My infant son and 2-year-old daughter attended Knowledge Beginnings for 3.5 months this year, and…read moreit was not a good experience. The biggest issue was teacher/student ratios: I routinely dropped off my children into classrooms that had too many kids and too few teachers. In the most extreme instances, my daughter's classroom had 13 2-year-olds and one teacher. One day in the infant room, there was a single teacher watching 8 babies alone across two adjoining rooms. I raised the understaffed classrooms to the center's managers, including the area director, Sarah; they addressed it for one day before both classrooms were understaffed again, in flagrant violation of state licensing standards. A few other things: There was high teacher turnover; both of my daughter's teachers left in the few months we were there and both cited "mental health" in their decision to leave. In my son's room, one teacher disappeared, and two others were let go. Our last week, I witnessed a screaming match between two teachers in a classroom full of 3 year olds looking on. Clearly, this isn't a positive work environment. There were also facility issues, like a light fixture dangling loose from the ceiling where the kids play. (I was told the handyman only comes once a month and it wouldn't be fixed until then.) In the infant room, multiple times I came to pick up my then-4-month-old to find him lying on his back feeding himself his own bottle, with no teacher nearby, spilling milk all over his face. I never felt comfortable leaving my kids at Knowledge Beginnings and literally counted down the days until we could get off the waitlist at another daycare. When things got really bad, I ended up pulling them out and relying on family support to bridge the gap. Bottom line: This isn't a safe or positive environment for kids (or teachers), and nothing that I saw suggested that it was a temporary fluke--this is how they operate. I'm so relieved that my children are out of there and I hope this review helps someone else avoid making the mistake that I did in sending them to Knowledge Beginnings.

This daycare is horrible, they are understaffed and very unorganized. Staff is not as welcoming as…read morethey could be, most look like they have had a bad morning. The director cares more about enrolling children but lack the needed staff to care for them. The toys and equipment is falling apart. Teachers are walking out of the classroom, leaving their co teachers alone and the children in danger. I highly recommend you unenroll your children as soon as possible.

Northbrook Montessori has been the best place for our family! From the moment we walked in we felt…read morethe warmth and welcoming atmosphere. The teachers in the infant room are wonderful and I can see the growth in my daughter. It's great to see her smiling face every time we walk through the doors in the morning and she's always so happy when we arrive to pick her up. Thank you to everyone at NBMS! So happy with our choice in care for our daughter!

My son has been enrolled here since he turned 1 and it has been a wonderful 8 months. The teachers…read morein the infant and young toddler rooms are such wonderful caregivers. We feel so comfortable here and my little one literally runs into his teacher's arms every morning. Very grateful to have found Northbrook Montessori.

This not-for-profit center has treated us like family since day one. Many of the teachers have…read moretheir bachelors degrees and all are engaged in their jobs and our children. Not like other centers who have 19 yr olds who work there because its easy, not because they care. We tried out another center before this one (smaller national chain) and I can't rave enough about GBN when comparing the two. My child is not only loved by her teachers, but nurtured with excellent programming. Separate sleeping rooms for infants and max of 8 infants in a whole room, outdoor water playground for older kids. Costs are higher than some ($1640 a month for infants, cheaper as the child gets older), but is childcare really where you want to scrimp? Only downside is construction in the area - but I would hate to see the best child care center in the state suffer due to traffic patterns. They do tours once a month for prospective families.

We adore GBN, their incredible staff and their curriculum. Our first son has been at GBN since the…read moreinfant program, now a Toddler 2 and we are putting our second son there shortly. We also scouted other schools and none even came close to the amazing program at GBN. Thanks to the amazing staff of teachers, who truly love the kids they teach, my son has grown into a well behaved, well rounded little boywho knows how to play well in the sandbox (pun intended!). The teachers provide music lessons, art, sensory, water play, education, and I swear the food they serve (all organic) is far superior than what I eat on a daily basis! We purposefully moved closer to GBN to make the commute to and from work and home easier. That's how important they are to us and how strongly we believe in this program. It is also NAESYC accredited which was hugely important to us. That way we know that GBN abides by a strict set of regulations that are to the children and parents' benefit.

Great teachers and an incredibly kind, welcoming staff. From the moment you walk in, you can feel…read morethat the school truly cares about the students and their success. The teachers are patient, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in helping every child learn and grow. The staff is always friendly, helpful, and makes both parents and students feel comfortable. What stands out the most is how excited my kids are to go to school every single day. They come home happy, talking about what they learned, and looking forward to the next day. That alone says a lot about the positive environment the school has created. It is clear that the school focuses not only on academics but also on building confidence, character, and a love of learning. We are very grateful to be part of such a supportive and caring school community. I highly recommend this school to any family looking for a place where their children will feel valued, encouraged, and excited to learn.

If you are thinking of sending your child to Goddard Deerfield, please read this review and…read moreconsider other options. About us: Hard working blue collar parents of 2 kids and one more on the way in July 2022. Our daughter attended Goddard Deerfield for over 1 year and we initially enrolled our son to start in August of 2022. Problems: The owners of this location, Jane and Genia, consider your child a walking dollar sign and nothing else. They will put the economics of getting every dollar out of you rather than creating a safe environment for your child or respecting any of your parental concerns. The situation and response: Goddard's AC system had broken during a 90+ degree week. Goddard has no extra classrooms so their response was to have the children in the classroom at that temperature for 30-40 mins at a time. We decided to not send our daughter to school until the AC situation was fixed due to extreme heat and ventilation issues that could lead to spread of COVID (my wife is currently pregnant with a high risk pregnancy). The AC repair took over 9 days and no surprise, there was a COVID case in the classroom during this time. This left our daughter out of school where we had to pay for additional childcare for 2 weeks. We reached out to the owners for a credit of our tuition for the time and that is when Jane's true colors showed. Over a phone call a screaming and angry Jane claimed: -"AC breaking is an Act of God and that they had to pay $5,000 to repair it so they are not liable." -"It builds character for children to be in that heat because life isn't always perfect" -When I told her again that my wife was pregnant and our own doctor said this an unneeded risk. Jane claimed "COVID is overblown and it's just an excuse now. My sister in law had COVID during her pregnancy and was fine, so your wife shouldn't be worried" We were so shocked by this response. After that last bizarre call, my wife had a 1-1 in person conversation where Jane took ownership of the things she said but the damage had been done. We knew our daughter would not be safe in their hands and that ownership would potentially target our children. Even worse ownership behavior: Our daughter stopped attending Goddard in June and our son was enrolled for upcoming August start - we asked what the process is for terminating enrollment and how we would receive our refund of enrollment fees and they took that as an opportunity to immediately cancel his enrollment, keep the enrollment fees, and take money from another family to fill his spot. Not only did they not return the money, they cancelled his enrollment and filled his spot in a breach of their own enrollment document/parent handbook. We now have to consult a legal expert to recoup our fees. I am a small business owner myself and would never ever target or leave a negative review unless it was 100% necessary to warn others. There are other schools in the area that will look after your child, look elsewhere. During the last few months of dealing with Goddard I felt like a failure of a parent to have not seen the other red flags and cannot believe I allowed my child to be in the care of Goddard Deerfield. The worst part of it all is that this is all I know about, what about all the other things that may have happened while my daughter attended school here that owners with this character may have put their own business in front of my child or any child? If you think maybe this is a one off situation and your child could be okay, Google search "Goddard Deerfield Indeed reviews" to see how their own teachers review the school. It is very evident that this is a common theme. Reach out to me if you have concerns as I have documentation of all of this.

My stepchildren have been attending this KinderCare for the past year, and they have been very…read morehappy here! My youngest especially loves how caring and kind her teachers are. She comes home excited to share her projects and crafts and has made so many friends. We truly enjoy hearing about what she is learning each day and find comfort knowing she is safe and well cared for.

Abuse and neglectful, we left after opening up a dcfs case on them! Infant room teacher will leave…read moreyour kids crying all day!!!

My daughter has been going to children's land for 6 months now and I've loved our experience so…read morefar. The teachers genuinely love the kids and are super responsive through the Brightwheel app. My daughter has several allergies and they've taken that really seriously which we appreciate. They are also sooo flexible which I feel like is unheard of for a daycare. Overall, 10/10 recommend!

I can not say enough good things about this daycare facility. Although it may be more pricey, it is…read moredefinitely shown with the type of teaching, developing, food, and staff. Oxana who runs the operations of the facility is genuinely so helpful and kind. My child has been here from new born, to 3 yo & will continue through pre-school. Each teacher has been so communicative, attentive, and supportive. I also absolutely LOVE the diversity of cultures. My child has surpassed every milestone with the help of this facility, and her safety is something that I never have to question which brings so much peace. 10/10 recommendation!

Our four year old is in his second year at Little Ones, and we are all very happy with his…read moreexperience. His teachers are warm but consistent. There are three teachers to 20 students, and their attention to detail with each child is impressive. Their curriculum flows with the seasons, but they also observe what the kids are into and that guides their thematic units. These four year olds are already journaling, answering a question of the day, and learning their friends' last names. Sheree Feldman, the director, is super organized and responsive. (My wife and I joke that she never sleeps.) She gets back to us very promptly, and validates our concerns. She is always looking for ways to improve the already great school with enrichments, lunch programs, and extra curricular outings. Our only complaint is that we feel the kids could go outside more, but I understand their reasoning. In the winter, we thought that they'd go outside if it were 20 degrees or higher, but if the windchill is lower than 20, they won't. And in Chicago, the windchill is lower than 20 quite often...but they do take them to the gym for gross motor on these days. All in all, we love our experience at Little Ones, and would highly recommend it!

I was really not happy with Little Ones and we ended up pulling our child out. He was being…read morebullied and miserable and they really didn't seem to want to deal with it. After several meetings with staff and director, nothing really changed. They wouldn't discuss things with the other child's parents. Teacher wasn't mean, just seemed to be mailing it in. The building and playground is really limited in space, everyone is just on top of one another, parking lot is a disaster.

We've had a great experience with this daycare/pre-school. The space and approach are…read moreMontessori-inspired and there's a focus on sensory play. I love that my kids get to spend lots of time outside, with routine trips to the beach, the park, and the library. Teachers are caring and thoughtful. My now 7 year old has great memories from Our School Haus and is always excited to visit. My 4 year old asks to go to school, and my 2 year old adapted to school within a week! Our School Haus is a little hidden gem in Highland Park.

This was mine and my daughter's favorite daycare. She liked it because she got to create very…read moreinteresting projects, made lots of friends and went on interesting walks to the library and the beach. I really liked it because I knew that my daughter got a lot of individualized attention and care. She also had an excellent balance between academics and play where she learned a lot and was prepared for school, but also spent a lot of time playing and developing social skills. The day care is located near a beautiful beach, Highland Park library and downtown which makes it easy to take trips to the beach, library or other interesting places in downtown Highland Park. If you have young kids and in search of a home daycare, I highly recommend Our School Haus.