Having two children who have now graduated and moved onto high school...I can still attest to the…read moregreat school St. Barts is. Academically - both my children tested and successfully made it in at Loyola Academy. Numerous other graduates from both of their graduating classes successfully made it into selective enrollment schools or are enrolled in honors/ap classes at other Catholic high schools. The biggest positive of this school, that I am just realizing in hindsight is the type of kids that go here. After realizing how "advanced" some other kids were in areas of sex,drugs,alcohol who came from other neighboring grammar schools I was so thankful that wasn't an issue at St. Barts. We have such good kids and caring families as well as a dedicated staff. I'm sure that goes a long way when keeping our kids out of trouble. It's crazy what's out there. We r so blessed to have been in a safe situationall all their grammar school years. I really want to clear up what "Jerry H." On this site said about the school caring more about basketball than they do about academics. Obviously by using basketball as the only sport cared about I have to wonder if this post is made by a parent from another school. Yes we have a fantastic girls basketball program. As well as other sports like volleyball and cheerleading. The school has no focus or governing on our athletics. We are ran separately from the school and through the parish. The only "effort" afforded our athletic program is by our volunteers who coach. We have a parish paid athletic director and that's it. Sports are not pushes...nor the focus of our school. If we have winning records and do well...we celebrate it...that's all! Jerry- your facts are also wrong when it comes to the "rules" governing athletics. Those rules have been around for years. They were resurrected as a type of reminders to schools about time spent. The only thing that has changes is that we had to drop out of one of the leagues we did. So did a lot of neighboring schools. I can guarentee our school was not a reason for the rules. We only practiced once or twice a week before the rules...and the same holds true for now.

This review is specifically for the "Montessori" preschool. My son attended St. Bart's Montessori…read morethis year. I had heard nothing but rave reviews from fellow parents about the preschool. Unfortunately, my impression of it does not match their enthusiasm. Although his teacher (Ms. Sarah) did follow some Montessori practices, it is just way too Roman Catholic for me. As I understood it from parents of preschool alums, the preschool is run separately from the K-8 school. Unfortunately, that was not my experience. As a non-RC, I was put off by how much religious education/indoctrination my son received. The school pushed The Church's political agenda to preschoolers!

We are thrilled with Kindness Creators!…read more They're a preschool located at the Oak Park Arms retirement community where the retired residents volunteer in the classroom and the kids go visit the residents who aren't physically able to come down. It's like my daughter has 50 grandparents watching over her at preschool and it is heart-warming to see the seniors light up around the kids. Jaime and Pam do a fantastic job educating our daughter. With more and more research highlighting how critical social skills are to kids' success in school, we were excited to see that the emphasis is on social/emotional and empathy. Since she's started school, our daughter has done a great job making friends at the park and dealing with disagreements. She's still a 4 year old, but it's fun to see her confidence grow. Of course, she's also getting great with her numbers and letters. There are a whole lot practical conveniences to Kindness Creators that are a great bonus. They are really flexible on their hours, you can have your kid go to preschool year round (if you like), they meet you outside for pick up and drop off which definitely saves time and the kids don't have to be potty trained when they start. Kindness Creators is great for my daughter with the added benefit of bringing a lot of joy to Oak Park's senior citizens.

We have been at no less than five preschools in the area, and are just in love with Kindness…read moreCreators. Pam and Jaime are both early childhood certified, and have special ed and ESL endorsements, so they are very qualified to be teaching our kiddos. KC focuses on social/emotional development, which is why we have moved our son here this year rather than a traditional after-kindergarten program, since that is very important to us. The program is in a senior citizens home, so my kid gets to mingle with seniors, which is a win-win for everyone involved in my book. There are ice cream socials every Friday ;) In addition, there are education college students helping out in the classrooms as well as seniors from the center. It is well-run and I love that I get to spend as much time as I need every day talking to Pam and Jaime at pick up. I haven't found that anywhere else. We love it so much, we are transferring my other son here next year. I wish it had been around years ago when we first started in preschool!

My husband and I moved into the neighborhood 9 years ago. I remember walking through the…read moreneighborhood and seeing how happy and well behaved the SMOW kids were playing outside. I knew I wanted to send my children there one day. Fast forward a few years, I have one child enrolled and the second who will be starting next year. The school far exceeded my expectations from all aspects! It's a great community, amazing staff, lots of fun enrichment options, strong academic support, and most importantly my child loves attending SMOW. Such a great school choice!

As a parent who has had four children go through St. Mary of the Woods School, I can confidently…read moresay this community has been one of the greatest blessings of our family's life. Over nearly two decades, we've experienced every grade level, every teacher, and every stage of childhood. Through it all, SMOW has provided not only an excellent education, but a foundation of faith, leadership, and character that will stay with our kids forever. The teachers truly know their students, not just by name, but by heart. They meet each child where they are, encourage their individual strengths, and help them grow into confident, capable, and kind young people. The sense of community is unmatched, families support one another, teachers and staff go above and beyond, and the parish connection makes it feel like an extension of home. There's something special about walking into St. Mary of the Woods, you feel it immediately. It's faith, it's pride, it's joy. We couldn't have asked for a better place for our children to grow up.

My son has been going to Christie's for nearly a year and I can't explain how much he enjoys it! He…read morehas made friendships that I'm sure will last a lifetime! Previously, he had been in a private daycare (which was great at the time) but he was ready to socialize more and meet new kids. While the first few weeks were a little tough, all of his teachers did a great job and he is confident now. The space is everything you would expect a daycare/pre-k space to be and so much more. He has such a fun day everyday and we look forward to the seasonal performances the kids put on! Thank you so much to everyone at Christie's for making this experience one to remember! The teachers are all so energetic and happy all the time!!! It takes a special person to be surrounded by children all day, and Christie's hires the best!

I could not imagine a better preschool experience for my kids. My daughter loves going to…read moreChristie's. She is learning so much. The staff genuinely cares about the children and provides them with a safe, fun, nurturing environment.

My son started at 15 months and is now entering Pre-K. The staff is amazing and my son has learned…read moreso much. I'll be sad when he heads to kindergarten next year but know he will do amazing things and be ready thanks to the curriculum.

Both of my children attended (one still attends) Bobbie Noonan and its a wonderful school and day…read morecare. Very clean and the teachers and helpers are amazing. Do not pay attention to the singular 1 star review from Janel, who apparently likes to complain. Great value and my kids absolutely love this place.

I am regrettably, an alumni of Pope Francis Global Academy (PFGA), now St. Elizabeth of the…read moreTrinity. This school has a cancerous problem with it's bullying within the student body, and lack of accountability from selected teachers and administration. With my time at PFGA, I was bullied and when I attended, there were teachers that did make efforts to make my time there somewhat manageable, however those specific teachers were eventually let go. There are only a small handful left within the school. Keeping teachers at this school seems to be a challenging task, because the good ones either leave at their own accord or they are let go. My younger brother, who also attends the school, has also been a victim of threats, harassment, and cruel treatment overall from his class. The current administration in this school always say they will take care of the problems, however they never do and it falls on deaf ears. When you have an administration/staff that cater to the bullies, rather than the victims, these kids don't stand a chance. Don't be fooled by the 5-star reviews, because some of these reviews are coming from the bullies' parents. And I can confidently attest to this statement. So, if you want your kids to be bullied and have an administration that does nothing to prevent it, then feel free to send them here. Otherwise, then run like hell.

My two kids have been at St Elizabeth since prek3 and we absolutely love it! The community as a…read morewhole is very welcoming, allowing for parents to interact and form friendships. There are so many opportunities to get involved and be an active member of the school. The teachers and academics are top notch, especially the jr high program. They offer electives to students in 6-8 grade, allowing the students to choose which classes they would like to take. These are more than your basic art, music, etc classes. Some example include: debate, forensics, consumer math, costume design, and music theory. We love it here!

We have been through multiple day cares over the last three years, and both of our children (1 and…read more3) love this daycare, as we have been here for about a year. We plan on bringing our future child to Cadence as well. The teachers are fantastic. Jen truly cares about each and every family that goes to Cadence, and it cascades down to their teachers. Our children come home happy daily. They offer multiple extracurricular activities including soccer, karate, and music classes which is a great feature for the children.

My daughter started in the pre-k room just short of turning four and she would do anything to get…read moreout of "learning and working on letters." Within the first week of her being back at school she was writing letters in her name and now can write her full name and asks to go to school each day so she can learn. She loves Ms. Tait and i couldn't be more appreciative for her patience while working with my daughter on her level to help her excel. She sat with her and helped correct her pencil grip then did different fun and exciting activities to teach her letters and sounds. My daughter is always excited to show me what she did when i pick her up. Please keep up the excellent work! I'm proud to have my daughter in Cadence Pre-k.

I graduated here in 1985 and now my daughter is there in 6th grade. I checked other schools in the…read morearea and was not interested in overcrowded, outdated technology (if any at all) that other schools offered. Realized tuition was less than half of daycare! The curriculum is by far the best in the area with Spanish classes, computer classes where each child has their own computer to work on, Promethean boards to assist our teachers, and advanced math in junior high.The core curriculum is tailored for excellence not to test taking. Before and after care are offered and private music lessons. The teacher to student ratio is perfect. No chance my daughter will slip through the cracks. This school is an anchor in our community and our children leave here getting scholarships to area private high schools because they are so well prepared! I highly recommend St. Francis Borgia!!!

If you're catholic- I love this church! Very pretty, Priests are wise and write good sermons. Amen.read more