Fantastic Christmas Play put on by Quentin Road Christian Church/School…read more Of course my sister's great granddaughter, age 3 , was the star of the show LOL. Actually, it was a great performance by a cast of volunteers who sang , acted , and performed to a standing ovation for a job well done. Merry Christmas !!!

We recently withdrew both of our children from Quentin Road. Our son was attending for preschool…read moreand our daughter for after school care. The facilities are extremely nice, the campus is clean and safe, and the after-school transportation & drop-in options for school-age kids are very convenient. Those elements are genuinely appealing and initially made this program stand out to us. However, the school is far more conservative and doctrinally strict than was communicated during enrollment. The religious component was described to us as simple Bible stories and general values, which sounded acceptable even though we are not very religious. We want our children to be open-minded and respectful to people of all backgrounds, so exposure to a faith-based program wasn't a concern. The school's true stance became clear when our 4 year old son chose to wear a dress to school. Nothing up to this point gave us an indication that this would be an issue, but the reaction made it clear that this is a deeply & strictly conservative environment. This also gave us new perspective on the 'life lessons' (where students are taken into the church auditorium for Bible stories) that our kids described. The way our kids explained them, they sound more like preaching than simple story time, and not always age-appropriate for preschool and early elementary aged children. The frequency, intensity and rigidity of the religious teachings were far more than expected. Families specifically seeking a rigid, firmly conservative Christian program may find this school to be a strong fit. Those expecting a lighter / more moderate faith-based curriculum or a more inclusive environment may want to consider other options. Once we realized this was a level of religious conservatism we were not prepared for, the school handled our concerns respectfully. We had open and courteous communication, our unenrollment process was fast and smooth & they refunded our unused tuition. We appreciate their professionalism on that front, even though the school itself wasn't the balanced environment we expected.

We have been with the school for 5 years now since our oldest son was a baby. We are now having the…read moresecond one started in baby room last month. We are very please with the quality and standard of the Goddard school. The teachers, directors and owners are on the same page when it comes to communication and commitment on providing best care to our sons. They always go above and beyond on making sure the kids are learning in the safe and healthy environment. There are also offering extra activities for parents & kids through out the year such as Movie night, Breakfast with Santa, parents breakfast day, and Prom. Thank you very much for taking care our children. We are very grateful to be part of the Goddard School Round Lake. Thank you!

I am completely happy with my choice for daycare for my child. With her being 9, it's hard to keep…read morechildren engaged and eager to go back to summer camp. She absolutely loves it and all the fun activities that she gets to do. She asks every night what the next day will entail and can't wait to go! She comes home every night ready to tell me all about her day and what she learned or what she made, etc. I would definitely recommend this center for anyone! All the teachers are kind and engaged and you can tell they care about what they do. They care for the children and it's just amazing to see as a parent.

A year later we are still super happy with Bright Horizons at North Kennicott. The directors and…read moreteachers all do a great job and try their best to make daycare a great experience for everyone - parents and kids alike. They've switched to an all-organic food service, which while I don't really care about organic food, it seems like its better quality and tastier selections for the kiddos. They are also doing a lot to improve the center with new playground equipment and materials for the rooms. The prices are a little higher than some other options in the area but for me its one of those "you get what you pay for" type of situations, so its worth it.

Nature Walk Montessori is great nature school, fostering independence, critical thinking and…read morerespect for nature. They have 10 acres of land with nature trails and mature trees for children to climb and enjoy. I really love the staff and the families!

We had a private party there today. Kids had free play, played basketball, and soccer. We also…read moreplayed kids vs. adults Dodgeball! Everyone had a blast! As usual, Coach Jamie was wonderful! A big thank you to him and his staff for helping everything run smoothly and providing a very fun filled party!

Had to share about our unfortunate experience with camp this summer. My son is five and came home…read morepractically in tears both days he attended. The camp allows a wide range of ages to participate and not enough staff to support. My son has not had exposure to every sport or game that was played. There was very little coaching that happened. My son was left feeling left out, talked of having to sit out multiple occasions during games such as dodgeball where kids twice his size were pelting him with balls. They also had a rewards system that was never explained to my son. There is no hand off at pick, and poor communication in general about daily activities-- one of the days he attended they were to do water activities which is why we signed up, but didn't. I messaged staff about missing camp one day and never got a response. After that we just stopped attending and we're never out reached by the coaches. Very disappointing experience and would not recommend for younger kids or any kid that is new to a sport.

If I could I would still be attending summer camp in my 30s. I'm counting down the days until my…read morenow 4.5 yr old is old enough to go to overnight camp- not because I want less chaos in my house, but little does she know that I'm planning on going with her. Or at least visiting a lot! When I first checked out Tamarak it reminded me a lot of overnight camp. Lots of greenery and just plain fun! I decided last August that I was going to enroll my daughter in their munchkin program for this summer. As this summer approached I got a little nervous because wasn't sure she was ready to leave the doors of her nurturing pre- school, take a bus to camp and stay all day long. It turns out she was more than ready and I can't imagine her having a better summer than she did at Tamarak. She loved her counselors (shout out to Faith who runs the munchkin program along with Jess, Isabel, Hillary and sam for putting up with her and many other 4 yr olds each day). She loved the activities (swimming & arts and crafts her personal faves). And most of all she loved the bus ride to and from camp, which opened her eyes (or ears) to many more music options. The price of Tamarak alone was worth getting to switch out the kiddie music in my car for Taylor swift and Katy Perry. Tamarak has open visitation. I expected to take advantage of it many times throughout the summer but between work and the rest of life just made it there once. However, I was so impressed by the camp based on that 1 visit: it was well organized, the kids were safe and it just looked like so much fun. My daughter cried when I told her she'd be going back to the "tough life of pre school in the fall" because she wants to stay at tamarak year round. I'd like to be at camp year round too, but at least she's lucky enough to have a summer at tamarak next year and beyond.

My 2 daughters went to went to Tamarak country school. We've had experience with 14 teachers and I…read morecan say, while they all offer different types of support to their students, they have all been quite good. My 2 girls have wildly different personalities one introverted and creative, the other extroverted and focused. The former needed more support from the Tamarak teachers and she received it. She is no longer afraid to speak out. She really loves school. This is a metamorphosis to me and I feel a significant portion of this change can be attributed to the teachers at Tamarak. The teachers set goals for the girls and worked with us on techniques that we could use at home to help them. The day is broken up into big group, small group and individual choice education & play. They focus on literacy, letters and math concepts as well as social aspects of learning. Both of my girls were completely prepared for kindergarten. Tamarak offers additional learning opportunities in programs like GIFT, and STARs. We took advantage of GIFT this year, which extended the day from 2 1/2 hrs to 5 hrs (lunch is included). These extra classes offer benefits. 1) It prepared my youngest for full day kindergarten (first one didn't have it and full day kindergarten was a shock to the system for her) 2) extra learning opportunities in geography, and the one that impressed me the most was public speaking and presentations. This may sound like too much...I thought it would have been, but....the kids to so well! The got to talk about something they liked doing and in this non-threatening environment....they had no problem talking to the class. The school has several outdoor play areas and an indoor gym for rainy/cold days. They care a great deal about the health of the kids, plenty of hand washing :) Lucia, the director, is a force. She is really really a great director. She is responsive to suggestion and a fabulous leader. We will be back for summer camp next summer for sure.

Honestly, I wish I was a kid again after visiting this center. Luckily I was able to get my child…read morein there and it has been a complete blessing. From administration to the teachers - they all care and acknowledge my child. It warms my heart. My child already has learned a lot. Also, the communication from the teachers is wonderful and encouraging. I had been at another daycare where every day the teacher told me the same thing. It's nice to be able to drop my child off knowing that he will be taken care of and treated as an individual. Thank you Poko Loko

Can't say enough good things about Poko Loko! Both my kids have attended since they were about 4…read moremonths old and have always had high quality teachers! I love being able to know at drop off each day that they will have a great time, and come home happy after a day of play and learning!

My two children (ages 2 years and 4.5 years) have been attending Alta Vista since February 2016 and…read moreit's been a wonderful experience for all of us. My son is in the toddler community and he's learned to do so much for himself and with others! The directress is wonderful and the assistants are great; one of his first words was the teachers name! I'm also proud to say that he is 100% toilet trained and that wouldn't have been possible without the constant help (and changes!) from the guide and assistants. My daughter started out as one of the youngest in her class and she was slow to warm up but with the help of the directress, the assistant, and the environment, she emerged as one of the leaders in her room. I'm so proud of everything she has learned but mostly of how she has developed as a child-she's kind, helpful, eager to learn. She's been learning about word building and everyday she comes home having mastered something new like a song or something she's been working on like sound boxes. I love hearing about the new lessons she receives and her directress is not only knowledgeable but kind and encouraging. The school community is probably one of the most special communities I've ever been a part of. There are often parent events that focus on teaching parents about aspects of the Montessori method, theory, and environment and I always leave these events feeling uplifted and encouraged about the education my children are receiving. All in all, this has been a wonderful school and a beautiful experience for us all!

As I was hired for the infant teacher position back in November 2021, Sophia controlled what I…read morecould say to parents, only contact through emails which also get sent to her and she would then email me with what I'm "allowed" to say to the parents. Even if it is not what's going on inside the classroom. I was forced to keep sick infants (101.7) fever because she feared the parents would leave after already being closed due to covid prior and parents complained. It was over bearing to the point I left, along with other staff in the room. I got yelled at for sending children home "not sick" to standards of theirs yet.... the child's pcr test came back positive! But because the child never had a fever, they no longer trusted my judgement on who is sick and who is not... reguardless of the fact the child was IN FACT positive. As soon as I gave my 2 week notice, being told i need to give them more than 2 weeks i can not leave in 2 weeks..... later that day I was "fired" and reported to DCFS of child abuse of which, was over ruled and now DCFS is looking into their quality care. This school is all about the highest standards and fitting in and staff drama constantly... their assistants are constantly quiting. Infant room staff has been so unstable that they've gone through 3 teachers just this school year. If you care about your child's well being please, steer clear!