We love Hobson. My 2 oldest children attended Parent/Child…read moreand then 2 years of preschool at Hobson. My youngest will be starting her 3 years of Hobson next fall. I love the staff. They are always going over and above to make sure everyone feels welcomed. You can tell that they all love what they are doing. I love that it isn't a huge facility with many classrooms all going on at once. There is only one class in session at at time. The backyard is amazing with a beautiful walking trail. The children go outside every day. The children are learning through play. the teachers are very experienced with helping foster a child's learning while they are playing. You will not see a worksheet here. You will not see a teacher drilling your child. You will see children learning by doing experiments, cooking, building blocks, playing board games, putting on a puppet show, pouring water into containers, creating meaningful art, etc. I highly recommend Hobson to everyone. It is truly the best first school for your child.

Hobson School has been fantastic for my children's early development. The play-based learning…read moreapproach is great, and I've seen tremendous growth in my child's social and emotional skills. The teachers are incredibly patient and understanding, and they create a nurturing environment where children can explore and learn at their own pace. I also love the focus on outdoor play with Goodrich Woods open for hikes and exploration!

If you are looking for a great preschool for your child, Peter Pan is the place to see!…read more As a current lead teacher, I can genuinely say that this is a fantastic workplace with a lot of heart. The Directors are supportive, approachable, and truly care about both the staff and the children we serve. They create an environment that values creativity and learning, and it's clear they're passionate about what they do. Administration makes sure that we have everything that we need for our classrooms, lesson plans, and art projects. I have worked at several corporate and private schools where that was not the case, so am very grateful that everything is provided for the teachers. The nature program here is a real highlight. The school offers enriching experiences like gardening, bird watching, and even raising and releasing butterflies, which really engages the kids with the natural world around them. It's rewarding to watch them get excited about these activities and grow curious about the environment. The nature staff are well-trained and knowledgeable in all aspects of nature education. They are also excellent at working with young children, making the program both educational and fun. Be sure to take a tour and see for yourself!

My grandson attends this school and loves it so much! He has not only learned his letters and…read morenumbers, he can name all of the common birds! The playground is amazing and I love that he get outdoor time year round!

The Waldorf School of DuPage is a gem. As a grandparent, I wasn't familiar with a Waldorf…read moreeducation and must admit that when my daughter chose the school, I was not sure about the outcome. After one grandchild through and one in the school today, I now understand how fabulous the school really is. I read the other reviews and found them honest and accurate - for when they were written. Security is no longer an issue. There are two world languages now - Spanish and American Sign Language. The entire organization has matured. Kelly K is right to note that the only source of income for the school is tuition and charitable contributions. There is no central organization behind a Waldorf school so the school relies entirely on the community. That said, their policy is that no student will be denied a Waldorf Education due to financial constraints. And charitable donations are certainly optional and aligned with personal finances. My first grandchild has taken the marvelous experience at The Waldorf School of DuPage and I can report the now-teenager is running circles around fellow students at a large suburban high school! My second grandchild is currently enrolled at WSD and came home at the start of the school year complaining to mom that the school day should be longer. I have personally witnessed the blossoming of so many students into young adults who are whole, aware, and authentic young folks. I would whole heartedly endorse the program.

Important to Know Before Applying to Waldorf: Be aware that…read moreWaldorf retains all student records and personal information for seven years--even if your child is not accepted. In my experience, the school seemed more focused on admitting strong test-takers than on fostering genuine learning. Full transparency: my child was rejected after just one day in class--actually only three hours--despite being told there would be a two-day trial and a 65-day review period following the submission of recommendations and testing records. That felt misleading, to say the least. It would have been helpful to receive accurate information up front, rather than going through the emotional and logistical upheaval of preparing for enrollment, only to be blindsided. They know how to say all the right things in the beginning. Honestly, their approach reminded me more of a sales pitch than an educational process.

I truly cannot say enough about this school. When we came to the school, our son struggled with…read morereading and writing for quite some time. Within two months after he started at FVMS, we could already see MAJOR improvement. The improvements continued and now, he tries to read while he is walking. I never thought I would ever tell him not to read, but I had to draw the line when he was trying to read and walk! Do you know what he told me when I stopped him...."but mom, I love to read". Ahhhhh...what a relief to a parent to have confirmation that they made the right choice in switching schools. There are many other wonderful things about the school too! Extra curricular activities including chess, karate, cooking and yoga are offered on campus. It is totally awesome that when we pick our kids up from school that they are done with everything and we can go home (instead of carting them all over town to off campus classes, running late to everything and sliding in to home with no time for a decent dinner or quality family time...not to mention everyone is tired, stressed and fighting...you know what I mean). Oh...did I mention that they have organic hot lunches and before and after school care? Woooo-hoooo!!!! When we transferred to this school we immediately felt a part of the community. Our whole family felt like we fit right in. We have so many wonderful things to say about this school. If you are here, on this page reading reviews, you may be in search of something new, something different...a change. If so, this is it!!! At FVMS, your child will build a strong knowledge base in a way that keeps their love of learning alive (or revives it if that is your case), encourages them to think for themselves, allows creativity, inspires them to reach their fullest potential and dares them to be true to themselves. I am SO grateful that we transferred to this school....it was literally life changing for our son. Take the time to take the tour...you will be amazed! We were...

My children both began their education as toddlers at FVMS and both completed the program in sixth…read moregrade. This is not a traditional school, they allow children to make mistakes and encourage them to find the answers. They support the children in learning how to communicate with each other in addition to teaching beyond educational standards in arithmetic, writing language science and so on. My children left Montessori and felt that the public schools were not able to keep pace with what they learned through these programs. They have both expressed that their public school experience is socially disappointing because the students are often unkind and treat each other with disrespect. While my children were encouraged to help peers there public student peers are often concerned with shaming and putting peers who are different than themselves down. Fox Valley Montessori taught my children that learning is fun, that curiosity is a value. My children learned to be respectful, they learned how to manage their work and it is serving them quite well in high school as they manage their time for finals and AP classes. This is not a traditional school, it is so much more, this school teaches your child what community is. Their Montessori education has prepared them far better than I could have imagined and I cannot recommend this school enough.

Love this place. I was so nervous to place my kids in daycare but I knew this place would be…read moretrustworthy it's been here for years! My daughter loves ms torrid and Donna she looks forward to seeing them everyday and their very prompt on letting me know issues or problems that they noticed in my daughters academics and socializing as well as provide materials to work with her at home with! They always respect new info we provide on my daughter and always tells us how great of a friend she is others! My son is in the infant room and heather jyme and Aubrey are absolutely amazing! There great at relaying Info on my sons development and eating habits. Their always willing to change at the drop of the hat especially with how fast infants grow. My son giggles and smiles every time he sees ms heather in the morning and never wants to leave his little friends! Kerrianne is absolutely the best director! She's always willing to answer questions no matter how stupid they sound. She's flexible and the sweetest! She's very understandable on situations that come up and is willing to work with u on paperwork or give u the documents u need for the drs or to transfer students. Everyone there is amazing I can't imagine leaving my kids with anyone else

Love this location. Kerrianne and the staff are amazing! They always keep you in the loop with what…read morethe class is doing. They have very fun activities for the kids through out the year that I love. From bouncy house to ice cream trucks. My son loves and has nothing but great things to say about the teachers. Great staff! Great location. I highly recommend

Where does one begin a stupid online review when a teacher physically assaults your child? It's…read morehardly a means of retribution, but there are other avenues being pursued to that extent. I make this review more as a warning to the other parents who send their children to Chesterbrook. My wife and I had enough issues dealing with the "educators" at Chesterbrook when our child came home with a head injury or covered in human feces - but if you batter our child, you have started something you cannot stop. Perhaps other parents reading this will feel the same way. To be sure, we are in no way 'helicopter parents' and believe in discipline. But, there is, of course discipline and abuse, and this crossed the line. Our son became scared and hesitant to attend Chesterbrook, and would tell us approx. a week later about this incident. Upon hearing this, we met with the "principal" - who showed us the video of the "teacher" being physical with our child. Oddly enough, the principal agreed that the contact was inappropriate and that steps would be taken to remedy the situation. Upon picking up our child a mere three hours later, we were told that the principal had been fired. Following that, in an act of retaliation, we were told that our child was moved to a class of children two years younger than him. When we met with the district manager (or whatever she claimed to be), she not only admitted that she had never video and laughed in our face while we met with her. Completely unprofessional and indicative of somebody who cannot handle their job responsibilities, much less have some control over the well being of children. I could (and would like to) name the relevant individuals, but that will only serve to have this post removed. Nevertheless, those responsible will be held responsible in court. But, my advice - ask questions and get your child out of Chesterbrook asap.

I have a 4 and 7 year old who have attended Chesterbrook for 1.5 years. My daughter is in PreK 2…read moreand my son attends the before and after school program. A few months ago, we were looking for a new place to send our children. I had really had it with all of the changes in staff and leadership at the school. I really loved the teachers when we first started but the atmosphere had changed and the teachers were very unhappy. I was beginning to see that it was hurting my children's experience at school. Right before we were leaving Chesterbrook, there was announcement that a new principal (Jen) would be transferring from the Plainfield Chesterbrook. I've never seen a school turn around so quickly (and I have worked in education for 15 years myself). I noticed an immediate change in teacher morale, cleanliness of the school and communication with parents. Because of the changes, we decided to stay. Jen sets high expectations for her teachers and is a great communicator. The teachers seem happy and the kids also seem much happier. Jen has also led new changes such as getting organic milk into the school, ordering new furniture and adding new learning materials. I hope the school continues to make these amazing improvements. As for the curriculum, my 4 year old just read her first book last night, teaches me words in Spanish, can add and subtract and talks about all of the "cool things Ms. Becca teaches her" at dinner each night. My kids are safe, appreciated and have a lot of fun at school. I'm not sure I can ask for much more!

Amazing group of teachers! I worked as an assistant teacher in the preschool setting for 7 years…read moreand this is where I choose to send my little tyke. The teachers are engaging, genial, and have a plethora of knowledge among themselves. They have perfected their lesson plans to draw children into the weekly activities. My child is surrounded by a learning environment where he absorbs the knowledge like a little sponge. There is a weekly letter, shape, and topic. Your child learns through play, art, story/line time, repetition and hands on experience. Amazing what they are able to cover in the 2 hour session and astonishing how much the kids retain and are able to share when prompted. Wonderful way to begin your child's schooling experience.

We are so grateful we found this preschool. Small class sizes, dedicated teachers...it is the…read moreperfect fit for our family! You instantly become part of the Masters community! We are so happy with Masters!!!!

We've been with WMA for almost a year now. My kids love their teachers and are making amazing…read moreprogress in their ability to play guitar and violin. My 11 year old son can't wait for his lessons and my 9 year old daughter truly loves playing her violin with Patrycja. The school offers much more than just music lessons, it's a community of young musicians and teachers who really care about their students' growth. They love music and you really feel that they care about instilling the same passion in your child. The school constantly offers fun initiatives and events that bring the kids together. We've tried other schools and they do not even compare to WMA. I wish we found this place sooner!