There aren't many options for swim schools in the area. It's aqua tots or YMCA. We started at YMCA…read moreand now with aquatots and I prefer it. We have been with aquatots for over a year and my son has done level 1, 2, and 3. I have always found the staff to be very friendly and accommodating. Some teachers are better than others. The facility always seems clean and they offer a lot of classes to chose from. My son loves the water and can't wait for his swim classes. He even tries to back float in the bath tub. My only complaint is they only have 2 changing area with a door and baby seat to change your baby. There was many times I would get out of the pool soaking wet with my baby and someone with an older child would run right in front of me to take that room because it's bigger. Meanwhile we would stand soaking wet freezing waiting for that parent to change their child into their swimsuit. Meanwhile I NEED that room because my child couldn't walk and I had to secure him to the chair in there while I changed out of my swimsuit and have a place to change his diaper. The lack of courtesy from other parents was absolutely appalling to me.

As with most places Aqua Tots has it's good and bad points. They have a slow process for your child…read moreto achieve success. When you can only do two strokes and then go back to the wall to sit and wait for the others to do their two strokes, you can't make much progress. But they have to make money, so this is the racket part of the business. IF you don't have the perfect child and the instructor isn't equipped to deal with these children, then look out. Your child will only get half the training the others in class are getting, a few don't hide their dislike (they talk rudely to them, NEVER say anything nice about them and spread their feeling to other instructors) and when other parents (from the observation area) can see it and mention it that's pretty bad. There are so many times when an instructor is spending "minutes" of your paid for time saying hello to other students in another class or to someone walking in for a class. They need to keep their focus on the class they are teaching (after all, WE are paying you to teach our children, not socialize with someone down the pool). Also, when they start 2-3 minutes late and let out 5 minutes early your talking 7-8 minutes of paid class time. It sounds petty but 7-8 minutes 4 times a month equals 28-32 minutes. That's equal to a whole class. If you're told your child will have half an hour of class time and you pay for a half hour of class time, then you should get a half hour of class time. There are always times when something comes up and the instructor could get delayed, but when it is EVERY week.....

I can't speak for the other reviewer's experience, but Yelpers in general should always keep in…read moremind that Yelp reviews don't represent businesses with 100% accuracy: typically only people who loved or hated a certain place take the time to write reviews. I moved away from Valpo a few months ago but I trained here for two years and wanted to write a positive review because I am grateful for what I learned here. I looked for the best martial arts school in northwest Indiana after I moved to Valpo from the east coast holding an advanced belt in taekwondo. I decided on Southlake because Master Requena is REALLY knowledgeable and a very good teacher, and I earned the rank of deputy black belt here. (In other words, I know what I am talking about.) Master Requena teaches a fusion-style martial art that is based on taekwondo but also incorporates elements of other martial arts such as karate and wushu and Filipino kali martial arts. He also teaches weapons such as nunchucks (Nerf, of course), bo staff, and kali sticks. Master Requena is a good teacher as he explains techniques and strategies clearly. He is also really dedicated, passionate, and a nice guy. He himself occasionally travels to Virginia to maintain training with his grandmaster there. He takes people to regional tournaments and his students and staff always come back with trophies. You can tell that this is not just a money-making business for him. He is very positive and constantly encourages his students. Some classes are taught by his teaching staff, who are all black belts and good teachers. Parents and kids really like him and you can hold your child's birthday party there. He and his staff relate to kids well (he has an elementary/middle school-aged daughter who holds a black belt). Yes, martial arts does require a financial investment, just as with any other type of education (membership fees, equipment, etc.). And he has a business strategy that is deliberate and forward-looking, as one can see in his having open a second location in Portage recently. I think the success speaks for itself. You can also get a dual membership with the gym he also runs. Take the trial classes. I think you'll find that adults and kids will learn a lot here AND have fun. In my current city on the west coast I continue to train in taekwondo and I am grateful for the education and training I received under Master Requena while I lived in Valpo.

Enrolled my daughter in the action class and she really loves it! Teaches kids discipline and…read morerespect and has a a good exercise component to the classes. Shows the kids how to how to accomplish each form and elevate to the next belt. Staff is very nice and always helpful to answer your questions. I highly recommend!

Extremely lucky to have found Kiddie Academy for my childcare needs. The entire staff is amazing,…read morethe building and classrooms are always extremely clean and my baby is getting a true curriculum to support her growth and development!

We pulled our daughter out of Kiddie Academy for numerous reasons. After several ill-planned…read moreactivities that were strange or age-inappropriate, the last straw was when they did a food fight with the kids and tried to defend it as a legitimate learning experience. There are so many great activities to do with toddlers, and I'm not sure why they chose to do something so gross & inappropriate. (I watched in the cameras -- kids were slipping/falling in the food). They're administratively disorganized as well as we had billing issues and they always seemed confused. I think it's highly rated because they don't have much competition in the area.

I am thrilled with this daycare facility…read more My daughter is a year old and Bright Beginner's Academy's toddler room begins with children 12 months and up. Before touring, I contacted the center's director, Kelly. She is quick with email and happy to answer any question you may have. After a string of emails, I scheduled an appointment to tour the daycare. I was thrilled to receive an email confirmation of the date and time of the tour (it indicated to me that they are not only on top of things, but also technologically-friendly) and my husband and I showed up for the tour. Rachel greeted us at the door and walked us through a day in the toddler room. The room is well lit, clean, and spacious. The toys looked new and even with children around, they were well organized. Rachel also explained an app to us called Brightwheel: it's a wonderful tool that gives you the feeling of a connection to your child all day long. Of course it's hard to leave your child anywhere, but all day long you receive updates: potty activity, meals, naps, pictures and videos. I cannot tell you the joy I felt when I saw my daughter playing outside with the other kids during her very first week. The teachers there are very sweet and they are wonderful with children. I cannot tell you what I sigh of relief I breathed after our first week here. My daughter is always in a good mood when she comes home and I truly feel like she's in good hands here.

I love bringing my daughter here. The staff is great. Always professional and kind. They treat my…read moredaughter like their own. The building is always clean and I never have to worry when I leave. 10/10!

My kids have been going to Penny Lane in Oak Lawn for about three years and we have had a great…read moreexperience with them! The staff is great, they plan fun activities, are flexible with our schedule and overall a great place!

Hi @Melissa penny lanes business director,…read more Since I can't reply back to your comment on my review I'll just write it here. Nothing, I wrote is inaccurate information. I totally understand that these reviews are very important for penny lanes business. This is why I took the time to write out the review. For parents seeking child care for their children and wanting to make the best decision. Actually, some of the things that you stated in your reply was very inaccurate such as my reason to leave the daycare. We left due to having so many incidents occur and the lack of incidents reports being made and also lack of accountability. Most of the time my daughter was sent home from daycare with cuts and bruises. Teachers were unable to explain what happened due to them "not being around" or "leaving early for the day" so she was left in the care of substitute teacher and no one in the daycare could find whichever "substitute teacher "was in the class in at the time to explain the constant injuries. Also, on August 11th I was called into penny lanes due to my child having a busted lip and chipped tooth. I expressed my concerns to the director of the daycare Ms.Laura she responded back to me and let me know if I wanted my child to not have so many incidents I needed a nanny. Which I was completely token back by. I understand things happen in a daycare but as a director for that to be the response back to a concern parent is very insensitive. Also, to double back to the abrupt departure. Laura allow us to leave without putting in the 2 week notice due to not us moving but me being so uncomfortable with my child being enrolled under you guys care second longer. Her last day was that Thursday morning November 6th due to another unreported incident. My daughter was enrolled in for a year. I have never once received a weekly paper meal plan in advance. My child was there 5 days a week and 8-8.5 hrs a day. So I understand that health and safety is the utmost importance but it's seems like the ball was dropped multiple times with my child. Also, is always a lack of accountability. This is not the blame game. If I'm paying for a good quality daycare I expect the best quality health and safety for my child. I left the review for parents to understand that penny lanes daycare of oak lawn does not provide this experience for each and every child. Also, if you need for me to provide any proof I can. Thank you. -Brianna Boyce

Our daughter has been attending UDA for a few years now and we love it so much! The staff truly…read morecares and they put so much effort into supporting these kids. It's non-competitive which we prefer and that makes it so comfortable to be there. Our daughter loves it so much that she now takes TWO classes:) The growth that she's made is incredible! Thank you so much Miss Melina and staff! We appreciate you and hope to attend for years to come!

We love UDA! My kids have been going for a couple years and all the teachers are amazing! Highly…read morerecommend.

This review is STRICTLY for the Zumba dance class. I was looking for a place to take a Zumba class…read moreand found that there is a certified Zumba instructor that offers Zumba and Zumba tone once a week. The staff is very nice and the facility is in a great location. So if you're looking for a place in North West Indiana to take a Zumba class you should check this place. Price is reasonable.

If you want your child to learn how to dance THIS IS THE PLACE!!! Great staff!!! The teachers are…read moreawesome, very caring and understanding. Many years of experience!!

My daughter has been going to ADC for years, we were first at the Homewood location and now at the…read moreOrland location. Everything about the environment and experience at ADC has been amazing! Dance class is the highlight of her week. As a parent I love the focus on movement and skill building rather than always prepping for recitals. For the classes my daughter is in they do a recitals every other year which is perfect because it gives time to work on skills. The older kids are also always so kind and helpful with the younger dancers. We were also at a different studio when our daughter was really young and my wife and I felt the older girls performances and costumes were overly sexualized. The older girls at ADC are outstanding dancers and their performances are always tasteful. We love all the teachers and the delay of community, can't say enough good things about ADC!!

Absolutely the worst place for dance in the south suburbs. If I could give this place NO STARS, I…read morewould. They are totally insensitive to the cultural differences of their students, lack professionalism when speaking to parents and children and isolate children based on their beliefs. Because I didn't want to put my 5 year old in the street walker makeup that was recommended for recital, I was told that my daughter couldn't participate in the group picture because she would not be "uniform and the other parents would complain." I'm sure that other parents are like me and don't care what other children in the picture look like as long as their kid is cute. We are African American and my daughter's hair is not the slick-back-into-a-ponytail kind of hair. They made a point to say that no one should have braids or beads. No beads, I understand. But let's be reasonable about the hair. The teachers constantly talk to the student, not their parent, about things they should not serving to alienate them from their classmates. While they do this, they hide behind the statement that they are "teaching more than just dance steps." Well, they are right about that. They are teaching them that to take a stand for what they believe in could cause them to be ousted from the group and that what they hold as a personal or religious standard is inferior to the need to have uniformity in a group. If you care at all about your daughter's emotional well-being, do not take them to this dance school.