I have been an educator for the past ten years. I must say that I was thoroughly impressed with…read moreBricks 4 Kids-Elgin. The program has a way to teach STEM skills in an appealing and productive manner. During the summer of 2015, our church (Second Baptist Church of Elgin) was looking for individuals to assist with our Vacation Bible School. In addition to the religious instruction, we have various workshops that deal with other aspects of young people's lives (i.e. Arts & Crafts, Improv, Music, and Cardio Fitness). Bricks 4 Kidz - Elgin presented workshops with 5-6 year olds, 1-3 graders, and 4-6 graders. I observed the session with the 4-6 graders. The young people were excited and engaged throughout the activity. After a short orientation by Ms. Palmer, the youth were divided into pairs. The youth were given a kit and written instructions to follow. It was amazing to see young people utilizing cognitive and non-cognitive skills in a thoughtful and interesting way. As the deacon assigned to the Youth Ministry, I am familiar with the students' academic abilities. The group varied in academic ability and socioeconomic status. We are grateful that Brick 4 Kidz-Elgin brought this invaluable resource to our children. I would strongly endorsed any school or community organization to utilize Brick 4 Kidz-Elgin. The young people continue to express their excitement about the workshop days and weeks later.

From the owner: Bricks 4 Kidz provides an extraordinary atmosphere for children, where we learn, build, and play…read morewith LEGO® bricks. Programs are built around our proprietary model plans designed by engineers and architects, all with exciting themes such as space, construction, and amusement parks. Our specially-designed project kits and theme-based models provide the building blocks for our approach to educational play. We offer activities for children ages 3-13+, including after-school enrichment classes, summer camps, holiday camps, birthday parties, preschool classes, and Kidz Nights Out. Contact us for more information or visit our website today! Email us to start receiving special offers!

I cannot say enough good things about this center and its staff! Our children attended this daycare…read morefor close to 4 years. Our son from age 1 and our daughter from infancy. Every teacher knew both of my kids regardless of what room they were in and knew who their parents were. They always take the time to tell you about any concerns they have or to fill you in on your child's day. They genuinely care for the kids and the community. I was finally able to stay home with our children, that's the only reason our kids are no longer enrolled there. On our last day, there were tears cried by everyone and the teachers made cards for the kids. It was so touching and sweet to see how much they cared for our munchkins.

We've been at Kiddie Academy for almost three months now and it's just such a fantastic place. My…read moreson does not do well with change and he took to this daycare immediately. Everyone is so warm and welcoming. Their communication is fantastic and their safety precautions around Covid are enough to make even a worrier like myself comfortable. I'm so glad we found them.

Great ice arena in West Dundee. Three rinks. Plenty of parking. There is also a snack shop and Bar…read moreand Grill inside the arena. Only suggestion..bring a blanket as the metal bleacher seats are cold !

COVID has been a little tricky for hockey, but Canlan is killing it with their protocols…read more We've been at the arena for about five years and even through it's ownership change, they continue to surprise us with the level of attention and courtesy they provide. Coach Dennis is doing a great job of keeping our families up-to-date with options and we were super excited to see Coach John and Coach Vince back on the ice! If you're looking for coaches who remember your kids names and individualize their progress and assessment... this is the place. From a cost standpoint, this club is a little more expensive than some in neighboring towns, but the facilities and coaches are worth the added expense. For those concerned about COVID protocol, all the coaches wear masks on the ice and there is no player contact for the squirt and mite skill sessions. Right now, there's no in-house league, which is understandable, but sad. We hope that there will be progress toward that end in the future. I highly recommend this arena, especially for your youngsters just starting out.

We struggled with childcare for the first 2.5 years of our daughter's life and I was grappling with…read morepotentially having to quit my job until we found Goddard. My daughter is 4.5 now and I can't imagine her being anywhere else. From the first interview, everything about Goddard has been wonderful. I remember thinking during the interview it didn't seem possible that the director, Sue, really knew each kid individually like was being shown. I just didn't think a sense of care and community like that was possible given our previous experiences, but over time, I've seen that's just the way they do things here. That level of care is the way here at Goddard. The staff are knowledgeable and kind, and they know most if not all of the students by name whether they are in their class or not. My daughter has cycled through a few classes as she's aged and every single one has been great. She absolutely thrives at Goddard and loves everything about it; it's one of her favorite places to be. She has learned so much in her time here - growing leaps and bounds both intellectually and emotionally. They do so many fun activities and she asks me every morning what fun thing is in store that day - especially in summer! School leadership puts so much thought into fun and adventure for the kids. My daughter is well known, appreciated, safe, and loved, and we couldn't ask for anything more. She comes home every single day excited to tell us about her day, and excited to go back the next. She has one year left before kindergarten, and I'm honestly already heartbroken. If Goddard still offered kindergarten here, we would sign her up in a heartbeat. If we ever have more kids, enrolling them in Goddard will be one of the easiest decisions we'll make.

We brought our 1 year old in for a tour and was told he would be a great fit. I was given the…read morepaperwork to fill out and received a call the next day that the director wanted to talk to us. Before the tour I had spoken to them and told them that my son was in speech therapy. They were aware and said this wouldn't be a problem. When we came in to go through the paperwork the director told me that my son would not do well at their school and that he would need one on one care that they couldn't give, therefore he would "slip through the cracks". After observing him for 5-10 minutes she stated that she believes he is autistic and his mannerisms were all things that a child with autism demonstrates. She went on to give me pamphlets of places for him to get tested and schools for children with autism diagnosis. I let her know that the pediatrician had never once had a concern for autism and that he just had the speech delay. I left crying and embarrassed by the way we were treated. My son now goes to a new school and is thriving. He talks all the time and again has not been diagnosed with autism. I would never recommend this school to anyone. I believe they only want certain children and families who will boost the image of the school.

If I personally could give the childcare facility 0 stars, I would. When you send your child to…read moredaycare, you are trusting strangers to care for your child, but have great hope that the child care facility has done an in-depth review of the teachers they hire to care for your little ones. On 3/15/23 Ms. Janet (one of the teachers currently employed at Kiddie Academy) decided to twist my son's ear, because he and several of the other children were running around during nap time. However, I did not become aware that something had transpired until Thursday morning, when my son became distraught, crying and falling out because he did not want to go in the class with the teacher. Not understanding the full extent of what happened and believing what Ms. Luisa (the Director) shared about the kids running around during nap time and a teacher yelling into the classroom on 3/15/23, he attended daycare on 3/16/23. When he got home on 3/16/23 he had bruises on his left leg that resembled a hand print. Upon seeing the bruises, my son's father and I met with the Director to share our concerns. At no time were we offered the ability to view the video of the classroom on 3/15/23 to fully understand what transpired, nor were we able to see what happened on 3/16/23 that caused the bruises on my son's legs. To-date the only option offered was an apology and forgoing paying the 4 week cancellation fee. Ms. Janet is still employed at the facility and no additional action had been taken. As I am still exploring my personal options on how I'd liked to proceed in this particular situation, I thought it best at a minimum to post a review to hopefully help another parent avoid a similar situation.

Me and all my sibling's went here we had an amazing education be cause of Kiddie Academy! The staff…read moreis amazing they help us learn while having fun. I remember all my sibling's and I would come home with fun arts and crafts! They gave us an opportunity to grow. My cousin now comes here he always shares the fun things he did and whenever I pick him up he has the biggest smile on his face they make everyone feel special and proud of who they are they gave me the best experience I could ever ask for!

Top Flight has been so great for our family!…read more My two daughters, a high school junior and a 5th-grader, began playing club volleyball with Top Flight three years ago. They began with the regional program and really enjoyed their experiences with their coaches, teammates, and even the owners. The owner, Cindy Gritzman, even stepped in as coach for my daughter's 6th-grade team when her coach was unable to make it, and led her team to victory. During my daughter's school volleyball seasons, Cindy Gritzman would come and give encouraging words to my daughter. The other coaches and even the club owners knew who my daughters were, even though they were brand new, and approached them about playing at a more competitive level. They were not just faces. My youngest daughter is now entering 8th grade and had the best experience one could hope for playing for the 13 U Elite National team this past season. Her team went 9-3 at the AAU National Tournament in Orlando in June. She loved her coach, Coach Kennedy, so much. My daughter wanted to get to each practice as early as possible. While I write this, my daughter is with her friends from her team at the Friday open gym. These open gym times (4:30 pm-9 pm) are free for club players. They love this extra time together where they can play with girls and boys from other teams, including those who are much older. My daughters have been inspired by the other players they get to play with at these open gyms. The girls even get to attend open gyms for free throughout the week over the summer. The owners, Cindy and Sean Gritzman, care about the players' experiences and took the time to help smooth out the girl drama that occasionally arose over the years. Bullying was not tolerated. We are signed up for another year of national-level club volleyball for 2026-2027. My daughter has benefited so much athletically, socially, and mentally. She and her teammates are super close, as are the parents. It is truly a community. Due to her Top Flight training, she played on her junior high "A" team as a 6th-grader and 7th-grader. Our family has been thrilled with our experience.

I went to attend my niece's tournament games. My son plays club volleyball and this was our first…read moretime at this location. Depending on the size of the tournament, parking can be hard to find. Good news for us, it was a later scheduled tournament so it was easy to find parking. Next, admissions were fair for $10 a person. I've been to places that cost $20 a day tournament for a 2 day tournament. The facilities were nice and had the typical bench seating for each court. There were a set of courts on each side and a walking path in between. It had cubes/shelving for players to put their bags which is nice. What I really loved is that there were drop nets placed in between the set of courts that protected spectators from getting hit with volleyballs from behind. There were concessions which I didn't try. Overall, nice place to watch a tournament (other than parking - depending on time of games you are attending).

I absolutely love The Learning Tree! My daughter has been in three rooms (infant, crawlers, and now…read moretoddler) there and all of the teachers are exceptional. All of the rooms are spotless, the activities are developmentally appropriate, and they show all children so much love. Shelly and Michelle go above and beyond for this facility. I would recommend The Learning Tree to anybody!

We highly recommend the Learning Tree. Our daughter is 4.5 years old and in her second year at this…read moreschool. The first year there were some teacher transitions, which caused some adjustments each time, but this year our daughter is in Ms. Mary's class and the experience has been great. Ms. Mary is very experienced and I am amazed at all my daughter is learning, from writing to days of the month, to playing well with others. I know my daughter is in good hands when I drop her off, and she has a great time at the school. I also appreciate the friendly, responsive administrative team and the flexible extended hours. My daughter is usually at school from 8 - 5:30, but they are open from 6:30-6, which helps on days I need to drop her off early or pick her up.