My son has gone to rainforest for 1.5 years. He loves it. We have had a great experience. Would recommend

be very careful sending your child here. high staff turnover and unhappy toddler. sketchy.

If you are reading this review because you are thinking of sending your child here please keep going. Our daughter started attending Rainforest since she was 4 months old. There was never a moment that I doubted the teachers that were in charge of her care. Everyone always greeted us with a warm welcome at drop off and pick up. They always kept us up to date with her progress and when she was ready to move on to the next class. Whenever we picked her up she was always very happy. As time went by and she got older And could communicate more I started noticing all of the amazing things she knew and repeated that she had been learning. Definitely things that we had not touched on at home. All of the teachers that were in charge of her have been a huge part of her development and I am forever grateful for that. Every two weeks we received an update about what they were learning and it definitely showed when she was home. She loved running in and hugged everyone as she got to her room. We had to move and her last day was a few weeks ago. After looking at daycares where we currently live I can say with certainty that Rainforest is one of a kind. If you have the opportunity to send your kid, go for it. i wish I could have brought them with us to the suburbs! read more

We took our daughter here at 6 months old which was so heartbreaking for me, but she seemed to love it and the teachers in the infant room treated her so well. They also use an app to note everything that happens during the day (feedings, diaper changes, etc.) which I thought was cool. We recently moved, so we had to change daycares, but we're so grateful for the dedicated team here. read more

My kids have been going to Rainforest for the last 2 years, and we are as thrilled with it now as we were when we first walked in for our tour. Some context: we moved here from Brooklyn, where our daughter's daycare consisted of maybe 200 square feet of space. It was just packed with kids. Sometimes they did crafts and songs, but the place was a zoo. Rainforest is HUGE, in a good way. There is a large indoor playspace for the kids when the weather is bad. Each classroom has high ceilings and huge windows for lots of natural light during the day. The rooms are cleaned both by the workers themselves and a separate cleaning staff, which does a daily deep clean (I know because sometimes we are late for drop off and we run into them!). We love the staff, who always look like they're having a great time with the kids. The food is also high quality, and the staff is attuned to any dietary needs. But what sets Rainforest apart is its programming. Rainforest is arts-based, and it takes that to heart. The projects my kids (3.5 years and 11 months) come home with are amazing -- the staff find creative ways to make kid's "arts and crafts" look professional. The kids sing and dance every day, do yoga, make individual and collaborative art, take care of farm animals... they perform Shakespeare (seriously!), they are exposed to different authors, musicians, etc. Several times a year, the kids put on a "show," which might be a fashion show, a skit, a dance, etc. The stage time is great - building confidence and comfort in front of a crowd. The ABC's and 123's don't take a back seat, though. There is some great learning going on, and our daughter has surprised us by spelling her name, knowing what letter certain words start with, and counting past 20. If you're into an arts-based education, you can't do better. read more

We love Rainforest. My daughter started at the location on State St when she was 3 months old and transferred to the Logan Square location when they opened last winter. She's two now and we have never regretted our decision. The staff is friendly and really loves our daughter. She has always had separation anxiety but they always have have tips, advice and patience as she and I both work through it. When she comes home at night she talks about all her friends and what she did all day. We just had a parent/teacher conference where they talked about her progress, strengths, etc. She is learning so much there and is really thriving. We just had a son and will be sending both back soon with no concerns. read more

Dear parents I just saw a blonde caregiver call a line of children on the sidewalk "annoying" and talk to them in a very inappropriate way, she looked like she was having a hard morning, but as I know in childcare, perhaps she should've thought before she spoke or perhaps called off that day. It looked like more of her just being annoyed with the children for not walking in a straight line? All I know is there is a better way to handle that issue. No ones child at a daycare center should be called annoying! So sad to witness in my neighborhood I hope she has a better day. read more

My family and I love Rainforest and already strongly recommend it to our friends. Now that they're on Yelp, I can recommend it to you too! We have one kid, a 5-month old boy, who goes to Rainforest part time. I drop him off, and he's happy. I pick him up, and he's laughing. I also get written notes about what he did during the day - naps, feeding, special activities like yoga. I was nervous about sending kiddo to daycare at all. Would anyone play with him? Would he be a zombie? You know the drill. At Rainforest, I am completely confident that he gets attention, interaction, and that the staff truly care about him and his development. I'm really happy we found them and that my son's able to go there. Here are a few of my favorite things about Rainforest: - STAFF KNOW MY KID. The director knows what he's up to, comments on changes like his first teeth and growth spurts. The women in the baby room can all tell me what's changed since the last time he was there. - STAFF ARE FLEXIBLE AND DO WHAT THEY CAN TO KEEP OUR HOME ROUTINES GOING. When he first started, he had some trouble sleeping there, so I brought in his iPod for white noise in his crib. White noise helps at home, so I thought it was worth a shot. The staff tried it out and even asked about it the day I forgot. They were honest with me about how some kids sleep less because of all the stimulation but were also totally willing to try my ideas. - STAFF COMMUNICATE WITH ME. We get regular email updates, but that's not my point. Every morning and afternoon that he's there, the teachers in his room talk to me about what's going on with him. Did he sleep ok? Anything they should watch out for? Has his routine changed? They talk about what they've noticed while he's there and how he's changed since he was last in. - PARENTS ARE WELCOME. During our tour, they encouraged us to stop by anytime and to even bring kiddo and spend some time in the baby room before we decided. Since he's started going there, I've been in at lots of different times (you know babies and their crazy schedules), and I'm always welcome to peek in on him, even sit and play for a bit. Other places we visited seemed like buses where parents weren't allowed passed the yellow line. - SCHEDULES ARE FLEXIBLE. My son has an unpredictable nap schedule, especially this week with DST. Some mornings he doesn't go in until 10am. That's no problem at Rainforest since parents are welcome anytime, and they're not obsessed with the clock. Other, even the more expensive places, we toured had set drop off times like 7-9am that wouldn't work for an unpredictable sleeper and our work schedules. And one least favorite thing: - Traffic/parking. Diversey has rush hour parking restrictions, so there's no parking on the south side from 7-9 or on the north side from 4-6. Like most people, I'm going in those directions at that time and would love to just park on the street, grab kiddo, and head on home. There are a couple of spots in the parking lot reserved during drop-off and pick-up, but I don't usually get one in the afternoon. I've never had to wait more than a couple minutes, but I thought it was worth mentioning. read more

So where to begin. We were at the Rainforest Learning Center in Logan Square for three months and without going into too much detail, there is just a lot wrong with the administration. From not notifying us when our son would get injured to having large classes with little staff, to putting together shows only to try and sell pictures and video of them. The straw that broke the camels back was when our son had a really bad allergic reaction, his whole body swelled up. We received a phone call where the person was extremely calm and asked us to come in. I walked in and the administration did not have a sense of urgency on the situation. I am not sure why, maybe it was because they didn't want to alarm other kids or their teachers. We picked him up and rushed him to the hospital. I would have completely been fine with them calling the ambulance before I got there. Thankfully, he was OK. The reason why we gave them two stars was because we actually thought the teachers were great. We enjoyed their interaction with our son and were the sole reason we felt bad about leaving. However, we just couldn't look past the administration. Hopefully things will change and maybe it was just our experience, but we are so happy with the place we are at now. We originally left it for the convenience but quickly realized sometimes convenience is overrated. read more

Rainforest daycare is a nice place but not too nice! Some of the more grown WOMEN who worked there were obviously professional as they should be, however this one "woman" who works there with short hair was very rude and ignorant along with her co-worker/friend who I also didn't get her name but who had black curly hair ignored me in my face when I asked her a simple question and they were both acting VERY arrogant and childish( I guess they picked up on how the children tend to act) , NEXT time I'll definitely ask for their names so they can be addressed directly but I honestly don't think there will be a next time I DID NOT feel welcomed after that and I would not go there again. read more

The only center I have ever had to report to DCFS! This is a very low quality child care center. The teachers are minimally qualified and not very motivated or experienced. Poorly managed, poorly sanitized. read more

Especially for first time parents, choosing childcare is a very important and personal choice. After exploring many options, we toured Rainforest and immediately knew it was the place for us. Over the last 15 months, Rainforest has proven our instincts were right. We've watched our son grow, reach milestones and thrive in his daily environment. We love the artistic, creative curriculum that fill his days. His teachers emphasize open dialogue, offering soft suggestions at times, but always listening to our preferences at parents. Rainforest has become an extension of our family. Each day, we see through the excited, happy eyes of our son that Rainforest is a special place. read more

Occasionally pass by this place, Logan Square resident for over ten years. Wife and I just had our first child, Emma she is ten months. First hand experience with the staff initially we thought the director and assistant(s) were great. We were able to introduce Emma to some of the other children in the center and she seemed to be excited for the most part. She loves being around other children. At a first glance it looks like the children are being taken care of, settled in these classroom that have a variety of different age groups assigned to them. Many of the rooms are visible from the outside, at first we felt a little uncomfortable by the doors that lead down the stairway with a buzzer outside. Our home has more security, firstly. My wife and I did not feel comfortable with the security situation Rain forest Learning Center has set up. Walking Emma into one of the classrooms with the director, both my wife and I noticed that many of the children were either sick or exposed to other children who were sick. Two teachers to a classroom in my opinion is just not enough attention for ten month old children. It was possible to over look that there are possibilities of children getting sick, however some of the staff didn't seem too concerned with the other children. the place had a very odd feel to it, like many of the staff were only there for a mere paycheck. My wife and I did not feel comfortable leaving our ten month old with a staff that didn't seem very compassionate, nor did they communicate with us very well. The administration seemed fine but the classrooms were not what we were expecting. read more

Often times you realize what you have when you have it, but perhaps not to the degree of how important it is until it is gone. Our son had gone to Rainforest since July 2013 and we recently relocated out of state. I knew I loved the artistic approach with the plays, musicals, art shows, fashion show, etc. etc. but I became very comfortable with the overall experience and didn't realize what a huge part of that comfort was the staff and children at Rainforest. As a fairly non-conventional family (two working adults that travel a significant amount), my son was often out of school for 2-3 weeks at a time and each time he would return, he would jump out of bed, ready to go, and would run into his classroom excited to see everyone. Each day led to hugs for his teachers and many of his friends, and the sense of relationship, belongingness, and comfort he felt easily translated into our comfortability in him being at Rainforest, regardless of whether he was out for several days, or attending every day. The staff was amazing with him, made him feel special every day, and truly helped to mold the amazing little human being we have today. His personality was embraced in the Rainforest culture and allowed him to flourish, on stage, and overall, on a daily basis. I am so thankful for all of the pictures, experiences, friendships, learning, and overall growth he had while part of the Rainforest family. We have been gone only a couple of months, yet he still talks nearly daily of his friends, teachers, and family at Rainforest. If you have an opportunity to tour the school, and are looking for an opportunity to see your child's personality flourish while learning and building a solid foundation for relationships, this is the place for you. We miss each and every person from Rainforest. read more