Our daughter is heading to Kindergarten this August after three years at Concordia on Seeley. She's…read moregrown and flourished with the support of her caring teachers, administrators and support staff. The school is also very communicative with parents - I really love how they use the Tadpoles app. We can easily message teachers and get updates on what is going on at the school. And we get detailed, daily report of meals and snacks, naps, projects she's working on, and pictures of her playing with her friends. They also have a nice-sized gym, a huge plus during bad-weather days. And we were so impressed with how Concordia handled COVID and kept our kid and her classmates safe. During our three years, turnover was very low and she never had a teacher leave. Strongly recommended!

My son has been attending Concordia place on Seeley since December 2019 and I have seen so much…read moreimprovement. He was barely talking when he started and now he is speaking clearly and forming sentences. The staff are all friendly and very professional. My son looks forward to going to school everyday and the teachers truly care about the kids. The administration has great communication and follow up. Their actions during the stay at home order were phenomenal. They had regular zoom circle times so the children were still able to interact with their teachers and classmates, they also sent regular activities and resources. I visited 5 other early learning centers before choosing Concordia Place and I'm so happy I chose them! I could not ask for a nicer center to send my son to!

Most entitled parents I've ever seen. Does nothing but damage the businesses around it by having…read moreluxury cars blocking the whole road, both the limited parking for businesses and these people actually parking in the road blocking traffic in one direction. Ridiculous. Would be incredibly helpful if the schools traffic guards would do something about them lining up outside the school. This can't be that difficult.

We have been parents at this school since 2010 and have two BZ grads and one current lower school…read morestudent. Bottom line- this is a remarkable school. You will find top notch academics and your children will not only be very prepared to thrive in a rigorous high school but also have the social emotional skills, self advocacy and confidence to be a leader in their highschool setting and beyond. Our own kids are self starters, loyal friends, hard workers, engaged learners, and leaders and we attribute this to their schooling at Bernard Zell. The BZ early childhood program is spectacular. The thoughtfulness that has been put into the training of the staff and actual physical environment serves as a model of what an ideal developmentally appropriate pre-k program should be. Take a tour to see for yourself. I love the progressive flavor of this school. Our kids learn conceptual math, how to think analytically, how to be confident public speakers, how to work collaboratively with others and beyond -there is no route cookie cutter learning to be found. Other things we love about BZ: -This school has an awesome low to student teacher ratio and every single teacher my children have had has truly known their strengths and challenges and are invested in how to support them as individuals each year. -I love the growth mindset philosophy that you will see at every age level at BZ for making sure kids have "good struggles" and teaching them their brain is a muscle and while everything may not be easy at times that with dedication,persistence, practice and hard work (and accommodations from the teachers as needed) they can be successful. -We have loved that BZ has phenomenal resources for kids on every end of the continuum- kids who need a little extra enrichment will find it here and kids who need a little extra learning support will also find it at this school. - The school has a nice PE program ( the yearly rollerblading until in the school's gymnasium has been a definite highlight for my kids) . There is also a fantastic after school athletic program starting in 5 th grade which is included in tuition . Our kids chose to participate in soccer, basketball , volleyball and golf but there is also track, girls volleyball, and girls softball. Practices are typically offered 4 days per week ( but kids only have to commit to about 50 percent of those if involved in other extracurriculars.). The teams do surprisingly quite well competing with other local private schools , sportsmanship is emphasized, and it's a huge bonding experience for the kids ( the majority of students seem to participate in at least a sport even if they aren't stellar athletes ). For kids not interested in sports or who want to do some sports and some other activities, there are other cool offerings like robotic team ( one of my kids that and the annual competition was super fun to watch ) or lots of music extracurricular opportunities ( e.g jazz band, pit band for the school orchestra) - BZ has an extremely warm parental community. A long term teacher told us once that when your child goes to BZ, the whole family goes to BZ. That is spot on- there are so many ways to get involved here as parents and we feel we have made lifelong friends at this school. -We have loved affording our children a Jewish education. We aren't the most religious family and BZ has taken the pressure off of us to provide our kids with an excellent jewish education. My children who have already graduated are proud to be Jewish and have a strong Jewish identity. Sending our kids here was one of the best decisions we have ever made as parents. I highly recommend it !

My daughter switched to St. Mary of the Angels in 7th grade. What a great school! She takes Latin…read moreand the math program is excellent. She switched from a different Catholic school that taught Common Core. Math is so much easier for her now. The principal is kind and the support staff is helpful. I was worried that she would have a difficult time transitioning to a new school. Not so, the children welcomed her and brought her into their circle. She is much happier and more academically challenged at St. Mary. Plus, there is a great relationship between the school and the church. The children attend mass on Fridays. If you are looking for a school where your child will be academically challenged AND learn the Catholic faith this is the place to be.

We were a school family for 4 years (my daughters started in Pre-K 3). While I never once doubted…read morethe dedication and commitment of the faculty and staff (there are some lovely teachers), we ultimately switched schools because of how church and school leadership handled issues relating to inclusion and diversity in the school. Like all parents I imagine, it was (and is) important to me that my children grow and learn in an environment that promotes inclusion, tolerance, compassion, and acceptance (which some consider to be something of a tall order for Catholic institutions to begin with). The religious teachings of this particular church skew heavily to the conservative side, and as my daughters got older, I sadly saw how this began to impact them directly. For instance, they don't allow girls to be altar servers. The Catholic church has officially allowed this for several decades (a tiny step toward gender equality!) and when I was in grade school in the 80's, girls could be altar servers. So it's not a radical idea by any means; it's a decision made by this specific church. Also, during our last year at the school, it became clear that one of my daughter's friends was transgender. Her classmates and teachers were supportive, but one of the church leaders handled it *very* poorly, and she was not allowed to re-enroll for the next school year. It could've been a teaching moment, fostering an awareness of diversity and understanding, but instead, the opposite took place. Admittedly, I consider myself to be progressive, and I know my values can be difficult to reconcile with many Catholic teachings. Still, in a time when intolerance is on the rise and our political climate is so divisive, I felt compelled to "walk the walk", as it were. I knew there were other schools out there where social justice, equality and compassion are taught and lived every day, and I'm pleased that my daughters attend one of those now. Again, there are good teachers here, but with the combination of conservative (outdated, to me) thinking and lack of willingness to evolve, I couldn't continue to send my kids to this school.

Been waiting for the right words and time to express my experience. But here I go…read more... We started over the pandemic and we chose them because they had safe covid protocol, a tight nit community, and strong philosophy. We loved our first year as the teacher was experienced and communicative. Year 2 we started to get signs that school communication was lackluster and then an inexperience teacher was brought in to the toddler class. We quickly started getting calls with assumptive diagnoses and lack of details on what the issues were. We listened to the feedback about how to improve in our "Montessori parenting but also quick, diagnoses to sensory issues. We listened and found solutions to that feedback to fit in. Year 3 Tidbits that there were issues happening with non specifics or examples given one was that a 3 loved our first year as the teacher was experienced and communicative. Year 2 we started to get signs that school communication was lackluster and then an inexperienced teacher was brought in to the toddler class. We quickly started getting calls with assumptive diagnoses and lack of details on what the issues were. We listened to the feedback about how to improve in our "Montessori parenting" but also quick, diagnoses to sensory issues. We listened and found solutions to that feedback to fit in. Year 3 Tidbits that there were issues happening with non specifics or examples given (one was that a 3 year old " putting materials in water at lunch"... was disruptive) to ultimately a midday work call asking my kid to leave without anything else. Final days: given essentially 30 days to find our son a new school On our last parent teacher conference we saw different parents asked to leave the conference because of a misschedule on the schools part. Not a surprise. 1 out of 5 stars. To this school: Adapt with the times and treat us like humans

I love our little school! The teachers and administration are excellent. My daughters have attended…read moresince preschool (now in first and fourth grade, respectively) and I am grateful for the down-to-earth education they are receiving and the tight-knit community of staff and parents. Reading the bad review from Yesenia due to lack of diversity is incredibly frustrating. My children are bi-racial but very light-skinned. How can one judge the merits of a school based on the color of its students and staff? For the record, there are Indian, Asian, Hispanic and other Black families at the school including several Hispanic staff members and a teacher of Indian descent - but that does not and should not matter! What ever happened to building a nation of citizens "where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."? For the other parents who found that their children did not succeed at CM; perhaps an AMI Montessori program is not a good fit for your child. CM is one of two AMI-accredited schools with an Adolescent Program in Chicago, which means they follow the original standard of teachings developed by Maria Montessori. There is no technology in the classroom and students are expected to self-govern their time and develop personal responsibility for their work and education, which is exactly why we love the program. In regard to the comment about the "long time veteran teacher" leaving; she retired and is still involved with the school. Furthermore, I can assure you, things are not falling apart. We were fortunate to have in-person learning for all of the 2020/2021 school year with masks, temp checks and frequent hand washing and thankfully there were no Covid outbreaks. CM is a tight ship and my daughters are thriving.

My son has completed two years of preschool at Queen of Angels grammar school. He is starting to…read moreread already and doing the curriculum of a 1st grader. The teachers are detailed orientated and truly teach the kid lessons early on that they will need to be successful as they progress through 8th grade and beyond. I would say that the teachers and school higher ups over communicate what is happening at the school and in the classroom. This is defiantly not the case when I talk to family friends that send their child to a public school in the area. The school has a buddy program where a preschooler is matched up with a 4th or 5th grader which creates cohesion and respect throughout the levels of the school. My experience is my child getting high fives and fist bumps leaving school rather than bullying. The community of the school is tight-nit with parents that are very welcoming of new families. Families are given many opportunities to give back through service and build new relationships through events. We are a very happy family with Queens and put our trust in the school with our son which is our #1 priority.

This school has been going downhill fast. High turnover for staff and students. Changed principals…read morerecently from a former teacher to some inexperienced kid who fired multiple teachers before big events (first communion, spring concert) offering little to no explanation or telling a completely contradictory story. Office staff are used as substitutes which is way too often.

We just left Prairieland due to a move to the suburbs but the whole time wished we could keep it…read morepart of our 21-month-old daughter's life! She had been at Prairieland since the age of 3 months and even as a real little one was always giddy and thrilled to arrive at daycare, which always comforted me and provided the confidence I needed to continue building my career outside the home. Prairieland is very professionally managed and I've always felt good about the teachers caring for my daughter. The Bumblebee (infant) Room was a little small and high traffic near the cribs -- I never felt like my baby got the full length or quantity of naps she truly needed according to Dr. Weissbluth :) but by the time she was in the Meadowlark (toddler) Room this felt less of a concern. The inadequate sleep could be a phenomenon of daycare in general, however, and Prairieland does many other things right. My husband and I weren't necessarily looking for a Montessori program from the start, but we've become supporters of the concept as we see our baby girl's curiosity, independence, and helpfulness take shape at such an early age.

I found the school online and trusted my intuition for sending my 18 month old to day care the 1st…read moretime! The first thing that got me intrigued is the fact that the school facility is designed completely open to the street and everyone are welcome to see the kido's in action. In my mind is a great sign for how open the school is and its definitely interesting for the kido's to see what's happening outside. I have been extremely impressed by the care and the love that the Prairieland team giving to my son. He absolutely love going there and we didn't event had any issue in the beginning like separation anxiety or adjustment to new sleeping arrangements during nap time. Would highly recommend this school!

We enrolled our daughter in KC's infant classroom when she was a few months old, and she stayed…read morethere until we moved away when she was almost three. She truly thrived during her time at KC; we could not have been happier. Her teachers were universally friendly, talented, and capable, and by the end of her time there, our daughter was friends with all of them. She learned tons of games and songs; at home, she would sometimes lead us in "circle time" and sing through all of her favorite KC songs. We were consistently shocked at how much she knew; "she must have learned it at KC, I guess?" was something we'd say to each other at home quite often when she would reveal a new word or fact. And, most importantly to us, she was consistently extremely happy there and excited to go to school in the morning. As parents, we found the staff to be approachable and responsible, keeping us updated on her progress, partnering with us on any issues that arose, etc. Leaving KC was the hardest part of our move--we will miss them!

Our oldest son started attending KC's academy in 2015 and our youngest in 2016. We have always been…read moredelighted by the warmth and professionalism of the staff and teachers. They are really caring, and nurturing, even though the turn over is indeed quite high, we never had to complain about any of the teachers we met in 4 years. The curriculum is advanced and with proven efficacy. They can adjust to any kids needs and skills and communicate very well with the parents. By the age of 3 our oldest was able to read his first words and by the age of 4 and a half could read fluently. Kc's teachers can foster a love of learning. We loved the fact that it is " small " because it feels like family there, and whenever weather permits, kids get to enjoy an outside walk or go to the playgrounds nearby. We left kc's because we had to move back overseas but we will miss kc's academy dearly.

Chicago's best kept secret. I hesitate to post about it, so the word gets out…read more This school is extremely strong academically with students attending elite high schools. The diverse learning program is strong and every teacher in this school is dedicated to nothing but your child.

You won't find a more loving, supportive and fun school for your child in the city. We've been…read moreparents here for nine years. The academics are great- the kids are well prepared for high school- but it's the community and the belief that kids should enjoy being at school and have fun learning that has made all the difference. Our children thrived here and love their school. The 8th graders know the preschoolers, the students know all of the teachers and the principal welcomes you each morning. Its a gem in Lakeview. Thank you, OLMCA!