We love it here! Our son has just completed his first year at Montessori Dual Language Academy and…read moreit's been wonderful. He's only 4 and has learned so much and has become so independent. 10/10

We could not recommend MDLA enough! Our son started there about a year ago and attends both…read morepreschool and the summer camps. He learns in Spanish for half of the day and also gets to do fun activities like yoga. He's become so much more independent and well-mannered since going there. We're also thrilled that hot lunch is now included with tuition. The hours are great for working parents, and the staff is so wonderful and caring with the kids. We're grateful that they were here for us when we moved to the area!

My daughter attended Alcuin Montessori from 2006-2012 and I only have great things to say about…read morethis school! We considered it her second home for those years! The attention the students get from the teachers, positive learning environment, love of learning that is fostered and meaningful social connections with their peers really sets students up for success when they leave the school! We left Alcuin to attend the Oak Park public Schools (Mann) when she was in 5th grade for financial reasons and were completely let down by the local public school system. Academically 5th grade was a wash of a year for her in the public schools.(She learned how to study to memorize the exact answers for tests and her love of learning went downhill as she would say, 'I don't need to know more than this to get an A mom!") Socially, she just learned what bullies were and how manipulative other girls could be! We keep in constant contact with her old teachers and they have even advised us materials to get for her to help her adjust to her new public school environment! We left the Oak Park public school system before middle school(6th grade) to move to a new district where middle school students are flourishing. If we could have afforded it I would have kept her at Alcuin all through middle school! The new middle school is still way too easy for her (straight A's and top test scores...)and she has noticed herself that she is a bit more mature than the other students. She goes the extra mile again on projects though and her love of learning that Alcuin fostered seems to have returned! Sure there will always be a teacher or staff member here and there at a school that is new or you have an issue with as a parent.(Everyone has a bad day once in a while or messes up!) I encourage you as a parent to talk with your school though about your issues. When we had any issues at Alcuin, the director was always interested in hearing about them and I watched them actively make changes or assist the teacher or staff member that might need it! It is easy to point fingers at someone but it is more difficult , yet more effective to constructively speak with a school about issues. I believe it is the test of time and patience with a school to give them a chance to work out an issue that counts. If the school is unwilling to acknowledge you as a parent, then it is time to move on. Alcuin always worked with us over our 6 years there and we miss them dearly! In our hearts we will always be a proud "Alcuin family"!!

As an employee of Alcuin, I can speak highly of this school's teaching faculty, who are among the…read moremost intelligent, talented, and committed Montessori teachers I have met in the field. The families who send their children to this school seem highly committed to helping their children reach their highest potential, and see their children as whole beings with social and emotional needs, as well as academic ones. As a teacher here, I have greatly enjoyed my relationships with parents, as they have been so collaborative and positive. We have newly begun a terrific adolescent program, and I encourage anyone interested in finding an alternate middle school, or a high-quality educational program for any age child to inquire. I have been so happy to work at this fantastic and excellent school, which is truly a haven for Montessori teachers who love to nurture and challenge children!

We enjoyed our time at Concordia! Both of our kids thrived in the environment and the teachers…read morecared deeply for our children. We are sad we left due to moving and cannot recommend this center enough for anyone looking for a warm and nurturing environment.

Our daughter started attending Concordia in Jan '16. The first eight+ months at the school were…read moreexcellent. My daughter's class had two strong lead teachers, strong lab students and an organized non-chaotic classroom. We loved that our daughter played outside throughout the winter but also had an awesome indoor gym to use during frigid temps. We also felt that there was a strong curriculum with frequent projects that interested her and her classmates. However, there were recent changes in leadership at the school this past fall along with changes in the classroom teacher structure (now one lead teacher, two assistant teachers and a lab student) which resulted in drastic changes in the classroom. To say the classroom was chaotic would be an understatement. There were children wandering between adjoining classrooms--if there was a fire or intruder situation, I'm certain that all children couldn't be immediately accounted for. There was frequent hitting/biting between kids and raised voices from frustrated children however the lead teacher was stretched too thin and the assistant teachers/lab students weren't strong enough to properly manage the frequent bickering (which sometimes leads to hitting/biting/yelling). Although I originally appreciated the large indoor gym, there has been zero structure in it recently. Children aren't directed to do certain physical activities and frequently run into each other while riding bikes/scooters, etc. There was more than one occasion where there was an incident between my daughter and another student and I didn't receive an incident report from the school. My daughter and the girl that she bit both told me what had happened on one occasion. Quite frankly, and with no intention of being overly dramatic, I started to feel that the school (both indoors/outside) was dangerous for my daughter and her classmates. Concordia markets their teacher/student ratio as 1:7. On numerous occasions in the last three months, I witnessed situations where the ratio was easily 1:10 and, on one occasion, it was approximately 1:15 (if not higher). On the 1:15 occasion, I asked the substitute teacher if there would be additional teachers arriving to assist her any time soon and she told me that they'd arrive within 30 minutes. When I brought my ratio concerns to the school's director, she reminded me that the state law ratio for teacher/students is 1:10. Interestingly, Concordia is NAEYC accredited and NAEYC requires less than a 1:10 ratio. My husband and I accepted the $6200 (every six months) tuition for a 1:7 teacher ratio with strong teachers...not the state ratio in a chaotic classroom. My husband and I decided to remove our daughter from the school and emailed our daughter's lead teacher and the school's director with our reasoning. We have yet to receive a response from the director. Close to a month after removing our daughter from Concordia, I still had key fobs to enter the school. I went to Concordia and used the key fob to open the door to enter the classroom/schools. The fobs hadn't been deactivated. I obviously didn't enter the classroom and told the woman at the front desk that my child no longer attended the school and I needed to drop off the access fobs. This is a safety concern. Fobs should be deactivated or returned to the school after a family/student leaves the school. We truly adored Concordia and its teachers for my daughter's first 8+ months of attendance, however there is no way that I could recommend it to other parents based on it's current environment.

My daughter loves going to school everyday, has a great community, and has risen to the standards…read moreof the school. Thank you for changing her life's course.

I am a parent to two Children's School graduates and I am thrilled to share that both children and…read moreour whole family had an excellent experience at TCS. We had children enrolled for 8 years. Both kids were wholly engaged in the curriculum and supported in all aspects of their development while building beautiful, meaningful relationships with the other students, parents, teachers and the two amazing directors. They especially enjoyed being able to delve deeper into subject matter with TCS's project-based learning style. They loved being outdoors, having loads of field trips, learning art, music and theatre in addition to reading, math, history, civics and science. They learned to be critical thinkers, problem-solvers, good citizens and helpful friends. They were both welcomed and honored for their uniqueness and learned to further celebrate the diversity of others. Progressive Education at The Children's School was the right fit for my kids. Both of my children thrived at TCS and are now doing very well at our local public high school. It was a financial investment for our family but one we are so glad we made. I'd enroll them again in a heartbeat.

My son has been with Picket Fence for a little over 2 years. From the moment he started at this…read morecenter it has become a home away from home for him. The teachers and staff are great and really love all the kiddos. My son has learned so much and the ceremony for his pre k graduation was so special. We are sad to be leaving since my son will be starting kindergarden next month. Thank you to all the teachers and staff for being so great to my boy.

I'm a researcher by nature and looked at numerous day care centers throughout the city for our 3…read moreyear old son. Our son did not have a great experience in the first pre-school he attended, so we came armed to Picket Fence with a list of questions determined to not make the same mistake again. Our priority list included: a safe and nurturing environment, an educational and stimulating curriculum that did not only consist of play time, a creative environment that would optimize his development and last but not least, a committed, caring staff. We visited both Picket Fence locations (Elmwood Park and River Grove), and met Ms. Toni and her team of educators who were all very warm and open to answering any questions we had. They shared their curriculum with us which included arts, music, reading and dramatic play. We loved that there was a weekly communication plan in place which informed each child's parent about what their child learned that week and how they were progressing in their development. There was even a section that asked parents to communicate back to the school what the child did over the weekend or any concerns the parents thought the school should be aware of. We knew as soon as we left the school that this was the right school for our son. Fast forward to today - Placing our son in to Picket Fence was THE best decision we could have ever made for our son. He is excited to go to school, loves his teachers and is learning new things every day. Ms. Toni is not only one of the teachers at the school, but an on-site and hands-on owner who is completely immersed in the well-being of the children and the daily activities of the school. We are able to speak with Ms. Toni and the teachers any time in-person or by phone and have even corresponded by email with responses returned very promptly. I wanted to hug Ms. Nicole when she asked me if we would bring a tooth brush for our son so he could brush his teeth after meals!! We also love that the school accepts special needs children as we know this will help foster our goal of raising a son who is compassionate and caring for others who may be different from him. For those parents who want to be more involved, the school offers the opportunity to attend parent committee meetings which allow you to be part of the planning and decision making process for policies, and other school events. We couldn't be happier with our choice and know that Picket Fence and its teachers will have a positive impact on our son's success in school and more importantly in his personal development now and in the years to come.

Such a great synagogue! Had my conversion here, took Intro to Judaism, and currently taking a…read moreHebrew class. We love their Friday night service and go to the tot Shabbat programs with our toddler. Love how family friendly this place is; everyone is super kind and we feel right at home. Amazing clergy and staff.

A new year, a new rabbi: time for an update. Since I was on the search committee that found her,…read more(yes, a her!) I'm a little biased, but two months into her tenure, I'm quite pleased. Rabbi Robin (her last name is Damsky, but she likes to be called this) has injected new energy and excitement into our little suburban shul. She is great with kids of all ages, and gives exactly the kind of sermons I enjoy -- taking the lessons of the Torah and applying them to modern life. I expect we will see an uptick in social action and "green" projects as a way to build community and serve others.

This is a long-overdue review for Bright Start, as they have been an incredibly supportive, safe,…read moreand loving place to send our son (and soon to be our newborn daughter). As two full-time working professionals (and an educator myself), Bright Start has given us peace of mind that our children will be nurtured academically, socially, and emotionally. They are truly our village and partners in helping our children thrive--and in this season of life, that kind of partnership is invaluable. We began the process of finding daycare for our son when I was still pregnant with him. From the get-go, it was clear that Bright Start was head-and-shoulders above every daycare we visited in the area. We loved that it struck a balance between being a small, intimate center, while still providing structure and intentionality to the day--even for the infants. It's a place that feels like home, while still offering the routines and enrichment of a high-quality early childhood program. Ms. Nikki eased my concerns as a new mom through the entire registration and waitlist process, giving me a thorough tour of the facility and patiently answering all my (many!) questions about what daily life at BSLC looks like. She didn't just sell the center--she made me feel confident that my child would be seen, known, and cared for. We were so thrilled when we secured a spot and began sending our son when he was 6 months old. My son started in the infant room, and has since grown into the toddler room, and now the twos room. Every teacher we have interacted with has been professional, kind, and deeply attuned to my son's personality and needs. It's clear they prioritize relationships and connection just as much as they do routines and curriculum. Through every major early childhood milestone--introducing solids, sleep regressions, potty training, social-emotional growth--the teachers have gone above and beyond to partner with us and meet our son where he's at. It feels collaborative in the best way. The communication with families is top-tier. Caregivers are kept in the loop through newsletters, memos, and daily updates. The Procare app is a fantastic tool--they update it in real time with info about meals, naps, bathroom trips, and even share adorable pictures of your child throughout the day. It's the kind of thoughtful touch that goes a long way when you're juggling work and parenting and just want to feel connected to your little one's world while you're apart. Most importantly, our son is thriving. He's happy every time we drop him off and even more excited to tell us stories when we pick him up. His language has exploded, he's developed empathy and problem-solving skills, and he's constantly curious. We know that a huge part of that growth is thanks to the intentional, caring environment BSLC provides. If you're a parent searching for a place where your child will be loved, supported, and encouraged to grow in all the right ways--look no further. Bright Start is not just a daycare, it's a community. And we're endlessly grateful to be a part of it.

We absolutely loved our time at Bright Start Learning Center (BSLC). Our son was here for 3 years,…read morejoining when he was still in diapers. We felt that he was well cared for and that all of the teachers were passionate about caring for the children and providing them an excellent experience. We just began Kindergarten and he is incredibly well prepared for it. The policies and communication are very clear - we had explored other daycares that were not organized at this same level.

Love this place!! It was the best start for my 3 boys. Caring teachers, small classes, great…read morefamilies! Just a wonderful preschool & we're so lucky to have found it. It's not all play, my boys did very well here academically& it's a place we still miss as they're older now. Fond, fond memories!

Can't say enough great things about First United. Our 5th year here, we love it! Wonderful,…read morecaring teachers and staff and a really great environment. While it's a play based preschool so much learning has happened during our time here.