Wright College Counseling

(1 review)

3.0 km

As a first time college parent, the college admissions process was intense. The challenge of…read morebalancing your child's ambitions/dreams and financial realities was overwhelming at the beginning. We were lucky enough to get the interest of a coach at a school that was at the top of my daughter's school list. I was referred to Archer College Counseling for support with the admission and recruitment process. Archer did an excellent job coaching us through the financial negotiation process. They had a great feel for the pacing of the conversation and nuance needed to keep conversation moving forward. They took the time to fully understand our situation and helped us guide the conversation proactively versus being reactive. In retrospect some of my initial instincts could have possibly left options on the table or burnt a bridge. Archer College Counseling gave me very honest but supportive advice and it really paid off. We were able to negotiate a 50% increase in funding from the school. I am truly grateful for their support. We are excited for the upcoming school year. I would recommend wholeheartedly seeking out the support of Archer College Counseling to support your family's college admissions process.

From the owner: Providing comprehensive college counseling services for students and aspiring student athletes,…read moreeach student engagement is customized to meet the student where they are. Whether you need assistance for a single piece of the admissions process or a partner that is there with you every step of the way, we will provide the services your student needs to maximize their success. For students who want to pursue athletics in college, our Athlete Recruitment Program is specifically designed to connect each student to the schools and coaches most appropriate for them. Our experience with Division I, II and III athletes means we can find the best fit for your student-athlete.

Dow Educational Solutions

(10 reviews)

2.6 km

If you're a parent of a high-achieving student and you're feeling overwhelmed by the college…read moreadmissions process -- call Steven. We worked with him this year, and thanks to his guidance, our son got into 10 amazing schools, including USC's competitive dual major program in Real Estate Finance and Development. Steven helped us cut through the noise, zero in on schools that were the right fit, and develop a strong, authentic strategy. He's super organized, incredibly insightful, and genuinely cares about helping students find their place. Seriously -- worth every penny. Highly recommend.

Approaching the college process with our son, and hearing from friends with recent high school…read moregraduates how rough the experience would be, I knew we would need help. DowEdu was recommended by a colleague and I knew in our first meeting Steve was the best fit for our son compared to some of the others I evaluated. We used the Junior year assessment, Senior year submission, and ACT testing preparation services. The process was clearly communicated, organized, with timelines established and follow up from DowEdu was exceptional. Personally, I was grateful to not have to figure out the timeline and many many deadlines or argue with my son to follow up and stay on track. I'm also extremely grateful I didn't have to help write, read or submit the so many essays that are needed for this. I cannot say enough good things about Steve and the services provided by DowEdu!!!

Teaching & Mentoring

Standardized Test Prep

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Intermediary Services

College Advising Boutique

(2 reviews)

3.0 km

Excellent college advising, Eva really cares about the success of her students and their success in…read morelife. Very out of the box thinking to help students feel fulfilled and be more competitive. Highly recommend.

Eva is caring, professional and down to earth to work with from the time my daughter started high…read moreschool all the way through our college admission! She really cared to go the extra mile, help us every step of the way and is just a wealth of knowledge to have on your team! Highly recommend!! Thanks for everything :)

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Passport Admissions

(20 reviews)

9.1 km

I can't recommend Rob and Passport highly enough. Before we first spoke during the spring of my…read moreson's junior year, I met with two other potential college counselors. One was immediately negative when she saw the list of schools he was considering. She was convinced that every school on it would be a reach and seemed determined to make him, and us, be more realistic. Since then, I've had several friends describe similar experiences. During that initial conversation, my husband was listening in the background, and we agreed that while it was important to build a balanced list, we did not want our son working with someone so pessimistic or limiting. We wanted a counselor who would be on his side, who believed he had a chance, while also encouraging him to apply broadly and thoughtfully. Rob immediately brought exactly that energy. He encouraged our son to dream big and work hard on the strongest possible application, while also gently reminding him that he would be fine wherever he ended up. He was always available for advice and support and never seemed frustrated or fed up, even when our son kept changing his mind about his future course of study. When it came time to refine his essays, Rob paired him with Hannah, a talented young editor who had attended our son's dream school and offered invaluable insight into how to frame his essays. By the time he submitted his EA application, I was confident it was as strong as it could be. We were absolutely thrilled when he was accepted. Throughout a stressful process, Rob and Hannah felt like the best possible teammates, always on our son's side, which was everything I'd hoped for. I'm so grateful to have worked with them, and I can't recommend them highly enough.

I cannot express enough gratitude for the invaluable assistance I received from Ryan during my…read morejourney to PA school. After a discouraging first attempt at applying independently, Ryan's approach to helping me reapply to PA school was both reassuring and strategic. He took the time to thoroughly review my prior application, identifying areas of strength and areas for improvement. Instead of starting from scratch, he skillfully built upon what I had, refining it to highlight my strengths and address any weaknesses. I was nervous I would have to start completely from scratch after my hard work the first cycle and only having a month and a half to reapply, but Ryan recycled all my hard work to truly highlight the important things in my application. Thanks to Ryan's expertise and support, I am thrilled to say that I have been accepted into PA school. His dedication to his students' success is evident in every interaction, and I am immensely grateful for the impact he has had on my journey. I wholeheartedly recommend Ryan at Passport Admissions to anyone seeking guidance on their path to PA school.

Holiday Party 2019 at The Unlockables escape room

Visit our new office on Carroll Canyon Rd.

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NACAC 2015 Conference with independent counselor Ruthi W.

Hamilton Education

3.0

(10 reviews)

10.8 km

This place is next to impossible to reach! No one answers the phone, can't leave a message and…read moreoverpriced!

Hamilton Education has a great team of educators that were instrumental in my journey as a high…read moreschool student going to college. They not only helped me increase my SAT score by hundreds of points, but also helped me succeed on many AP exams (which paid off in college when I had less GE requirements to compete). We're so lucky to have them in our community!

Reality Changers

4.8

(4 reviews)

15.3 km

Reality Changers is an amazing organization that helps lower income/at risk youth become first…read moregeneration college students. Students attend weekly meetings that include Hot Words (usually SAT prep), a family style dinner, a take home lesson, and tutoring by college students or other volunteers. RC also sends eligible students to UCSD over the summer to take courses for college credit, to a week-long summer camp to bond with other students, and helps seniors complete their college & scholarship applications... did I mention this is all for free? The students who I've met here are some of the most intelligent, friendly, and resilient high schoolers I know, and everyone on staff is wonderful. If you live in San Diego and you have a couple of free hours every week, definitely DEFINITELY check out this organization! Because education is a right, not a privilege - and you can help make one student's dream a reality!

Reality Changers is a non-profit that helps 8th-12th grade students from all over San Diego be the…read morefirst in their families to go to college. Over the years, Reality Changers has proven that it is much more than a non-profit program. I have volunteered as a tutor and mentor since Spring of 2008 (back when I was still a student at UCSD) and it has been extremely rewarding seeing the students grow and mature into responsible citizens and adults. The weekly program consists of S.A.T. test preparation, an insightful lesson, a delicious homemade dinner (which is five stars for sure! not every volunteer gig you do feeds you!), and then 1.5 hours of study time. During this time, you are paired up with a small group of students which makes it easier to connect with the students. Reality Changers has even had inspiring guest speakers such as politicians, leaders in the San Diego community, and university officials. With the help of the supportive and encouraging staff and volunteers, these inner-city youth from San Diego become the first in their families to attend a four-year university.. and not only do they defy all statistics against them to get ACCEPTED, these students earn scholarships to go to schools such as Duke, Harvard, Dartmouth, USC, UCLA, and more. This truly shows how Reality Changers is more than just a program that helps high school students. It gives teens who never might have had the chance an opportunity of a lifetime and I am happy and blessed to be a part of it. It is amazing what a few hours a week can do to transform a student's life. This organization is unlike place I've ever volunteered at because they really make everyone who is a part of the program - whether you're a tutor, a parent, a volunteer, or a student feel like part of the RC Family. Also, tutors come from very diverse backgrounds - there are many college students (from UCSD, SDSU, PLNU, etc), professionals from the community, retired adults, and more who are all invested in helping inner city students from San Diego be the first in their families to go to college.

Academic tutoring supports college-bound youth.

The positive youth development curriculum helps students to identify and celebrate their own unique strengths.

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Alice Humbracht Tutoring

(4 reviews)

9.0 km

You can try and go with big classes at the local universities for test prep or you can save your…read moretime and money and start with the best. We tried all the typical test prep classes through the local colleges which turned out to be a waste of money. In the end, using Alice to tutor our daughter was the best decision we made. Alice knows how to work with kids. She knows these tests and she understands teenagers. In the end, Alice helped our daughter raise her score A LOT on the ACT and she ended up at a very good school with a great merit based scholarship. We are getting ready to use her again for our youngest.

Alice is amazing! She has worked with both my son and daughter and we couldn't be happier with the…read moreresults. My daughter worked with Alice for ACT and SAT prep and she scored very high and my son worked with her for an entrance exam and passed with flying colors. She works diligently with her students and has a great ability to connect.

Alice tutoring a student for the ACT

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Alice Humbracht - passionate SAT/ACT tutor since 2005

College Bound Consulting

3.7

(3 reviews)

22.4 km

We are so grateful to have been referred to College Bound by a random mom I was having casual…read moreconversation with while waiting for kids to get out of school at Painted Rock Elementary many years ago. When it became time to submit CRF's in 8th grade (for 9th grade) I was confused and a bit overwhelmed. Debra was incredible with my son. She spoke directly to him the whole time and helped guide him to what was available and in his best interest. Fast forward to a year later it was time to submit CRF's again for 10th grade, we had another like meeting and made necessary adjustments based on things that had changed for my son. Debra was available for questions throughout the year if something came up that we needed clarity on. It will be the best money you every spend. My son just wants to keep his options open and so having this guidance early on is truly priceless. It was so affordable for these initial consults I don't know why anyone would NOT do it. To the person that reviewed this company with 1 star. I can only imagine you had been calling the wrong number. I have already referred 2 other families to CB and both families experience was similar to mine. FIVE STARS!

If there were a 'less than 0 rating', College Bound Consulting is earning it...they must be SO…read moreoverwhelmed with business they simply do not need to return phone calls or emails (we have left many voicemails in addition to several emails with NO response, to date). This review cannot attest to their college consulting abilities but if it is anything compared to their lack of a considerate response, we now have no trust in whatever services they provide - they have left an underwhelming impression at best.

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The Princeton Review

3.9

(23 reviews)

5.3 km

DO NOT GO TO THIS LOCATION!!!…read more I paid over $1000 for a GRE prep course and they completely messed everything up. They told me that 9 people were in the class, turned out to be 15. Also, a few of them were ridiculously...ungifted...and made the class unbearably slow for the rest of us. First problem: They did not give me online access to the practice tests which was a guaranteed part of the course. I set aside 4 hours to complete them and then couldn't get to the site! I contacted THREE phone numbers to try and get this resolved, and no one answered. I finally got a call back the next day and was granted access. However, I had no time and had to rush through the test, therefore getting a pretty low scores that was not reflective of my ability. THEN it told me that I would have to pay an additional fee to get my essay graded. No thank you, I said, and skipped that part of the test. Turned out, essay grading was supposed to be included in the price of the course. All the other students got theirs graded and I just missed out and didn't get that feedback. Called back again and they "fixed" the problem. Then my instructor mysteriously didn't get my score report on the 1st test so she couldn't go over my strengths and weaknesses with me. She told me that she would figure out what was going on and would go over it with me the next week. However, we were supposed to take the second test by the next class. How was I supposed to take the second test without getting feedback on the first? When the instructor finally went over my test with me, she decided to go over everyone's SECOND scores before she went over my first score - I therefore had to wait until long after the class had ended to get my first score back...when everyone else already had their second. I fell so far behind that I didn't take the next 3 progress tests. When I complained about this, I was offered no sort of compensation. They did not fulfill their contractual obligations and the only thing I was told was that I could take the course again if I was disatisfied. Well, yes...because I totally have that much free time on my hands between college, work, and applying to internships. I ended up buying a Kaplan book and scoring above the 90th percentile on both the quantitative and verbal parts of the GRE. I'm not sure if every location is as bad as this one - but it was bad. And their customer service was horrible. The instruction was ok - but overall I felt it was a waste of time. We would spend 5 minutes on 1 question to make sure that everyone understood - really you can only spend about a minute on each question when you take the test.

First, let me express my sincere gratitude to Clarissa Constantine for her individualized attention…read moreto my son's needs. He is a gifted student, which she recognized, and therefore focused her efforts with him on polishing his test taking skills. With just 3 hours of personal tutoring, which is a very reasonable investment of time and money, his practice ACT scores rose to his goal level. He ended up in the 99+%, with three of the four sections a perfect 36. Because he was enrolled (even in private tutoring), he had access to workbooks, practice tests and scoring summaries. Now, the downside. My son was initially signed up for a group class which was canceled. The website (run by the national PR), is very buggy and difficult. Even my hubby, with a CS degree from Cal, couldn't figure it out. I had to call for help A LOT. Zach took my calls, helped me out, organized the tutoring, and ended up saving me a lot of money. But, it was not without some pain and frustration. In the end, my son made his goal score, I saved money over the group class fee, and my son had access to all the tools he needed for self study. However, the benefits of those 3 private tutoring hours were tremendous. I highly recommend this individualized approach, which both allowed him to have free time to be a kid and reach his lofty ACT goals.

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ABC Children's Center at San Diego

4.6

(118 reviews)

25.2 km

Women-owned & operated

Kid friendly

Both of our children had attended ABC Children's Center over the past 7 years and we have had a…read morewonderful experience and are so grateful for the care our children received and continue to receive every day. The staff is warm, caring, and creates a safe, fun environment where children can learn and grow. A special thank you to Ms. Swapnil, whose kindness, patience, and dedication have made such a positive impact on our child. It's clear that she genuinely cares about the children and loves what she does. Knowing our children are happy, well cared for, and excited to go to daycare each day gives us tremendous peace of mind. We highly recommend this learning center to any family looking for a nurturing and supportive environment.

Our two children have been attending this daycare for 3 years and 1 year respectively, and we…read morecouldn't be happier with our experience. Communication is excellent. We receive regular updates throughout the day via the app and email, which gives us real peace of mind and keeps us connected to what our kids are doing. It's clear the staff genuinely care about the children -- they're attentive, warm, and create a nurturing environment. We also love the variety of activities they organize. From family hour to the summer and fall parties, and special outings like the SeaWorld excursion, there's always something fun and engaging happening. These events also help build a real sense of community among the families. Honestly, we can't say enough good things. If you're looking for a daycare where your kids will be genuinely well cared for and you'll always know what's going on, this is the one.

We offer a learning environment that promotes your child's creativity, emotional well-being, and intellect. Book your school tour today!

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Fleur De Lis School

(42 reviews)

12.5 km

Fleur de Lis School provided our son and our family the most incredible experience we could have…read moreever asked for. In our 2 years there, we watched our son grow immensely in his confidence, relationships, and overall love of learning. He was sad to leave school every day and excited to wake up and start the day with his amazing friends and teachers. The approach and philosophy that Fleur de Lis takes truly allows each child to blossom in their own unique and beautiful way and we not only got to experience this with our son, but saw it with his classmates as well. We saw our son make presentations to his class about a science or art project he did with us at home or proudly present his show and tell Spider-man toy to his classmates - we are so grateful to the entire Fleur de Lis community for encouraging this level of self-esteem and individuality. The staff at Fleur de Lis is truly one of a kind - the professional, yet individualized attention of Tina Smith and April Kozelh as directors is amazing. They know your child personally and do everything in their power to make your child's experience at Fleur de Lis enriching and creative. Our son still talks about Ms. Tina coming into their classroom and reading them special books (his favorite was about an owl in NYC) and Tina consistently shared specific memories of our son's social and emotional growth during his time there. The teachers we had at Fleur de Lis (Ms. Sandy, Ms. Chelsea, Ms. Amber, Ms. Kiara and Ms. Diana for Spanish) were incredible in every way - we appreciated the attention to the holistic needs of each child - the cognitive, physical, and emotional were all given attention and we saw our son blossom in each area. The day our son "graduated" Fleur de Lis School was a bittersweet one - we were thrilled to know he was ready for kindergarten, but also so sad to say goodbye to the daily moments of this special community. Our son couldn't stop hugging his amazing teacher Ms. Sandy at the singing show - clearly showing the same emotions we felt as parents.

If you are a new parent, join the FDL wait list now -- trust me, your older parent self will thank…read moreyou! It's hard to explain the magical and nurturing environment this school provides. I remember my son, Julian, sobbing when I left him on his first day as a two year old, and my heart was breaking. In less than a week, he was all smiles at drop off, excited to see his teachers and friends. Since then, he's thrived at this school, both emotionally and educationally. Now, two years later, he's heading to Francis Parker, and looking back on his time at FDL, I can't express how grateful I am to the amazing team there. There are a few specifics that make FDL special: The community -- everyone at FDL knows Julian's name, even teachers who aren't assigned to his class. Pre-Covid, when I would pick him up from his classroom, his daily departure was like a little parade, with waves and goodbyes to friends, teachers, directors, everyone. You really feel like part of a family here. Kira, Bev, April, Julie, Julia, Diana, Iris, Nina, Autumn, and many others...each has been a unique and positive impact on Julian and our family over the past two years. The safety -- speaking of Covid, I don't think I appreciated how nice it is to have total confidence in the efforts of the FDL team to keep my child safe at all costs until this pandemic. When they reopened under new safety guidelines, I never once worried they would slack or not keep the sanitation and safety bar high. In fact, Julian now inspects my hand washing and admonishes me if I have not made enough soap bubbles or washed long enough . They always ran a tight ship, but it's exceptional now. The positive reinforcement of high expectations -- on my visit prior to enrolling at FDL, I saw all the kids eating lunch as they chattered politely and consistently used manners. On the playground, no one pushed. They all took turns. What's more, they were still incredibly joyous little kids, giggling and delighting in silly play. I was in awe. And yet, now Julian models those same behaviors. FDL teachers are kind and warm, but firm. They set a high bar, and the kids rise to meet it. At the same time, there is tremendous fun had on the daily at this school. Julian greets me at pick up with a big smile and a hug, his cheeks flushed from play and sand in his shoes. He excitedly shows me his projects and tells me funny stories and things he learned from the day. FDL is exceptional. If you have the chance to send your child there, take it. You would be hard pressed to find a more loving and capable setting. We will miss it terribly!

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Ana's Little Kangaroos Child Care

(18 reviews)

3.6 km

Our son spent close to a year with Ana. We are so grateful to have had Ana be a part of our sons…read moreand our life. It is easy to see how much love Ana has for the children. We saw improvement in development steps right away, sharing, communicating, playing with others. Ana is great with communicating with the parents, and I always felt like I was leaving my son in great hands. We are sad that his time with Ana has come to an end, but know that other families will benefit from a truly caring provider.

Ana and Mirko set the standard for a loving, nurturing, and safe home daycare experience. Both my…read moreson and daughter have attended Ana's Little Kangaroos, starting in summer of 2022. Ana has always been so in tune with what is going on with my children developmentally and is very observant to their individual needs. She goes above and beyond to model respect, autonomy, and love. I trust Ana and Mirko implicitly with the care of my children, which is a true blessing as working parents. They provide healthy breakfast and snacks, structured activities, learning, art, and have lots and lots of fun :). If we could take Ana and Mirko on our cross country move to continue caring for our children, we absolutely would!

Christmas craft

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The Lulus Montessori

(28 reviews)

17.1 km

We absolutely love the Lulus Montessori! The staff is amazing with the kids and they get an amazing…read moreeducation. We are always surprised by how much they learn and how much fun they have. Also their meal plan is great. We are very fortunate to have our son there. We looked at around 10 different places and it gave us anxiety because we really wanted our son to be at Lulus which was much much better than all the other places we saw all over San Diego.

We've been taking our son to Lulus Montessori since he was about 18 months, and it has been the…read morebest daycare/preschool experience we could have hoped for. The teachers are incredibly loving and thoughtful. I especially love the fact that they celebrate birthdays and holidays and create opportunities for parents to get to know each other, too. My child has grown by leaps and bounds, and his interactions with the other children are fun to see. The fact that meals are provided (bfast, lunch and snacks) is a godsend. Several daycares/preschools in the region claim to be Spanish immersion but aren't actually (e.g., they speak English to the kiddos). At Lulus, I feel like we get a truly authentic Spanish immersion program for our son, knowing instruction is exclusively in Spanish. And it shows. My son 100% understands Spanish when it is spoken to him and he mixes Spanish and English in his vocabulary regularly. I credit Lulus for a large part of that bilingual ability and look forward to seeing his fluency improve in the years to come. Highly recommend Lulus!!

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ABCD Montessori Christian Preschool

(24 reviews)

14.8 km

I wish I could give more stars. We love it as well, because our daughter loves learning at her own…read morepace here. ! She learns both English and Spanish! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! Quality of her teaching and the value the kids learn is amazing!!!!!

This review is overdue. Aria came under Ms, Gladys' care 2 years ago. She was skinny, picky at…read morefood. Aria could have gone to TK but I kept her at Gladys 1 more year bc I did not think she was ready for a bigger school. Now after 2 years, she has flourished so much. She eats all kind of food, actually Ms Gladys' food is the best not mommy's . She reads well, is good at math, follows Montessori. Kumon even complimented her she had passed TK level on math. This is coming to an end for Aria at ABCD as she will start kindergarten soon. It is such a bittersweet moment. But at least I know I will bring my second daughter to her soon. Thanks Gladys and Pablo for loving her, caring for her from feeding 1 spoon of food at a time. She is now ready for K, and she is well equipped because of you. This is not just daycare, it is preschool and love and heart. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Ready the area for our Thanksgiving pictures!!

The table is ready to take a picture of all of you!

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Sensory activity

Aspen Leaf Preschool - BTMCCC

(6 reviews)

15.2 km

The teachers and directors at Aspen Leaf Preschool Downtown San Diego are so wonderful. My son has…read morebeen going here since he was in the infant room and just runs in every morning excited for the day. You can't beat walking to school to drop off your kiddo in the morning at a place they love. If you're living/working in or near downtown San Diego, I highly recommend this daycare and preschool. The low ratios and provided snacks/lunch are just icing on the cake. We are not federal employees, but the daycare is located behind security in the federal building and there are special rates for those who are government employees.

Aspen Leaf Daycare in Downtown has been an absolute blessing. There are so many benefits to speak…read moreof including incredible teachers and staff with extensive degrees, experience and training; three quality meals served each day; very flexible drop off and pickup times; consistent availability; and options for discounts for federal and military parents. I can't speak highly enough about the great community, Parent Board, and tremendous learning environment that our kids get each and every day. A tour is your best bet to see for yourself! Overall, great value.