My son entered the Northwestern Music Academy as a beginner cellist with limited skill but much…read morepotential and talent. Mindy Park is an outstanding educator who was born to teach children music. Her pedagogy is rooted in technique and skill rather than route memorization. Within two semesters, she was able to place my son far ahead of his school group. NMA offers unparalleled group and individual concerts and recitals in grandiose halls, where pupils learn to play in a professional music setting at a young age. We are excited to see how he grows in his musicianship throughout the years through this prestigious program.

I was so surprised to see that Kindermusik has not been reviewed yet and we've only known about…read moresince 2009 when we became parents! One of the important things to us as parents was to introduce our kids to music at an early age. We have tested out a variety of different music options here in Evanston, and our favorite is Kindermusik through the Music Academy at Northwestern University. You can start as young as newborn in the Kindermusik Village where both my kids have started - my daughter just finished up the Kindermusik Village session this summer and loved it. She went from just humming songs and melodies to actually having 4 songs memorized and singing very loudly and proudly! Their Our Time is the 18 months - 3.5 years session where it's a parent/tot activity. My son just recently wrapped up Kindermusik's Image That series where he loved the fact that he was dropped off for 30 minutes (it was our Saturday morning coffee break routine while he was in class) and then, we rejoined the group for 15 minutes sharing time. The classes are really great - you have quality materials (books, dvd, toy, etc) and the teachers are really fantastic. Julie Friend is an amazing resource, personable, talented, and we have really loved having her as our teacher. I'm most excited for my son who will be starting Kindermusik for the Young Child, Year One with Pat Heinenman this year because he'll be learning how to play the glockenspiel and sight reading, which is an essential tool for learning any musical instrument. Year Two is learning how to the two-stringed culcimer and the soprano recorder. The other music places are good, too, but our personal preference is Kindermusik as both my children will continue their music education here. They're great to work with, their schedules are flexible and accommodate both the stay-at-home parent and the working parent. The quality of the music education is proven through the results that I've seen with my children.

My son was diagnosed with dyslexia in first grade and by 5th grade was several grades behind in…read morereading, despite the Title I interventions that the district provided him. His dyslexia was affecting all of his coursework because he simply couldn't get past the words to get to the content. I decided to look for a dyslexia specialist and found Kim Ainis. Her program absolutely put him on the right path; he's now in 7th grade and reads at grade level. Her program is intensive and requires dedication; it's an ongoing process. But the time my son and I have put into the program practices was worth every minute, resulting in his new confidence in the classroom and outside of it.

It took me 10 min to make sure i typed th address right but much fasterthan it use to!!!! LOL Kim…read moreis the bestest evah!!!!!!!!

I was sent here because of a misdiagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. I most likely actually have…read moreAdult ADHD with a co-morbid mix of Social Anxiety Disorder. I was treated like I wasn't capable on anything. The place was very patronizing and the staff very much coddled the clients in both the severely mentally disabled and the not that bad group. I was put in the not that bad group. My peers except for one, (he was a sweetheart), were completely socially stunted. Man, did their parents just not actually try to get them help. One staff member, Megan was very rude and just always in a bad mood. (I'm putting it very nicely) She had no sense of humor and she expected way too much of me. The challenged ones needed way more discipline than me, though they barely got any. This one guy my group was beyond annoying. Nice guy but man would he just not stop talking. I was expected to become friends with him, which is very unreasonable. Since you can't expect people to want to be friends, it just doesn't work that way. I was treated like I couldn't talk for myself, even though I was at least 18 at the time. You had to be overly nice and act like you had the intelligence of a five year old. ASD is over diagnosed because terrible places like this one just want money. I hope this place gets shut down. The name of the place is also very clique and pathetic.

From the owner: Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, communication skills, social skills, independent living…read moreskills, vocational skills, job training, Structured Teaching method, professional and teacher training

Cherry is a wonderful safe place for kids to grow and learn at their own speeds. It is inclusive…read moreand loving!

From the owner: As a developmental early childhood education program, Cherry Preschool offers a safe, consistent,…read morenurturing environment that encourages the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth of children at their own rate. We include children of all abilities and backgrounds and teach understanding, and acceptance. We welcome children who are at-risk due to special needs, financial and other family challenges, partnering with families to provide quality education and a sense of community.

My last of four kids is graduating this year. Amazing place for special ed all the way to my high…read moreachieving student. Not only do they get an outstanding education but they are surrounded by the beauty of diversity in staff and students alike.

My daughter got an excellent education at ETHS and loved it there. There are tons of clubs, sports…read moreand activities -- something for everyone. The teachers are generally very strong as is the administration. No school is perfect but I think ETHS is one of the best.

I have always had a fiercely inquisitive mind, constantly questioning everything (For instance, if…read moreevolution produces the best and brightest in the species, why does it produce people who don't believe in evolution?). So I was happy to find the interactive, monthly lecture series, Science Cafe. You know this free event is legit, because it's sponsored by Northwestern. Who else knows science better? DePaul? Right. Alumni pay to have their names taken off of buildings. UIC? Uh-huh. I've seen more sophisticated scientific breakthroughs in a Dustin Diamond science project. The event is held at the bar, FireHouse Grill. Ironic that I'm visiting an alcohol-filled venue to improve my brain when such venues have previously done so much damage. Too bad the venue couldn't also improve my damaged fender or make that kid walk again (But on the plus side, he no longer has to wait in line for rides at Disney Land). The patrons are a shockingly older group. Still, great to see such fervent curiosity from folks so close to death. If I were FireHouse Grill, I'd ask patrons to pay their tabs in advance. Anyway, when you show up, pick a seat, sit down, and like a panda mating ritual, you know its game on when someone starts presenting. The lecture I attended was called "The Array of Things," dealing with Argonne Lab's efforts to put sensors all over Chicago to help improve our quality of life. For instance, sensors could change cross-walk signals more quickly based on BlueTooth signals from pedestrians' mobile devices. That means when the city is all wired up and you want to cross the street more quickly, find the intersection with a lot of people with smart phones. Or, find an intersection near an Apple store. Another example is if you're a young woman walking home late at night, sensors could tell you what streets had lots of people, so you could avoid muggers. By the same token, if you're a mugger, you could see the streets with only a single lone woman walking. That saves time! It may sound scary that there are all these devices tracking what we do, but its coming, so we might as well embrace it. As the old saying goes, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Or to put that in a more modern context, if you're kid already has autism, might as well get him vaccinated.

Yelp removed my review because it wasn't "business-oriented" enough for them. Let me see if this is…read morebetter for you, yelp. Dear Parents, The staff supervision at this facility is seriously LACKING. It has a claustrophobic little time-out room with a tiny little window on the door. That's it-three walls and a door with a tiny window. If your child's teacher believes your kid deserves it, he'll be thrown in there for HOURS at a time, with no one checking in on him. This may be okay for prisoners when they are thrown in the hole, but not for mentally disabled children. I would sooner set my flesh on fire than see any relative of mine sent here. My brother was left in there for hours with a bully who was much larger than him and TOUCHED HIM INAPPROPRIATELY. This was possible because THERE WAS NO STAFF SUPERVISION!!!!! You can message me for further info...I'll be more than happy to give it. How's that yelp...is that 'business oriented" enough for you? What's it going to take to warn other parents/family members?

From the owner: The Jewish Child and Family Services Therapeutic Day School (JCFS TDS) provides services for…read morestudents in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade. JCFS TDS believes that the best education cultivates the academic and personal potential of every student, helping them to become their best selves, discover their passions and prepare them for success in the larger community. We serve students who are classified in the following special education categories: Emotional Disability (ED), Specific Learning Disability (SLD), Intellectual Disability, Autism (includes autism spectrum disorders), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Other Health Impairment (OHI). We work with Chicago Public Schools and with school districts from the North Shore, Lake County and the Western Suburbs to receive referrals of students who need an alternative to traditional public schools.

Carrie worked with our son in grades 1-2. He was having difficulty reading in school, especially…read morefor comprehension. He was frustrated and he did his best to avoid schoolwork, esp work that had reading in it. Carrie was a godsend - not only did she have fantastic strategies to get him to improve in his abilities, but she was able to make him actually enjoy reading. That she was able to transform our son - from a poor reader with a bad attitude to a young person who actually enjoys reading - is a testament to her abilities as a teacher.

I can't say enough about how great Carrie Andalman is as a teacher/ coach/mentor. She has a passion…read morefor teaching ,a connection to her students and a sense of fun that works together to create an environment that truly motivates. She worked with both my children years ago and they have grown up to have a love of learning and a passion for reading