I can't say enough good things about the Nook in the South Loop. We had our daughter at another daycare ( a very popular one) in the neighborhood when she was younger, and in comparison, I like this daycare so much better. The teachers really care about the kids and they always go the extra mile. Everyday they do a really good job at documenting and taking pictures of our daughter throughout the day which gets uploaded to the app. My husband and I log into the portal daily to see what activities our daughter is up to...we both feel it is one of the highlights of our days and it makes me feel close to her. Both sets of grandparents also have access to the portal and they love it too. They get to watch her development. All this in addition to all the activities they do with the kids which involve lots of arts and crafts, story time, dance parties, music circles, free play, meals and snacks, and outdoor/playground time when the weather is nice. In general, it's a very caring environment and the children get a lot of individualized attention. Because the teachers are so in tune with the children, they can detect if something is wrong...like the time my daughter woke up from her afternoon nap and the teachers noticed she was lethargic and that something was off. They took her temperature and it was 100.2. I was immediately sent a message. After a phone conversation with the teacher, my husband picked her up from school shortly thereafter. She did end up being sick and we both were so thankful they noticed a change in her demeanor right away. The director of the program, Stephanie, is very accommodating, friendly and just wonderful. I find The Nook to be much more flexible than the previous daycare....we can drop off and pick up our daughter anytime during operating hours and don't have to commit to a certain 9 hour timeslot and be charged extra if we go over. In addition, they take cleanliness seriously. I find the facilities to be very clean and they wash the children's hands routinely throughout the day. One thing I do wish The Nook had was an indoor large motor skills room, aka indoor playground space, for the kids in winter since they can't get outside when the temperatures are below 40. All in all, our daughter loves The Nook and we do too! PS. Mom is using dad's account to write this review;-) read more

I started my 2 year old at another daycare in the South Loop located on 14th and Michigan and had terrible experiences there. The last straw was when I dropped off my daughter there at 10 AM (I was on maternity leave) and walked into an out-of-control classroom. The teacher was screaming, ENOUGH! over and over again. When she saw me enter the room, she stopped, smiled, and took my daughter from me. My daughter immediately started crying and shaking. I closed the door and waited for 5 minutes. The screaming from the teacher continued so I opened the door to find my daughter with snot down to her chin, sitting in a chair, shaking, and crying. It was the worst feeling in the world. This teacher had no control of the kids and had resorted to shouting and pointing at the kids. So we took a break from daycare for 2 months. I decided to try the Nook. It was night and day difference. My daughter was still traumatized from her experience at the other daycare, but now loves the Nook. She comes home and talks about her friends and her teachers. The teachers make sure to give individualized attention to every child. They take them in a van/bus to the park! The kids ACTUALLY play in the park (they are not tied to each other to walk around the block). My daughter LOVES going to the park. Miss Stephanie is an excellent cook. My picky eater eats everything there and sometimes asks for seconds. She makes healthy food items like cauliflower quiche and broccoli nuggets. I can't say enough good things about this place. They even have an on-line app that they post pictures of your child during the day. My favorite thing at work is to look at these pictures as they are posted. Wonderful staff, engaging environment. My daughter is never bored. They teach good hand washing techniques and helps with toilet training in preparation for preschool. An outstanding daycare! They have also changed their hours to 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM. read more

I'm so grateful that my wife and I found this place. We had previously taken our son to a different school and for so many reasons, it didn't work out. He creid every morning during drop off and always seemed to have a diaper rash. Which of course just broke our hearts. After a month, we decided that place just wasn't working for us. And then we heard of this place through a fellow co-worker. It has been a completely different experience. From day one we have felt so at home at The Nook and confident that he is well taken care of. His rashes have magically disappeared and drop offs have gotten so much better. He may not be able to tell us yet, but we know he absolutely loves school now. And I can't tell you what a good feeling that is. He smiles as we arrive in the morning and has started waving goodbye to his teachers, which is so adorable. His wonderful teachers are definitely a huge contributor as to why this place is so much better than the last. I have enough guilt as is, it makes it easier knowing that we are leaving him in good hands. We get pictures throughout the day updating us on how he's doing and what he's doing. The other day the pictures included a sensory project that he did with green Jell-O, a picture of him enjoying his lunch and a picture of him cuddling with a bear while listening to storytime. It's complete reassurance that he is getting the most out of daycare. And how many people can say that? I would strongly recommend this place to anyone. It was recommended to me and turned into one of the best choices we've made. read more

We love The Nook in South Loop! Where do I begin?! We started our little girl in daycare at 12 weeks. After doing much research and touring different facilities we are so happy with The Nook. The director, Annette is so easy to talk to. She was very informative and gets back to you quickly with any questions or concerns. You can even find her tending to the kids as well! That showed us how much she loves the kids and always helping her staff. All of the teachers and assistants are great and take such great care of the children. Dropping her off in the morning and seeing how excited she gets to see them really puts our mind at ease and starts off our day on a good note - knowing she is in good hands. We are first time parents, and having to go back to work after maternity leave was difficult to deal with but the app, Brightwheel, they use for daily activities really helped me throughout the day and cope being without her. The app provides updates on meals, naps, diaper changes, activities and best of all updated pictures/videos! Seeing the smile on her face throughout the day really solidified that we made the right choice. I can't say how much we love this place and can't imagine our daughter anywhere else! I definitely would recommend The Nook South Loop if you are looking for a daycare with compassionate caregivers you can trust! read more

As a new dad I feel like I am always in a hurry. Especially in the mornings to make it to work on time. The Nook's teachers make it so much easier for me. Before I even get there, they have all my daughter's bottle labels ready for me, they help put all my stuff away and I'm able to check in my daughter on the way to work using this app they use. I downloaded the app, Brightwheel, to my phone, so I'm able to check my daughter in on the go. Which is really helpful. At first I thought the teachers might think I was just trying to throw my kid at them, but truly mornings feel like such a rush and I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Drop offs don't take me more than three minutes, which is awesome. The teachers are so great and make my job so much easier. And this Brightwheel app is great too. Makes mom so happy. She follows along my daughter's day all day long and is able to message the teacher's instantly, in case I forget to tell them anything in the morning, which keeps me out of trouble. No complaints here. If anything this place has made my family's life so much easier and we are so grateful. read more

My son and I are so happy at The Nook. I was unhappy at my last daycare and The Nook was just what we were looking for. A warm and nurturing place for my son to grow. My son is two, so like many two year olds, can be quite a handful. But his teachers are so wonderful and patient. He comes home happy everyday and lets me know about all the neat things he did in class. I've been most impressed with how much they read everyday. They have new books in their classroom every week. It's so reassuring to know that he is starting his education early. His eating habits have also completely changed. I know he is a growing boy, but he absolutely loves their menu. He now eats vegetables everyday without a fuss. As a mom, this makes me smile. The staff is wonderful, the school is always clean and they update me throughout the day on how he's doing with an online app. I'm able to stay connected to him, even when I'm not around. That's probably the best part read more

Our son started at The Nook when it first opened. Before enrolling here, we were using a nanny. We weren't sure of making the transition from nanny to daycare, but we could not be happier with our decision. He has learned so much in such a short time. I never thought I would have a kid that would enjoy things like Circle Time, but he absolutely loves coming to "school". The teachers give individualized attention, so I don't think he's missing that from his nanny. And at The Nook he's able to socialize with lots of other kids his age, which I think has been really important for his growth. The Nook has been really good for my growth as a mom as well. They have social events where all the families are able to mingle together and get to know each other. Around the holidays they had a Polar Express event and my son loved it. It was really nice getting to know the other parents as well. read more

I want to give a big shout out to my kids teachers who take really good care of them and learn so much . Who have patience and awesome communication with me. My kids love them soo much. Thank you tierra and dashisa for being there for Ayzi'yani ! U guys are awesome and amazing to her and all the other teachers too who are great team work with her . Shout out to angelica and Vanessa who are also wonderful to my son Jr!! You guys are amazing!! And to the other teachers who are also a great team work w him . The director there miss chacha is also amazing and want to thank you as well . I definitely recommend this school 100 times because since they been there , my babies leard so much !! It's definitely worth every penny for my kids . I can say there second home with family who adore and keep my kids 100 percent safe. THANK YOU ALL SO SOO SOOO MUCH !!! Sincerely , ayzi & Jr mommy read more

We had planned on a nanny taking care of our son when I went back to work, but after plans fell through we were fortunate enough to discover this daycare in our area! I was hesitant at first to take him to a daycare after a bad experience I had when our daughter was an infant, but The Nook has definitely redeemed that. The staff is consistently professional and welcoming. We receive updates throughout the day on our son via an app which is reassuring (and fun to see the pictures!). They have a great feature to "pick up" extra daycare days outside your regular schedule which is helpful since I am called into work at times. My daughter is too old to go to The Nook, but even she has remarked that she wishes she went here :) The warm atmosphere is palpable and I would highly recommend this to someone looking for consistently great care for their child! read more

We had a wonderful experience with our son attending The Nook South Loop daycare. He started when he was just 12 weeks old, and from the beginning we felt impressed with the quality of care, support of breastfeeding/pumping moms, photo/food/nap updates via the Brightwheel app, and various activities like Spanish class and sign language. Our son formed a special relationship with his teacher Ms. Norma and he would be so happy to see her each morning that instead of drop-off being a challenge, I always felt at ease because he would eagerly reach for her (and squeal with happiness). I loved that she taught him some Spanish! We were so grateful that the Nook stayed open to essential workers during the pandemic, and we can't thank the teachers enough for that sacrifice. We are sad to leave the Nook due to our move but will always have fond memories! read more

Amazing daycare location! Amazing staff with so much caring and welcoming attitude. As a protective father, it was hard to let my 2 year old go to daycare. The wonderful teachers/staff, Ms. Karla and Ms. Jacky, really assured me that my daughter is in good hands, and it shows! Proud dad moment when my daughter gets so excited anytime she goes to The Nook, South Loop. Staff really make all the effort to keep kids engaged while maintaining a fun, safe, clean, environment for all. Consistent updates via the app are a huge plus as well! Being alerted of the daily/weekly progression of my kiddo is very heartwarming and the pics are great! And for the management team/Director, special thanks for providing families with useful, timely, up-to-date information, regarding the safety, schedules, and passion The Nook south loop has for our kids! read more

I have a child in the Infant 1 class. Stacy & Tisha are really great with him, and I get all sorts of updates on his growth. The Nook uses an app that sends photos and activity updates throughout the day (which you can turn into a digest only, if you are having a busy day and need to focus). It's been fun to get photos throughout the day of him playing safely next to his classmates. The school also brings in additional programming weekly, including music classes for infants on Wednesdays. Every once in a while, they will do an art project with the infant class that might include them dipping their fingers or toes in non-toxic finger paints. Stacy and Tisha both have a calming demeanor that makes drop off smooth and helps us get a great start to our day. Most importantly, our son loves going! Highly recommend. read more

We absolutely love The Nook! My daughter started at the South Loop location at 3.5 months, and we were very nervous to put her in daycare. Ms. Diane was such a reassuring force throughout our time at The Nook. She responds to all my messages on Brightwheel quickly and is always so joyful with her during pick up and drop off. I love looking at the pictures and videos that are sent regularly. There are always fun activities for the babies every week, like visits to the park, a textile wall to explore everyday items, water play in the tub, and tons of arts and crafts projects. We are so sad to be leaving Chicago and cannot continue taking her there. I strongly recommend The Nook to parents looking for a high quality daycare. read more

We love The Nook!! We have been using their drop-in care for the past few months and couldn't be happier with how easy it has been. I can go online and sign her up for a day (or half day) whenever I need to and Stephanie is always quick to respond to any questions I have! I really love that my husband and I can check up on her throughout the day with the Brightwheel app! I get so excited when I get a notification or picture from the app and it definitely helps with my mom guilt :) They do so many fun enrichment activities there and it's nice to see pictures of her enjoying herself! The staff is wonderful and the space is newly renovated, clean, and really nice. I can't say enough great things about them! read more

My granddaughter just started at The Nook at few months ago and I can not say enough good things about this place. I pick her up every now and then, and every time I do she is enjoying herself so much with her friends. The teachers are every interactive. Always on the floor with them or dancing around. They really seem to enjoy what they do and I know it reflects on the kids. My daughter is a first time mom and I couldn't have asked for a better experience for her. The Nook has become like a family to her. The teachers and director are so comforting and knowledgeable. I know they have made this process so much easier for her. I can't imagine a better fit for our family. read more

Beyond impressed with The Nook! From the administration and staff to the facility, it is the perfect caring and educational environment for our child. Stephanie and her team are accommodating to our schedule, they are attentive to our infant's needs, growth and development and seem really invested in not only our child's well-being but the well-being of each child left in their care. The room sizes and ratio of kid to staff offer opportunities for one-on-one attention, as well as group socializing. The near hourly updates throughout the day (via the Brightwheel app) are great! I've never once questioned leaving our child with the amazing staff at The Nook. read more

Our little guy loves going to school at The Nook! He started attending "school" at 10 months and is now 15 months. His teachers, Esna and Norma are so kind and nurturing and Annette, the director at the South Loop location is always so attentive. We appreciate that the food served is organic and there always seem to be fun little arts and crafts activities on a weekly basis. Our son has grown so much developmentally while attending The Nook and often, he has so much fun that he doesn't want to leave at the end of the day. I feel assured that he is safe, has a wonderful time and is learning so much while attending The Nook! read more

The Nook is an absolutely vibrant place to work and I mean that with my whole heart! Every single day, we get to introduce children to foreign languages, body movement, music, and early childhood education. It is the kind of environment that genuinely lights you up from the inside out. The meals our staff prepares are absolutely amazing fresh, thoughtful, and made with real care. And my peers? They are truly the best. Being around them every day makes coming to work something I actually look forward to. The Nook is not just a workplace it is a community, and I am so proud to be a part of it. read more

I was born in the south loop area also lived there a period of my life. It's great to have two of my sons Zion & Judah experience apart of my childhood. Bring back so many great memories. The director Sylvi has help a lot specially since I've got custody of both my boys The Nook has help ease my load a bit. They check up on the boys when they haven't seen them & that means a lot. My sons love going here. They're always making friends & learning new things. The nook is understanding an I greatly appreciate that. If you ask me the nook is a great daycare for children. read more