We started at Guidepost Downers Grove when it opened. It has been a wonderful experience, everyone…read moreis great and they really care about the children. We would recommend.

From the owner: Our school in Downers Grove is now accepting pre-registration deposits for first-priority placement…read morein our programs! Guidepost Montessori in Downers Grove is one of the most trusted Montessori schools in DuPage County, Illinois. Indoors, rooms are spacious, bright, and light-filled, creating a warm and calm space for children to work.

Incredible school like no other, for students who are academically advanced / gifted and crave…read morechallenge and empowering learning experiences. The teachers are masters in their field, the school day is incredibly vibrant with PE every day and fine arts, language & stem classes. The extracurricular options are vast. The students are incredibly kind and supportive of each other.

Great school but tends to greatly favor children whose parents are the biggest donors. Not fair in…read moremany ways if you are a medium donor.

Our son went to Seton for over three years and it was not a great experience. He was recently…read moreunenrolled because we did not hire an additional in-class aide for him at their request (he has a speech delay and is very energetic) Early childhood classes are crowded and too full to accommodate anything but 'typical' children. Communication from teachers consisted mostly of group emails - individual meetings with teachers were sparse. Making additional donations to the school (on top of tuition) is encouraged, perhaps that would've helped with communication! We enjoyed the infant and toddler programs, but the early childhood class experience was a failure on many levels. Too many children per teacher. We could sense the overwhelming focus on logistics, ironic for Montessori method while they always touted education. Our son's doing so much better in a different preschool. Overall Seton was a disappointment and their early childhood program needs an overhaul.

Seton is a close knit and wonderful school where every child is accepted and encouraged as they…read moreare. Teachers promote kindness, community, curiosity and academic growth in ways that have greatly inspired my children. My kids have been at Seton from Preschool-2nd grade thus far, and we have had nothing but excellent experiences both academically and socially.

We have LOVED our 5 years at TGS Oakbrook. I can't believe we are about to leave behind this daily…read morepart of our lives! The people at The Gardner School of Oakbrook Terrace have helped to raise our daughter to be the beautiful, smart, hilarious, creative, sweet little 5-and-a-half-year-old lady she is now. These women have changed her diapers, fed her nutritious meals, played with her, read to her, soothed her, encouraged her, loved her, taught her, shaped her, and helped her grow in every way possible. They've helped me be a better mom (& teacher, too). They've helped my husband in myriad ways as well. The teachers, administrators, and other staff are supportive and caring in all their interactions. The administrators were understanding whenever "life" happened and you needed to bend protocol to make all the things happen, whatever they might be. In our case, when our daughter was an infant, we actually pulled her out of TGS for a 6-month period because she was getting sick so often and so intensely. (Former preemie with low immune system plus she had the stereotypical childhood recurring ear infection.) When we decided we wanted to have her return, TGS welcomed us back with open arms. And...no matter what...every day during high traffic/morning drop-off/evening pick-up times, one of the administrators was there with a smiling face to greet parents and families at the front door. That meant more than it might seem on the surface. First of all, there were plenty of days where I blew into the building in quite a mood from my own long, trying school day with 100+ kids, but after I was greeted by a smiling Ms. Natalie, Ms. Jen, or Ms. Brittany and walked to my daughter's classroom, that interaction had managed to shift my focus to what kind of day my child had. Second, consistency is key with children and at TGS, it's demonstrated even in this area. Third, knowing you can count on that presence at a particular time makes it simple to plan quick verbal check-ins with TGS staff. The teachers were forever gracious about everything, including me dropping off incredibly late in the summer. :-P Enrichment teachers like Coach Janelle helped our daughter explore ballet, gymnastics, and theatre in a friendly, safe environment. We counted on Chef Nicole to prepare and serve tasty, healthy food several times a day every day & she always delivered. Most of all, we knew that daily our daughter's classroom teachers were doing absolutely amazing things, instilling in her a love of learning and an understanding of how school works... Ms. Angelika, Ms. Abbey, Ms. Tameka, Ms. Jessica, Ms. Angela, Ms. Jennifer, Ms. Cassi, Ms. Adriana, Ms. Ann, Ms. Anna, Ms. Lonnisha, Ms. Vanessa, Ms. Elyse: you are forever in our hearts. Beyond everything mentioned above, these women at TGS Oakbrook have always understood who our daughter is. That means they know what she responds well to and what she needs in order to feel safe, loved, & happy. It also means they knew what gaps needed to be filled and what she needed to work on. So at TGS, she has learned soooo much about how to be brave, to write, to play with friends (or to play alone when she's not feeling it!), to wash your hands at all the right times, to listen when others speak, ... Because of TGS Oakbrook and the women who work there, my daughter will walk into kindergarten at our neighborhood school the most prepared she could possibly be. And for that, we are forever grateful.

After moving from the city to the suburbs, our family was in search of a new daycare and were lucky…read moreto have found The Gardner School. Our son started at The Gardner School around 1.5 and is still there 2 years later. During these 2 years, he has had caring / passionate teachers who have taught him countless things in fun and exciting ways. He has made many friends and gotten to experience extracurricular activities (basketball, karate, music class, etc.) throughout the year. During the summer, children not only continue learning, but are treated to ice cream trucks, petting zoos and more! If you are in search of a daycare, do not hesitate to visit The Gardner School Oak Brook!

Our daughter (5) has been at Maple Tree since Jan 3rd. What a wonderful school!…read more We moved and having to change schools is tough on a little one. Maple Tree felt right from the second we went to visit. We looked at about a dozen montessori preschools and there wasn't a better one. We looked in Glen Ellyn, Downers, Lombard... The school itself is adorable. It is quiet and peaceful and clean. The student/teacher ratio is very low. We were made to feel very welcome from the first day. The directress Jean Gottlieb is such a sweet and caring woman. She clearly loves children and understands child developement. She has been willing to answer questions, give advice and simply listen to parenting and educational concerns. The school has organic lunch catered in for the children, with vegetarian options, and prides itself on being earth friendy and passing those values on to the children. They are nut free and don't allow sugary snacks...this is a huge change from what we were used to, but I love it! All this and we can already see learning in leaps and bounds. Our daughter has started reading and understanding concepts in math that she wasn't before. We are thrilled to have found Maple Tree. If only we could have been there from the beginning!

Our daughter has been with Maple Tree since she was 16 weeks. We have been very happy with the…read morequality of teachers and the education they provide from a very young age! It doesn't feel like a "kid factory" like so many others we visited. We love the small classrooms and having 3 teachers to 8 infants is a huge selling point. We love the webcam and you can see the teachers and how hard they work every day! Constantly playing with the babies, cleaning, picking up and providing one on one attention when ever possible to each child. You pay a little more but the quality of care and education for us, has been worth it. When she gets a little older, we are excited about the lunch menu! All organic with an amazing variety of fruits and veggies- not carb centric but still kid friendly! My husband and I wish we could eat here! :)

I've had two children attend Creative World and have recommended it to friends and neighbors. It's…read morea family run business which is a lovely alternative to some of the other options in the area. We've had experiences with care at other places nearby and its made me really appreciate Creative World. The classrooms are organized, calm and clean - the structure of Montessori has had a positive impact on my kids. I know when I drop them off each day that they're being well cared for. It's a great community of kids, staff and parents, definitely a neighborhood gem!

This school was a Terrible experience for my 3 kids who attended. The director is incompetent. She…read moreliterally said my daughter had autism and will need a 1:1 when she gets older (she's now 3 years older and none of that is true) . It's incredibly dangerous for someone other than a doctor to suggest someone has diagnosis. Instead of trusting us as parents that she was very shy and nervous to start school for the first time, Heidi went straight to a diagnosis. She also would NOT allow her to attend kindergarten unless she was evaluated by the organization they used for the reason that my doctor wouldn't even entertain an evaluation as my daughter had zero signs, and was very capable! Unfortunately, we felt obligated to get the evaluation since that was the only way they would allow her to continue going to the school. The real issue was that my daughter was very shy as she had never been to a school before. They made it seem as though they've never experienced a shy kid before and instead of making her feel comfortable. One other family we spoke to had the same exact experience we shared. There was something very off about her perosona. She always had a plastered fake smile on her face that was completely not genuine. Don't let her "calmness" fool you. Read through her lines, and you'll see the facade. The two teachers we had would talk negatively about her to us which was an awkward position for us. Also, 3 teachers left in 1 year, and there were a lot of rumors on the teachers having drama with the director. I will say that Ms. Ambreen was very nice, but the director unfortunately ruined our experience. We took my kids out as soon as we could, and all 3 are truly thriving. I would NOT recommend this school.

Address is outdated. Been going since ripe age of 2.5. Awesome Principal, Awesome staff.read more

My son went here before we moved out of state and we still miss this school! The teachers are so…read moreskilled at making sure the students not just learn, but excel in their studies and beyond. My son was well above grade level when we transferred to public school in Texas and those gains have kept up even 2 years later. I'm positive that this is from the attention to development he received at Kindi. This is also why Kindi has been the gold standard for me- now that I have a toddler, I'm always making sure that her education at Montessori is in line with what my elder one received at Kindi. The community at Kindi is also wonderful- we had such a nice network of families who support the children's growth and work to give back to the community at large. We also love the diversity of the school. This means that kids understand and appreciate both their own and others' cultural identities and backgrounds. If Mr. Hatem ever opens a school in Texas, we'd transfer in a heartbeat.

This is the BEST preschool in the Western Suburbs! Ms. Beth is the greatest teacher I could have…read moreever asked for! By the time my oldest left for kindergarden he was more than prepared. We are so happy with this school!

I am a former elementary school teacher and reading specialist, and tried several other preschools…read morein the area before "Miss Beth". Besides the fact that she is a Northwestern Graduate, a master Montessori Teacher, and loves her job, she truly CARES about her students. Although she has wait lists for children to get into her school, she constantly strives to improve and is always has her students' best interests in mind. My children are in school in Hinsdale in 4th and 3rd grade, and I have yet to meet another teacher that can hold a candle to her. In fact, her pre-school "report cards", consisting of a porfolio of a child's work as well as test results, have about 10 times more meaningful information in than I have ever received on any report card or teacher conference from my children in their current school. Both of my children were extremely well prepared academically and socially for school. She is one of the most amazing teachers I have ever met in my life!

We are proud parents of two children who have been attending DuPage Montessori for the past 6…read moreyears. This has been an incredible experience for our kids. They love the learning, nurturing and caring environment at the school. We truly believe in montessori methodology as the kids learn and master the concepts using concrete techniques. We're happy that DuPage Montessori has exceeded our expectations. The Teachers at Dupage montessori are extremely dedicated, passionate and love sharing their knowledge with the students. They go above and beyond to make the child feel comfortable, teach relevant material, demonstrate science experiments, nature walks with kids and countless productive/fun projects. While the children may be advancing academically, they are also taught to develop as a person and become leaders, be respectful, compassionate, develop good character, friendly through various community building exercises. A lot of success is also credited to Thought leadership, Management and friendly staff who encourages a freedom and responsibility culture where everyone(Teachers, Students) thrive. This school deserves a high-five!!

My girls have been attending this Montessori school, and it has been a truly wonderful experience…read more Ms. Joanne, along with all of the amazing teachers we've had--Ms. Jennifer, Ms. Prabha, Ms. Mary, Ms. Aruna, Ms. Tania, Ms. Michelle and Ms. Debbie--and the entire staff are incredibly compassionate and supportive, genuinely invested in each child's independence and personal growth. We especially appreciate the cultural activities, in-depth exploration of diverse topics, and the frequent field trips that make learning engaging and meaningful. These experiences spark curiosity, build awareness, and deepen understanding. The teachers are clearly dedicated and intentional, creating a warm, supportive space where children truly thrive. Highly recommend!

I've worked here for two and a half years. The teachers are great, the kids are great, the…read morecommunity is great. My daughter goes here and has grown tremendously. We will be doing kindergarten here because I have such confidence that she will excel from the extra year here.

My daughter went to this school for 2.5 years. This is a great school with well qualified staff,…read moremost with 15+ years experience and friendly administration. It provides Montessori education with a varied syllabus, that works around individual kids. The price is reasonable too. And, as a plus, they provide healthy food for the kids. There are a lot of ways to track your kids activities. The field trips and parent activities make us feel like a Community. I highly recommend this school!