Brightwood Education Center

"What a shame... Especially in California where we have limited options for education and its harder than ever to find good value for your money… If you’re looking for something between home school and public school do yourself a favor and keep looking. Unfortunately, what Brightwood claims to be vs what it actually is are two different things.. To no fault of the previous staff I might add. There were good people, teachers, volunteers and families involved and they tried to keep things going despite the egregious mismanagement that stems from the founder. Sadly, she is either completely out of her league and oblivious to how many people she has just hurt or an outright charlatan. Either way, it’s a disservice to the local community to offer something that you know you cannot actually provide. Rebekah, please take a moment to reflect, do the right thing and close down this “education center” before more people and kids get hurt."

"Subject: Extremely Disappointed with the Unprofessionalism and Lack of Accountability at Brightwoods Facility I am writing this review to let you know how deeply I am and frustrated with the recent events that unfolded at Brightwoods facility. My experience as a paying member has been an absolute disappointment, and it is imperative for me to share my concerns with others. To begin with, I made a substantial financial commitment by paying $600 for a one-month membership and a $75 registration fee. Despite investing such a significant amount, I was left completely uninformed about the activities and schedules at your facility. On the last day of school, which happened to be on 6/16, I was utterly clueless about what was going on. Astonishingly, not a single staff member or teacher bothered to communicate any essential details, neglecting to inform us even about the early dismissal. It was only through other parents that I learned the school was supposed to close at 12:00. However, it was not until 12:50 that my son managed to reach me using a borrowed phone, revealing the chaos unfolding at the facility. Rushing to pick him up, I arrived at 1:30, only to witness a chaotic scene. Parent volunteers were engaged in heated arguments, leaving me with no opportunity to discuss my concerns with any staff members. Furthermore, my son's teacher was absent that day due to non-payment, exacerbating the disorder and lack of organization. The most distressing aspect of this entire ordeal was the complete absence of supervision for the children. Despite the ongoing drama and arguments, nobody seemed to pay any attention to my son or ensure his safety. It is utterly incomprehensible that amidst such chaos, the staff failed to contact me or my wife to inform us that our child needed to be picked up immediately. This blatant negligence has left us deeply uncomfortable and concerned about our child's well-being within the walls of this facility. Given the mishandling of this situation and the evident lack of accountability demonstrated by the organization, we firmly believe that a full refund of the amount we paid, totaling $675, is the least they could do as we can no longer trust Brightwoods with our child's education and safety, especially in light of the rumors circulating about the potential closure of your facility. Unfortunately, we need the funds to secure an alternative source of education for our son. However, when we approached the owner, she refused to refund the amount and threatened us with responsibility for the remaining balance of next year's tuition, almost $7,000 (what a joke). It is imperative for others to be aware that this business does not offer any form of refund whatsoever. In conclusion, I would like to point out that anyone considering giving their money to Brightwoods facility. The unprofessionalism, lack of communication, and refusal to take responsibility are deeply concerning. It is essential to be informed before making any financial commitments, as this organization has shown no willingness to address its shortcomings or provide refunds of any kind."

"The last day for the school year was 6/15/23. The school was being shut down early. I was given NO notice about it closing early, and my child was there for an hour and a half unattended just walking around the facility. My child had called me off of a friend’s phone to let me know he needed to be picked up. Not one staff, employee, or teacher bothered to call to let me know! The owner was being yelled at by many parent volunteers when I came in to pick up my son. The summer camp they were supposed to have also got canceled. Other families I spoke to are also out $600, $2,000, etc. Not only are some of these families out a huge amount of money, but now they are forced to come up with more money and find a new summer camp program last minute and they have not even been refunded! The payment method was cash, check, or card. But if you paid with card, there was a 3% fee. There were many families who had paid with cash or check like me and are now out a huge amount of money. When reaching out to the owner, I was ignored for days. I reached out multiple times via email, phone (which apparently this number is old), and by Facebook messenger. The owner has made it clear to myself and others, there will be no refunds. Which due to the circumstances, is absurd. There is so much wrongdoing by this business and there is such a lack of empathy. At this point, I am extremely uncomfortable with how this was handled and how my child was left at your facility basically unsupervised. I feel it is only fair to be given back what I am owed, which is my $675(for one month membership and registration fee) that I paid. I do not feel comfortable sending my child back here! I will now have to take legal matters to get my money back. Believe it or not, this is just a short summary of what went on here. Do your research: Ask prior families who attended here what their experience was, check all local facebook homeschool/mom groups before thinking of attending here. Also, check teacher credentials if you are even considering this place. The photo added is the classrooms (wall dividers)"

"Since Rebekah deleted my first review (and others bad reviews) I will leave another and continue to repost every single time she deletes it. This place is a mess. My kids attended here from September 2022- March 2023. The turn over rate amongst staff and students was very high. My kids 2/3 combo class started with 12 kids and was down to 1 after mine both left. The environment was so loud and not conducive to learning, the classrooms are cubicles in a large open area. The playground was not a playground. It’s tiny and backs up to the 215 freeway. The administrative staff lies to try to keep parents happy. I heard that all the staff quit in one afternoon. She owes many parents (including myself) large amounts of money. Do NOT send your kids here. Mine are thriving and happy to be back in their previous school."

"Brightwood has been an absolute blessing to my son and my family. The importance of having education options, like Brightwood, cannot be overstated as a born and raised Californian (who was homsechooled myself). Since having kids I had always accepted that my children would have no choice but to do all learning from home due to the current state of "accredited" schools in our state. That is until we found Brightwood. My son has exceled in his TK class and enjoys every minute of his time there. His class size is small and he loves all his classmates. His educator is a wonderful and dedicated woman who goes above and beyond for her kiddos. Running for just over a year, I'm very impressed with how hard everyone works to make this place function, given all the roadblocks and hurdles it must take to run an operation like this from scratch. Plus, they're always looking for ways to improve. You won't find a more organic, dynamic, parent-involved, and like-minded community in any other school in the area, guaranteed. Not to mention affordable. I feel at peace knowing that the parent volunteers and educators all have the kids' best interest in mind. Brightwood is not your typical school, which is exactly why we love it!"