too. They start hosting, then fall in love with the organization, so they sign on to be a part of it. That should tell you right there that this is a fantastic organization. Many of the host parents I spend time with are involved in AYUSA because they believe in the mission. I have been a host family for years. We hosted when I was a teenager growing up. Now, this year was my first time doing it as the "responsible adult". We have an exchanged student from Italy. We are a young couple without kids, so we were nervous about it, but we welcomed the new adventure. AYUSA has made this much less nerve wracking. They have been there for us every step of the way. In a human centered business, sometimes things can be difficult. People will be people, and teenagers will be, well, teenagers. Everyone has different personalities and sometimes students and host families are not as compatible as they thought they would be. That's just human nature. AYUSA helped guide us to choose a student that would be the most appropriate for our little family. We could not be happier with how this year has gone. Paolo will forever be part of our family! The community of exchange students we spend time with now will be friends for life. We now have multiple homes around the globe we can visit. If you're considering this adventure, go for it, but understand it's what YOU make of the opportunity. For us, this has been meaningful and special. We don't want to say goodbye, so we are thrilled we can just say "see you later".

We enrolled our son at Primeros Pasos and it was his first daycare/preschool experience. We (okay,…read moreI) was really nervous about finding the right place, but after just a short time, it felt like we had been with them for so much longer than we actually had. And it's because of the incredible warmth of this community. The maestras create such a welcoming and nurturing space! They strike a wonderful balance: a thoughtful, engaging curriculum that fosters real development, paired with heart-centered care. In particular, it has been absolutely incredible to watch his Spanish flourish while seeing his English expand in parallel. Watching him grow and learn has been such a joy. We are so grateful for everything they have done. If you are looking for a nurturing, high-quality environment for your little one, we can't recommend Primeros Pasos highly enough!

After a long search -- a nanny share and two other reputable play‑based daycares/preschools -- we…read morefinally found the place that truly worked for our family. My husband and I both work in healthcare, so reliable childcare isn't just nice to have, it's essential. In smaller settings like a nanny share or in‑home daycare, if the provider was sick, we had to call out sick too, which was incredibly challenging with our schedules. Primeros Pasos is the opposite experience: well‑staffed, well‑organized, and incredibly dependable. Their closure dates are set far in advance, the schedule is consistent, and the whole operation runs like a well‑oiled machine. It has made our lives so much more predictable and manageable. Our daughter started around 2.5 and graduated from the PreK/TK‑equivalent class. She tested fluent & native in Spanish even though we're not a Spanish‑speaking household, and she's now thriving in a Spanish‑immersion SFUSD elementary school. The Portfolio her teachers created (art, letters, photos) was something she looked at constantly during her kindergarten transition -- it clearly meant a lot to her and showed how deeply she loved her teachers and friends. The PreK/TK class is exceptional. Two amazing teachers, a thoughtfully structured day, and dedicated spaces like a gross motor room, sensory room, music room, plus plenty of outdoor time. I love how they take time in each space and transition slowly to the next activity to help very young children transition. The Educational Director also hosts incredibly helpful parent workshops via Zoom. On top of that, PP brings in outside extra curricular programming like yoga, gymnastics, soccer, art, and Jamaroo music. It's truly special. The staff is consistently kind, attentive, and well‑resourced. Every child gets individualized attention and is made to feel seen and loved. We've experienced multiple campuses -- Glen Park (before it moved to Noe), the Noe site, and now Silver after moving to Bernal Heights. Each has its own personality, but all are warm, well‑equipped, and staffed by wonderful teachers. Our son has been at the Silver campus since he was about one and is also thriving and runs right in without looking back to be with his buddies. We are expecting another and boy and plan to send him there as well! We're so grateful to have found Primeros Pasos.

We've been part of British swim school for several years and recently moved to this location a few…read moremonths ago when our daughter aged out of the prior level and needed a bigger pool. We've been very very happy with the dedicated and kind instruction. We see swimming as a key life skill and appreciate the emphasis British swim school has on water safety and skills. Our eldest has some issues with attention and initially had anxiety when she moved up a level. British swim school has been so good to her and we now do private lessons for her. Rowan in particular has been really good in pushing her the right way. We've seen so much good progress . The pool definitely gets busy in the summer as the hotel has more guests but it's always been manageable for us. Once the school year has started the pool empties out again from the usual guests. This location is much preferred over 24 hr fitness for us.

This is the first year my daughter has been doing swimming lessons and am glad I chose British Swim…read moreSchool. She has been progressing very well and the instructors are great. Today her instructor was Eduardo and he was awesome with all the kids and very encouraging. It is also nice that they have someone who updates the instructor (today was Destinie who is great) on your child's progress prior to the start of class and they also send you an email to summarize how the class went and what they need to continue to work on. Also, you have up to a month to make up a class in case you miss a class and their app is very easy to use to do that. My daughter is always looking forward to swim class.

My nieces love this program and are always happy. They had a lot of fun at their last class with…read moreIzaiah and Sophia. Such a great way to help the community stay safe. 10 out of 10 definitely recommend to those with children that need help with swimming

This is a late review since we ended our membership a few weeks ago…read more Anyways, we had reservations about joining since the lessons were not private on the weekends, but our concerns were put to rest quickly. The class sizes are small, and our child was able to quickly learn how to swim well under the program. Progress was quick and the teachers and staff were great. Unfortunately, once our child got to a certain level, all of the classes were in San Francisco and we just didn't want to deal with the hassle of going there. However, canceling our membership was quick and painless, which isn't always the norm. I highly recommend British Swim School

Kindra is very knowledgeable about what it takes to get into the best colleges. She was very…read moreprofessional and personable and always acted in the best interest of our daughter. I would highly recommend her.

My experience with InsideTrack Coaching was really cool and fun cause my coach help me a lot with…read moreall through school and everything even some personal stuff that I had on my mind, so that it won't affect my schooling or getting stressed out. My coach also help me with classes and how to overcome stress when I do finals and test for the class and it makes me feel a lot more confident when I do my class work even though it may make a little stressful, but I have to overcome that so that I can progress through my class and pass. After all of that I fell so happy that I have somebody to help me get through all of this and help me get ready for my future and my career. So student who will be having a experience soon with Inside Track Coaching get ready it really does help you a lot and make you feel really good about yourself. So get ready for a experience you will love to be in.

I was fortunate enough to take a workshop on public speaking with Holley at the Makeshift Society…read morein San Francisco because it helped me refine my pitch for my own burgeoning business, and feel more comfortable speaking, whether one on one or in a group. Holley is a natural speaker and teacher. She makes you feel--instantly--at ease. I highly recommend taking a workshop with her or hiring her for one on one coaching.

I took a two-day CSM course from Cprime, held in a Learn iT! conference room (San Francisco)…read more The instructor, Aakash Srinivasan, was both knowledgeable and entertaining, which made for a very effective class. There was a good mix of hands-on activity, individual exercise, and lecture. Aakash's colorful flip-charts were especially helpful. The course did more than enough to prepare us for the certification exam. The course description advertised light breakfast being provided half an hour beforehand (from 8:30 to 9:00). Bit of a sinking feeling when we arrived at the Learn iT! lobby and were pointed to water and coffee. At some point a box of Noah's Bagels and cream cheese arrived unannounced, but I was already preparing myself for starvation mode. (Having learned my lesson day 1, I picked up breakfast on my way day 2.) Our instructor was expecting 30, maybe 31 students... and we ended up having 32. He had only been given materials (handbooks) for 30, so he had to call Cprime to print more booklets and drop them off. (I'm not sure how Cprime could flub that, honestly... isn't registration all done in advance?) Lunch was plentiful, catered from Bamboo Asia both days. Two trays of rice, one tray of chicken, one tray of tofu, and sides for the class of 32. (Sadly the salad dressing was absent the second day.) One nice touch was that warm Otis Spunkmeyer chocolate chip cookies appeared in the lobby each afternoon. The facility was just so-so, but the instruction was spot-on. Bit pricey if your employer isn't sponsoring your course.

I've been to various training courses led by different companies, and the SCRUM Master course I…read moretook at cPrime's Los Angeles office was hands down the best course I've ever taken. My class was taught my Jim Schiel, a veteran SCRUM demi-God who was dynamic, personable and best of all experienced. He charismatically answered all our questions, made us think in ways we never expected, and made two days of training feel like only a few hours. cPrime was extremely gracious about snacks, breaks and facility amenities, too, making sure we had what we needed to stay focused and engaged. I definitely considering taking more courses with them, and I highly recommend you do the same.