We had our son a Kidwatch Plus for the past year. We loved our experience there: The teachers who Jace had really paid attention to his needs, his development, and his personality; The staff was so communicative and supportive; and the classrooms were always so clean and well-taken care of. My son thrived at this school and we're sad to be leaving (Moving away from the city). We 100% recommend this daycare. read more

Our son attended Kidwatch for 5 years, and had a very positive and enjoyable experience. The staff was very accommodating to us, while also navigating challenges in the community and the world at large. The facility is very nice, and kept clean and well-maintained. My only concern is that the turnover rate seems a little high, and occasionally, teachers would abruptly leave and be replaced. Otherwise, I think Kidwatch did a fantastic job preparing our son for kindergarten and beyond. read more

Our son is about to move onto Kindergarten and has had a wonderful experience for over 4 years at Kidwatch Plus. Throughout his time they have had to make a lot of shifts due to the pandemic and we're flexible with us throughout. They kept us inform and we felt safe. There are some amazing teachers at this daycare and pre school. My son loves to learn and has enjoyed the activities. The summer camp is full of fun including water play and field trips. read more

Kidwatch Plus offers excellent child care. We sent our son there for 5 years, and from day one it exceeded our expectations. The entire staff, from teaches to administrators, are kind, thoughtful, caring, and responsive. The classrooms, hallways, and bathrooms are clean, and the huge parking lot is a big plus. Because they are in a former elementary school building, the children become accustomed to a school environment very early (separate classrooms by age, their own lockers, etc.) which helps when they enter grade school. The focus on educational development at Kidwatch was a huge plus for us. Our son was more than prepared for kindergarten, the first half was pretty much just a review what he had already learned in PreK5 at Kidwatch. Our son said every day there was fun, and loved telling us the new things he learned each day. Their summer program is especially fun with lots of indoor and outdoor activities. They are taking COVID19 protocols very seriously, we always felt secure in knowing that all staff are vaccinated and wearing masks all day and following all CDC guidelines. We were so happy that our son was in a safe environment where he could continue to learn and be with friends and be taken care of by the best staff. Highly recommend Kidwatch Plus! read more

My two daughters attended Kidwatch Plus for 4 years, and we absolutely loved it. The entire staff treated us like family, and we felt the same way about them. Kidwatch Plus always has the kids' well-being as their first priority. This should be a given, but I wanted confirm this for parents of prospective attendees. They genuinely care for and love the children. They also try to accommodate the needs of parents/families the best they can. My girls were 4 and 5 when we left the school, and the teachers did a tremendous job helping them develop both from a maturity standpoint as well as academically. I highly recommend Kidwatch Plus for all pre-Kindergarten ages. It's a wonderful school and community, and we were all so sad to leave. read more

There's pros and cons, as with any daycare. This is from my experience for only Infant 1, Infant 2, and Toddler 1 (my baby attended from four months through 16 months): Pros: *Infant 1 and Infant 2 teachers are extremely loving and truly take magnificent care of babies. Mrs. Veronica, Ms. Adriana, Mrs. Cynthia, and Mrs. Ester are absolutely wonderful. * I can't speak too much on the Toddler 1 teachers since my son was only there for three months and during that time, three teachers quit. * The facility is beautiful with a spacious parking lot * NAEYC accredited Cons: *No app to share pictures, updates on their activities, etc. There were many times where we wouldn't even get a paper report from the Toddler 1 room, which is unacceptable. Our children are there for 8+ hours a day, a daily report should be mandatory. *Teacher turnover rate is at an all-time high at this daycare. My son was in the Toddler 1 room for less than three months and three teachers quit. It could be due to low wages and no health benefits. *Due to the constant turnover, new recruits are not trained properly. (e.g., When my baby transitioned to Toddler 1, the new teacher admitted no one had trained her or informed her of the CDC guidelines of handling breast milk. I then talked to the Director and she said "It's her first day," which is a poor excuse. If you're charging $415 per week, staff MUST be trained PROPERLY.) * There was a time where my husband and I noticed our baby was dehydrated (he didn't have a wet diaper during the 8 hours he slept during the night). I had to ask the teachers in Toddler 1 the following morning to make sure they are giving our baby water throughout the day. *We were constantly called at least once or twice per week to pick up our baby because he had "green boogers" but they were noticeably clear. This was CONSTANT. We understand the strict sick policy but the Director and the teachers knew our son was teething and they even had a note from our pediatrician (mucus is normal for teething babies). *When our baby had a low-grade fever due to teething, we were called to pick him up. By this point, I was already back in the office in the NW suburbs and no longer working from home. I arrived in one hour and 15 minutes which was the fastest I was able to arrive. The Director was clearly upset (red face) and scolded me in the hallway in front of everyone to see. That behavior was not warranted. We have ALWAYS picked up our child in less than an hour (when I was working from home). This was the first time I was unable to arrive in less than an hour, so it wasn't a repeated offense. We removed our baby in less than three weeks after the last incident. read more

We started with one kid at Kidwatch two years ago. He started in the pre-K 3 room and today is his last day before starting kindergarten. And now our second child goes there as well; she started in the infant rooms and is now in toddler 1. I have had nothing but positive experiences with the administration, staff, teacher and parents. The physical space is large and very well kept. The teachers genuinely care about the children. My kids both have enjoyed every day spent here and I recommend Kidwatch to anyone who asks. Their summer camp program is also very good, with lots of activities and field trips to fun places around the city. I appreciate their NAEYC accreditation, as I know this is a lot of work to achieve and maintain; and sets high standards for early childhood education. The kids at Kidwatch are in good hands. read more

We have tried many daycares over the years and Kidwatch Plus has been the best experience by far. Great teachers and environment. Also My son learned so much in the one year that he was there and is now ready for Kindergarten. read more

We were unhappy with our previous daycare, and a friend suggested we check out Kidwatch Plus. The name is strange, the logo isn't the best, and the building isn't brand new, but get over it, because THIS PLACE IS WONDERFUL. The teachers are engaging and welcoming. The rooms are clean. The kids participate in fun activities and crafts. I especially love that the kids get outdoor time, and the rooms are relatively large compared to other daycares. I appreciate how they keep the kids on a schedule, but are accommodating if your kid is having an off day. It's really convenient that everyone gets full sized lockers so you can stash extra supplies and you're not constantly bringing in new diapers, cream, and formula form home. It's easy to reach the classroom if you need to and everyone in the office is helpful. We especially love Ms Norma and Ms Yari. Norma is loving to her peanuts and she has been helpful in my kiddo's transitions with schedule, bottles, formula to milk, and pacifier to no paci. Ms Yari has contagious happiness and enthusiasm and the way she can keep a whole room of kids engaged is impressive. After visiting many daycares I was afraid I wouldn't be able to afford a good daycare, but we found everything we wanted in Kidwatch: great hours, great teachers, great curriculum, healthy meals... you name it. read more

We had our son at Kidwatch Plus for four years, from ages 2 to 6, and I don't know what we would have done without them. The staff is knowledgeable, kind, communicative, and fun and they really set him up for success in school, with a strong foundation in social, emotional and academic skills. During the pandemic, Kathryn (the director) was extremely thoughtful, organized and responsive, with clear and thorough protocols in place and regular, clear communication to families. We hit the jackpot when we found this place and these fabulous people! read more

My boys have attended Kidwatch Plus for the past five years. Each of them was about four months old at the beginning, and my oldest will start kindergarten next August. The school is NAEYC accredited ( http://www.naeyc.org/ ), and I could not be more pleased with what goes on here: structured learning, lots of fun, and plenty of social graces (manners, eating with utensils, potty training, and discipline). Kidwatch Plus recently celebrated its 25th anniversary! The building itself is old--Kidwatch is located on the ground floor of Thurgood Marshall Middle School--but the facilities are super clean, safe and extremely conducive to learning. Field trips and outings are common, and kids are outside every day the weather permits. The teachers and aides are in it for the long haul; many have been here for 5-10 years and more. Be advised: there is a waiting list (several months) for infants, and sibilings have priority (there are a LOT of sibilings). It is not cheap, but not the most expensive option either. And I believe there is tuition assistance available for those who need it/request it. Both of my kids (4 and 5 years old) are reading, adding and subtracting, and speaking Spanish, well before kindergarten. The summer program takes kids up to 12 years old, and I plan to send my boys here until they're too old to go. Love it. read more

My wife and I enrolled our daughter in the infant daycare program recently and are more than thrilled. After touring many centers it is clear Kidwatch has a loving staff who truly understands child development and this is what truly sets them apart (side note, the only place we visited where we saw a Director pick up a child to care for them....). Ms. Veronica and Ms. Heather are loving and nurturing caretakers whose experience cannot be matched. Parent stress is relieved when we drop our daughter at Kidwatch because we know she is in good hands. read more

I LOVE Kidwatch; my daughter has been going there since September, and I cannot say enough good things about the staff and environment. I was a nervous wreck to leave her in daycare when I went back to work after maternity leave, especially because I subscribe to Huffington Post Parents on Facebook and literally every other post is about an accidental death in a daycare (assholes). However, after the first day at KidWatch, all my fears were assuaged. Not only are the class sizes ideal, the teachers are great. They know my child, they know her personality, quirks, etc. Plus, I can tell that SHE loves and feels comfortable with them, which speaks VOLUMES since she's terrified and shy around most strangers. However, she lights up as soon as she sees her teachers in the morning, which is super reassuring as a new mom. Plus, they are just nice people who go out of their way to get to know the parents who have kids there. There are also a lot of events for the families, so it feels much more like a school/community environment than as a place where I drop my kid for 10 hours a day. The school is very diligent in making sure kids are on track developmentally (physical and mental) and are actively learning. While sickness cannot be avoided, they are also very good about doing what they can to minimize the spread of flu, colds, etc. and they are super careful about administering medications, trying new foods, and anything else that could cause a risk. They will always get your permission before they do ANYTHING. Finally, cost wise, for the services provided, I think it is one of the better deals in the city after having done way too much research. Bonus: starting in May, they are extending their hours, which is HUGE if you're from a two-working-parent household. All in all, highly recommend read more

Please BEWARE of this daycare if you are a person of color, have a child of color, or are an advocate and lover of the Black community. I wish I knew the information that I know now about this daycare because my child would not have attended! I have recently pulled him, and he is very happy to be at home with his parents and is showing great progress. He has stated several times how he does not like the teachers and office staff, but loves the students. They are bullies and liars. They feed the children trash food, pay the staff barely livable wages (check Indeed if you want to see reviews regarding this daycare), and their retention rate is POOR. Their staff is not diverse and not properly trained to handle all kids. If you have a brown kid and they have not started walking and talking yet, REMOVE THEM NOW! This is your sign that you WILL face issues as your child starts to talk and express themselves. They internally self-diagnose students with behavioral disorders. They called a child autistic to another parent when the child was never diagnosed with autism. This terrified me because statistically, the number of brown kids being misdiagnosed is higher than any other ethnicity group. They label brown kids and continuously pulled my child from his classroom to sit in the office; he was the only brown kid in his classroom. They accused my child of cursing at a teacher when he has never showcased such language ANYWHERE! It was also noted that my son was brought into the office where he was scared. He was scared because he had done nothing wrong. He told the teacher, "No bench," meaning he did not want to sit down on the bench. I did not receive an apology nor did my son, who was also the victim in this situation. We are working with our child to help breakdown the traumatic experiences he has faced at this school. Please note, this is not the first school he has attended; it's the third school. He has succeeded at his other two schools and the only reason he left his previous schools was because I grew in my job and had to move. He started showing behavioral aggression at Kidwatch and started to withdraw at home. This behavior never existed at his other two schools. They stated that one of his teachers resigned "due to the stress and lack of progress after implementation of strategies that was given by his parents." As educators, it should have been noted to his teacher that it takes 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit. It takes ON AVERAGE, 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. Meaning, if the school had implemented the changes and strategies recommended by his parents, they would have seen a change in behavior after the 66 day period; not 1 day. It is important that educators have patience with kids while they are working in this field. It is also very unprofessional to tell a parent that a teacher left the school due to their child when, in fact, the teacher was not properly trained nor emotionally equipped to handle all types of children. Also, we are working to change the vocabulary the staff has repeatedly spoken to him: he's a bad kid, he's a troublemaker, he's not good, etc. My child started calling himself a bad kid and would be very distressed. We had to correct the vocabulary and constantly uplift him for over 3 weeks, so that he could see himself in a positive light. They also went on to accuse us of abusing our child when in fact, my child has NEVER come to the school with bruises, but manages to come home with bruises. He has over 10 incident reports where he has sustained major bruises to his head and body. He has been going to this daycare since mid-October of 2021 and we removed him February 2022. I wondered as a parent, if I was making the right decision by sending him to a school where many other kids did not look like him and if admin was aware of systemic racism and microaggressions the BIPOC (black and indigenous people of color) community face on the regular. The world is against brown kids, and we see that every day in media and in our own neighborhoods. We are watching many of our family members die to bullying, harassment, and suicide. Why should my child have to be afraid EVERY DAY to go to school? It's not the kids he feared, it's the admin. By using such vocabulary on a brown kid, this institution has helped awaken a fear in my child that I, as a parent, have not seen, yet I have faced it all too well. My child does not feel safe around the admin, and he has taken the time to speak with us and explain why. I am extremely hurt I did not listen to my child sooner. I hope that the withdrawal of my child and my lengthy E-Mail to them (in which they have not responded to) will help retrain the staff on the weight of systemic racism and microaggressions on BIPOC adolescents and adults. read more

Our children have been enrolled since the beginning of the school year and we've been quite happy to have them at Kidwatch. I think it's the perfect size for a daycare because it feels like family. I've found all their teachers and directors to be not only competent, but also caring. One of our children is particularly slow to warm up to people, and I think they have a knack for caring for her to the point where she wants to go to school every day and learn. read more

I wasn't sure what to expect when we started taking our three month old twins to the day care. My wife and I love how conveniently located near the blue line / metra on Irving they are as well as a few blocks off the Irving Park 90/94 exit. The teachers absolutely love the kids there. When we drop off our two babes I have no doubt they are getting the best attention and care they can. Being around other babies, other adults, creating arts / crafts, going on field trips, to the park etc is priceless in our babies' development. All the toys are donated. I am sure they clean the toys daily with babies chewing and playing with them. There has been more than one night Ive came in the room to pick the babes up so see them so hypnotized by their toys they ignore me at first heh. I've never smelled urine in the building. The school building is pretty old but so what. Far as I know there is usually is a waiting list for Kid Watch Plus. Security is tight at the school as well. All and all we couldn't feel luckier to be there. read more

My son has been attending Kidswatch Plus for 2+ years now. At first I was not impressed by school (when I came to do a walk through)-seemed to be kind of dark and gloomy. Not the day care I was hoping my son will go-I wanted to see some bright colors and lots of light! Well, the one with colors and light did not even come close to Kidswatch when it came to curriculum and teachers professionalism! I am so happy that I took on advice from one of the moms about this day care and signed up (there is always a wait list-we had to wait a few months, for babies it is longer. Sign up when you are still pregnant) Things I liked right away about this daycare: 1. It is probably THE ONLY daycare I have seen so far that is off from the main street. 2. They are 1 block to Independence park (great for walks and for Gym classes-they walk over there all the time), about 10 minutes walk to another park, they also have their own school playground on the back, and they walk to the local library (on Central Park and Irving Park). 3. It was important for me to have a school with healthy food-and Kidswatch IS the one! The provide a menu, and the kids are provided a lot of veggies and fruits. And no processed food. Just yesterday I went with the daycare on a field trip-and saw a difference-our kids were eating turkey sandwiches on a whole grain with veggies and fruit cups, while kids from another day care were given chips. 4. Teachers are fantastic! It is amazing how EVERYONE knew my son's name (and every kid's name at this point)-even the ones from a different class room (to my embarrassment, I did not know any of their names...) 5. For me, coming for a European background and being an immigrant of first generation, it is always harder to fit into American crowd I kind of always feel a little out of place. Not in Kidswatch. All parents, all teachers are so great-you really start feeling like a part of their big family. All parents are very friendly, do playdates on weekends, and even keep in touch after their kid leaves the program! After a while the classrooms did not seem to be dark or gloomy, and I started to love the fact that they are on the first floor of a school-it gives more space , and they take walks even if they cannot go outside. Kids always get involved into different activities, not only for education and entertainment, but also chores-they help carrying snacks, set up desks for food, clean up. I am afraid I am going to miss something else that is great about this school. The preschool program here is great! My son (who came and did not speak a word of English) is so advanced now in English! Literally , in 2 weeks after he was moved to a preschool class-he started to count, read letters, and he is still SO excited to do all of that! Teachers were and always are so patient, but discipline kids. I watch one of the teachers disciplining some kids-and OMG she was great! I learnt from teachers a lot. You will never see kids not busy here-there is so much to do even in each class room. The few things I would change though (and it will not affect the rating): 1. Healthier cleaning supplies-they use strong spray cleaners with bleach for disinfection (that just proves wrong a comment about toys not clean-toys are not new, but they are clean). I think it is not good for anyone-strong smell of strong chemicals, and it is used on daily basis. There are much better cleaners now that will not affect your health and are hospital grade. 2 And the other thing-I would provide more drinking water for kids, especially in summer time. My son is constantly thirsty. They allow them to drink some times tap water, which I find not healthy as well. I'd suggest having filtered water, and let kids drink more water. (I know teachers not like that a lot for potty purposes)-but at least have that option available. Those two things updated-would be a blast! read more

I just wanted amend my review since the new Kidwatch facility opened. It is gorgeous! Everything looks and feels new and clean - both from a design sense and an actual cleanliness sense. Previously Kidwatch was in building that felt hundred years old. My kids have transitioned extremely well to the new classrooms. The teachers have done a great job of easing the transition and setting up the classrooms. There is actual parking which is great and outdoor space that is secured. We are so happy that we stuck with Kidwatch and made the move to the new location. The new facility is awesome and the Kidwatch tradition of quality care is really apparent. My family recommends Kidwatch without reservation. Thanks for reading my review. read more

Although I can see why the previous reviewer commented on the older classrooms, Kidwatch offers so much more than aesthetics! The teachers are fantastic, reliable and very creative. My 1.5 year old runs into the arms of her teacher every morning! Our house is filled with art projects she's been doing since she as 9 months - painting, paper mache, collages, and more. The teachers had her eating with utensils at a year and reinforce sign language and manners! They have a christmas pagent, a prom, spring concert, walks outside daily (weather permiting) and sprinkler play in the summer in Independence Park. The other families that go there are awesome too! We got on the list when I was 6 months pregnant and the baby was 6 months before we got in, so get on the list as soon as you know you're expecting and check in often! read more

My son started at Kidwatch back in July when we moved to Chicago and we love it! The teachers are great and easy to deal with, and our son has a great time with all the walks, police and fireman visits, sprinkler time, etc, not to mention the fact that we've noticed he's learning pretty more and more. Every week or so we'll notice he's saying or doing something he didn't do the week before (i.e. counting higher, a few words, phrases) and it makes us realize that we've made the right choice. The one con would be the price. But you do get what you pay for... and our price is going way down when he switches to the older class. read more

My two sons attend Kidwatch - my youngest since he was 9 months old and my oldest is now about to attend kindergarten. We love it! All the teachers know my sons' names and greet and/or hug them in the hallway - even if they haven't had them in class yet. Teachers wrote a story for my son to cheer him up when he was home sick and the school worked with us to accommodate a peanut allergy. The facilities are older, but they are clean and the classrooms have tons of fun activities and stations for the kids to play in. I love that the school is located on a quiet tree lined street and a block away from Independence park. They have a lot of outdoor play options and kids and families usually gather after pick-up to play together outside on the school's large front porch. The classes go on field trips to the zoo, pumpkin patch, farm, fire station, water park and have a music teacher come to the class once a week. They also have gym, frequently visit the nearby library and each class puts on a performance at Kidwatch's winter pageant. The school is NAEYC accredited with regular programming and teacher/parent meetings 1-2 times a year. There is generally a wait list to get in, but there are both part and full time options for childcare and pre-k. The hours are also great for working parents. I believe the hours are 7am-6pm so they can accommodate varying family schedules. We feel lucky to have our kids there - it's been a great fit for our family. read more

When I chose Kidwatch Plus, I thought I made the right decision, but, unfortunatelly, I didn't. I think they are nice people, but not the right people to take care of infants. My 4 months baby got sick during his first week there. I spent 5 days with him at home, when he stopped having fever, he went there again. I told everybody that he was sick, but had no fever, and I gave them a saline water to clean his stuffy nose. I called them several times on that day and they kept calming me down saying everything was ok even though he wasn't eating as much as before. About 4 pm, they called me and said he had fever. I went there immediatelly to pick him up. When I got there, I saw my baby breathing through his mouth, weak and with high fever. Summarizing, he wasn't eating because he was breathing through his mouth (stuffy nose), and because he didn't eat, he got dehydrated and spent TWO NIGHTS at hospital. The doctors said he had bronchiolitis. I understand babies get sick when go to a daycare, but what happened is unacceptable. I just asked them to clean his nose before sleeping and eating, but they didn't do that (they didn't even apologize). As I said, they are nice, but I don't trust them, and I hope nobody suffers what I suffered when my baby spent two nights at the hospital. That is why I am writing this review. read more

Our child attended this facitlity for a short time. We received great reviews from other people that have their children at Kidswatch. While the teachers seemed very nice, my husband & I were not that impressed with their facilities. Their program is on the first floor of a middle school. The individual rooms are very dark and old. To be blunt: Many of their toys seemed dirty and the building constantly smelled like urine. However, on a lighter note, the children take regular walks indoors when it's raining or outdoors to Independence Park. read more

Location is ideal. Most of the employees are awesome Ms. DIANA AND Ms. Coco are the backbone of the school.. Daycare is great. But the preschool for 4-5 year olds is very weak and curriculum is not preparing the students for kindergarten. The classroom and the teachers always seemed out of control. Messy and unorganized classroom with kids running around off task. Seemed more like a daycare atmosphere than a classroom setting where learning should take place. Far from a structured environment. Look elsewhere. Place has changed. Not the same place it was when we started as an infant. read more

I have had my children enrolled at Kidwatch for the past five years and I highly recommend it. I've been pleased with the programs at all levels - from infant to preschool age. The activities are engaging, age appropriate and ever changing. The teachers and staff truly care about the well-being of the kids and provide a structured and nurturing environment. My kids have flourished under the care of the Kidwatch employees. I'm always amazed with the things they learn from colors to stranger danger to saying please and thank you. We have had a well rounded, educational and fun experience over the years. It is definitely a place on which you can depend! read more

My daughter has been attending since January and I can see how thoroughly she is growing. They teach numbers, letters, math, science, and reading. The teachers are wonderful. I am very happy we chose Kidwatch. read more

My son has gone to Kidwatch for a year now (he is 2). I disagree with the prior poster's evaluation. The school is extremely clean. They are constantly cleaning the toys, the floors, tables, etc. My son has had a couple colds but nothing out of the ordinary in terms of frequency or severity. I think he has missed daycare 2 days due to illness in the past year. I haven't experienced the urine smell but I wouldn't be surprised if you would catch a whiff every once in a while as you have lots of little ones wearing diapers/disposing of diapers. I don't find the rooms dark at all. The teachers are very professional and caring. I am always amazed at how calmly they handle situations that I think might drive me crazy. I "spy" a lot and have been pleased with everything I have seen with one exception. That "one exception" was removed from the school. I felt the school handled the situation swiftly and decisively. I love the fact that there is a true structure in the curriculum. My son has learned a tremendous amount. I gave the center 4 stars instead of 5 because I don't really have anything to compare it to. read more