Post Covid I was so hesitant to place my now 27 month old in daycare. I feared not only the virus…read morebut the thought of leaving my son in the hands of a stranger tore my heart into a gazillion pieces. Fast forward---- I finally decided it was time to help my son with his social skills; which were impacted due to Covid. I started researching for daycares in my area. I read reviews after reviews. Then, I came across Little Bright Minds. The reviews were great. I looked at the pictures. Read and re-read their goals and mission. So I made the call. I spoke with Oscar who was so professional. He scheduled me for a visit. When we arrived the first thing I noticed was their Covid protocols posted on the outside door. Hand Sanitizer. This was already a big PLUS. I was greeted by Oscar along with Alicia. This place is MAGICAL. You can smell how clean and sanitize everything is. So organized. Spacious. Alicia- she is truly AMAZING. The most Professional Childcare Provider I have ever came across. Her patience and kind soul is palpable. I was already sold and I had yet to see their curriculum. As I sat and listening to then explain their day to day activities; Alicia allowed my Son to play with the blocks, and cars. They where very thorough in explaining their policies. Their goals. Their expectations. They listened to my concerns and they were willing to accommodate my son. I was so ecstatic to learn that they finally had a space for us. LBM a has been a huge blessing in our lives. My son loves going to daycare. He is thriving and I see such a huge improvement In his social skills, speech, and overall behavior. If you are looking for PROFESSIONAL, COMPASSIONATE, GOAL ORIENTED, TEACHING childcare- Little Bright Minds is the answer! Alicia and her team are so so amazing and I'm so lucky to have my son under their care! Daily Updates Healthy Meals Pictures Bilingual Family Oriented These are just some of the many things that have made my heart so at ease. THANK YOU LBM

Little Bright Minds Daycare is a hidden gem! After my wife spent three years at home raising our…read moretwo boys, we were anxious about her returning to work and finding quality care, but the Little Bright Minds family made the transition incredibly smooth. We were immediately impressed by how seriously they take their interview process. They focus on ensuring the children and parents are a perfect fit, which gave us a great deal of confidence and reassurance. Everyone at Little Bright Minds is exceptionally patient and easy to get along with. Thanks to their attentive care, our sons adapted to their new routine much faster than we anticipated. It's amazing to see our boys eager to attend every morning and come home with big smiles. We love the Montessori-based curriculum and the creative activities they provide daily. The arts and crafts they bring home are always great to see! We are truly grateful to have found a place where our kids are safe, growing socially, and genuinely learning. We highly recommend them to any family!

Its now been several months since our twins started public school at Longfellow Elementary in Oak…read morePark and with every passing week my thoughts go back to WSMS and their experiences there. What surprises me is how well they handle the structure and homework (!!) of 1st grade considering how 'unstructured' Montessori was? But the fact is that the freedom within structure setup of Montessori kept alive their natural curiosity motivation and when that showed up in the more structured environment of the public school, they just adapted to that behavior, but then RELISH the learning they get to do - it's all NEW works and they're excited about that. EXCITED TO DO NEW WORKS. They come home and plop at the table and plow through their little assignments, they killed their diorama project, taking charge of their 'research' and drafting tasks. WSMS allowed my kids to acquire learning in their own way and consistent with their own brains and inclinations and that's how they're going to learn moving forward and I hope learning will stay fun for them. As we drive by WSMS on the way to our umpteenth soccer practice/game, they look out and ask when we can go by for a visit.

We moved to the area at the start of the pandemic and by 2021 were ready to send our 4 year old to…read morea Montessori. So began our hunt for the best of many in the Oak Park area. We didn't know any folks who had sent their kids to one near by so had to do cold calls and tours. I reached out to a few in the area and Mrs Eggerding was the fastest to callback and schedule a tour, starting us off on a great foot about how well the school had their act together. We got to observe a classroom and we're extremely excited by the vibe of the guides (Montessori speak for "teachers") and the children. There was just so much independence and respect that we knew we found the right school. At first our 4 year old was resistant. He had been with his grandmother for the last 1.5 years of the pandemic so I get his resistance. But even after day 1 he was excited to share his experiences. We eventually sent our second child there too in a different classroom, which they were happy to accommodate. We couldn't have been happier with our choice even with a 10+ min drive every day. We're definitely planning to send out third there as well. At first it doesn't seem too different from other schools as far as what they're able to do but by even a few months in they're showing so much more independence and eagerness to do more. It's a challenge to me to expect and enable them more at home. The guides have been wonderful about getting to know our children and guiding them on their journey. We've had a few parent teacher conferences which are helpful to peek behind the current as they're often exhausted in a good way by the end of the day. Our child's guides and the front office staff were very receptive to questions and helped us both understand Montessori better but also our child. It was funny for us as parents to go from a city daycare that sent us his eating, peeing, pooping, and activity schedule with activity photos nearly as they were happening to come to Montessori which is really trying to put the child first and focus on them, not logging everything they're doing. I had been a Montessori student so expected that but it was still funny. We get photos and reports every couple of weeks and had parent teacher conferences that did align with what he was saying or what we figured was going on.

I was waiting to review The Day Nursery until after my kid was done with preschool, but it's close…read moreenough at this point and maybe people are looking for the fall and could use some help. The teachers here are excellent, and the administration is also very helpful and responsive. I originally picked this place for the focus on education and not merely socialization. Though they are strong on socialization too. We have a special diet, and while there have been mistakes they have done a wonderful job making sure my little one gets plenty of healthy vegan food. Frankly the bigger problem was his general pickiness than anything else. This should not be so big a shocker for Oak Park, but I liked the strong diversity in staff and students here. So send your kids here! They must be doing something right after over a century.

The Day Nursery offers a great program and strong overall childcare, however, do not plan on their…read morefacility being open consistently. Do to a combination of Covid-related restrictions that are in place per the Oak Park Health Department and additional restrictions that the Day Nursery puts in place, we have been unable to consistently rely on the Day Nursery as a childcare provider. In the last 6 months our daughter's classroom has repeatedly closed for 5 days at a time, with the latest closure happening despite zero cases of Covid in her classroom. Communication with parents has been minimal, inconsistent, and reactionary. Our experience has been not been a unique one, with similar closures occurring in all the classrooms. There is a significant movement among school families to remove their children due to the ongoing lack of consistent childcare as well as a lack of future strategy. **Full disclosure, we are a vaccinated, science following, and mask-wearing household.

Words aren't enough to express how wonderful Peques Wiggles & Giggles are!! I started using daycare…read morein May 2020 and after having a scary experience we switched over to Peques in August of 2020. Completely changed my perspective of daycare. I was beyond happy and comfortable leaving my kiddos in great hands!!! My son started at age of 2 1/2 and my daughter at 10 months old. They were always so happy to see the teachers and go to daycare. My son would even ask me to take him on the weekends! We recently moved from Cicero and now we are 40 minutes away. Therefore I had to find something closer to home. We were so sad to be leaving! Ms Sandra is a wonderful director and all her teachers go above and beyond. I also love the Brightwheel app they have to see and know what your child is doing. If you need a great daycare near the area- this is the one!

Kangaroo Korner is the best affordable daycare in the Northwest Suburbs. The staff truly loves and…read morecares for the children, and they always do their best to engage and encourage them. Their location is convenient and their hours can't be beat. Special thanks to Angela and Suzanne!!!

From the owner: Kangaroo Korner is a state-licensed full day child care and early childhood education center and…read moreafter-school program for children age 15 months to 8 years old. Our learning programs stimulate children and provide a solid foundation for future academic success and personal development. Our teachers are passionate about making learning fun and engaging. We also offer one of the best after-school programs in the area. We understand that a lot of families have two working parents. Before and after-school programs allow kids to learn and grow with other children their age. In all of our programs, we focus on creative learning with the support of warm, caring and observant staff. Call us to learn more about current availability and schedule an appointment to visit our location in Forest Park.

This place is amazing and does a great job at being attentive with kids!! They are so patient with…read moremy little one and really kind. He was nervous and honestly a little bit of a cry baby being separated from us because he was used to being taken care of by family for 2 years. They worked with me and kept a close eye on him for a while making sure he's okay. I love that they do constant updates throughout the day! They are clear and communicative. You can tell that everyone there really loves the children. ¡Este lugar es increíble y hace un gran trabajo al estar atento con los niños! Son muy pacientes con mi pequeño y muy amables. Estaba nervioso y, sinceramente, un poco llorón al estar separado de nosotros porque estaba acostumbrado a que la familia lo cuidara durante 2 años. Trabajaron conmigo y lo vigilaron de cerca durante un tiempo asegurándose de que estaba bien. ¡Me encanta que hagan actualizaciones constantes a lo largo del día! Son claros y comunicativos. Se nota que todos que trabajan ahí si tienen mucho amor para los nińos

My daughter has been attending this daycare for almost 2 years and I have nothing but positive…read morethings to say. I'm very grateful with the entire staff for actually showing how much they care for the kids. They send me updates and pictures everyday, they are very strict when it comes to safety, food allergies etc. They have so many different activities during the week, they engage with every holiday for the kids, staff is very educated and professional they always welcome you with a smile. My daughter is advanced in learning for her age and that shows how much effort they put into teaching the kids, I have tried other daycares and learning centers and definitely Kids R Our Starts is the best!!

Nice clean professional preschool program. Has subsidized full day programs as well as half day…read morepreschool programs

This is a newer school in Oak Park so I was a little nervous at first. The class sizes are small so…read morethe teachers are very attentive. Pricing is better compared to some in the Chicagoland areas. My daughter is taking Japanese classes here and so far so good. She really likes her teacher which I feel is important. The space also promotes learning, rugs and pillows everywhere but also small classrooms for teaching. On the weekends the environment is very quiet. Had a chance to write this review while sipping complementary coffee while waiting for my daughter. The staff here are always so welcoming!

I am Cynthia R.'s husband. We signed up for the whole summer back in January and have the email to…read moreprove it. When we showed up with our daughter for day 1 of the 2nd 6 weeks, we were shocked when they said we had not enrolled. Then they lied to us and said the session was full; we had a friend call the next day and found they had room. It wasn't until after repeated calls and emails that the director (does not deserve this title) informed us it was due to our child's behavior. We were only notified once of any issues and we immediately addressed them. In addition, we asked every day how things were and were always told "good" and "fine" and were never again contacted about any behavior issues. If we had been, we would have dealt with them but the lies and deceit are so very unprofessional and unethical. We have filed a formal complaint with the BBB of Chicago and have done the same with the Village of Oak Park. Our child did love Academia and is heart broken, is this how an institution of child learning acts and behaves? Buyer beware with this place!!

I couldn't be happier with the decision to move my children to Kiddie Academy. I'm pretty sure my…read moreeight-month-old son could be happy anywhere, but he clearly is very happy at Kiddie Academy. His teachers in the Butterfly room are incredible. They clearly understand infant development and approach his learning accordingly and with love. When she moved up to an older room at our old daycare, I lost my silly, happy three-year-old daughter. Since moving to Kiddie Academy, I have seen a TREMENDOUS change in my daughter. She is happy to go to school every day. We talk about it all the way home and all the way to school. She is happy to wake up in the morning and happy to play at home (sometimes pretending to be at school again). She no longer has outbursts at home (or at least not often...) and she has stopped "grunting" at us when we try to engage her. She even gets mad when I pick her up too early from school because she doesn't have enough time to play with her friends. Her teacher at Kiddie Academy is so loving and has taught her so much. She had no interest in any activities at her old school, but now she wants to show and tell me all of the things she has learned. In the span of just a few weeks, she went from not being able to even hold a pen properly to being able to write her name. I'm a high school teacher in the public schools. My main goals for a daycare are for my kids to be happy and safe. Kiddie Academy provides me with the peace of mind for these goals and so much more. I couldn't recommend Kiddie Academy any higher.

Our toddler has been going to Kiddie Academy for about a month now and we love it! Engaged and…read morelovely staff and teachers. Clean and organized facility. Fantastic value as well. They organize seasonal events, fun theme weeks, and even special STEM activities. We couldn't be happier, highly recommend!