BIG MINDS

1937 San Pablo Avenue

Pinole, CA 94564

7 Reviews

School District
Grade

2-8
Type

private

Find Homes for Sale in this School Zone

Reviews

Submitted by parent on September 16, 2024

Big Minds has been nothing short of a godsend for our family. My daughter is 2e (twice exceptional). After a series of 6 "nos" both from the schools we tried and my daughter's school refusal, we came to for a site visit to Big Minds/Pleasanton on a trip from Philadelphia. The most I was hoping for was that she would be willing to come back for a second site visit, but after an hour at Big Minds, she took me into the parking lot, announced she wanted to go there, and asked if she could spend the rest of the afternoon and could I pick her up later? I think she was responding to both the teachers and the structure of the school - and also, as she said, "There are kids in there who think like me." The school is set up to promote an environment where there is space for the kids and understanding of what they go through, combined with attractive learning opportunities presented in an engaging way. The list of classes on their white board seemed like delicious food for the mind. I was jealous that I couldn't go there myself. (It is because of the classes, not that the kids can ride around inside on scooters). Dangerous science, making worlds, animation, character development, history through movies, math offerings - it is all there. The kids are not forced to learn and Big Minds is set up for the child to discover their inherent interest about something . After the child plugs in, the sky is the limit. Kids at Big Minds teach other kids, if so inspired. I also can't say enough about the support for parents. They have a dedicated, on-site counselor who supports the kids and the parents. The on-site support makes it easier for parents at home (she used to come home depressed from another school) AND they offer bi-weekly parent support and education groups with presentations about the unique issues for 2e families. I am learning to be a better parent to my 2e kid thanks to Big Minds, and my daughter wants to go to school for the first time in her life. I am relieved that she will receive an education that will bolster her self-confidence and prepare her for a life as a 2e person. I finally feel like I have my feet under me as her parent, also thanks to the (un)school.
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2023

This review is for their online program. We were very optimistic about this program. We homeschool our 2e son to avoid inevitable teasing (our son is autistic and very earnest). We paid $1,400 for a two week trial (classes offered 4 days a week). On the second day, a classmate couldn’t stop talking about how there were now “stupid people” at Big Minds (there are only 3-4 kids per class. Our son was the only new kid). The teacher worked very hard to get this student to switch gears but he couldn’t. My son would answer a question and instantly the other boy would declare how “stupid” my son’s comment was. The teacher handled it very calmly and was great. But because the boy wouldn’t stop attacking, I eventually had to tell my son to hang up. I received a follow-up email apology saying this was rare and they also explained why they never stopped the boy from continuing to try and convince my son he was stupid. They said they never publicly reprimand students for anything. I respect how they strive to follow “attachment based” strategies and loved the idea when they pitched it to me but I hadn’t imagined this particular scenario. While the other student continued to verbally attack my son after every comment he made, no one stopped him as is there policy. While this surely helped that student save face, my son wasn’t similarly protected. They never told him to stop. They tried redirecting but he was locked into mocking our autistic 8 year old. They apologized and sent very polished, professional emails in response to the incident. They said they’d make sure that student wasn’t around other kids until he “could be successful” again and asked us to reconsider their school. We said no. We were interested in their school because it seemed like a safe space for 2e kids. For my son, it was not. They didn’t offer to refund any of the money we paid for the trial and I didn’t ask for it either. Their front office is very polished and I knew it would just make me upset to try so we counted our losses and left the 2 week trial after 2 days.
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2022

Our autistic daughter has been attendning for almost a year, and every day is better than the last.At Big Minds Pleasanton, every child is treated as an individual whose voices, thoughts, and passions are considered and heard. The staff is passionate, communicative, intelligent, and kind. My daughter WANTS to go to school every day. She is excited about learning, because she's allowed and encouraged to do so in a way that makes sense to her. I cannot say enough positive things about Big Minds. It changed our lives.
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2022

My son was pretty miserable in a traditional school setting. He started getting into trouble for work-refusal even though his grades were always great. The school staff and teachers just seemed to focus on the wrong things and didn't meet his needs.Now my son attends Big Minds Online and he is thriving! He loves going to school, enjoys his classmates and is forming real connections with his teachers. He's given freedom to pursue his many interests and is learning to advocate for himself. He is rediscovering a joy of learning and it's wonderful to see! Our family is very happy to be a part of the Big Minds community.
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2022

My son loves this school! He can't wait to go back in the fall and excitedly gets online to start classes everyday. The staff and students make him feel safe and he is free to be himself. The class offerings are very interesting and engaging. We have seen my son go from feeling very out of place and misunderstood at public school to confidently advocating for his needs.
Submitted by parent on September 06, 2022

Parent of child who graduated from Big Minds (Pinole Campus). My daughter would not have made it through 8th Grade without Big Minds! The small "one room schoolhouse" atmosphere and the attention to individualized learning is what I like most about Big Minds.
Submitted by parent on September 04, 2022

It use to be great but Rianna sucked everything fun about big minds out. the other teachers are great