Wonderful staff who instills in preschool what learning should be...inquisitive and FUN. My…read moredaughter loved her few mornings a week she went in. She got to make friends, go outside daily, make crafts, learn about the world around her, celebrate birthdays. When I would pick her up, she would sing songs, about what they were learning, over and over again. This place is incredible for kids. So loving.

When moving to the North Shore I had my work cut out for me to find a preschool that was both…read moreplay-based and offered full-time care. Banner was the answer. From the moment we visited the school, I knew it was the right place for our daughter to begin her preschool experience. "Warmth" is how I'd describe the environment at Banner both in appearance and culture. The classrooms are inviting, cozy, and creative. This is a school run by teachers who love what they do and create a warm, positive environment for children to learn, develop and thrive. Our daughter wakes up excited to go to Banner every day which is the best testimonial a parent could offer.

We visited several other schools, and were drawn to Sacred Heart School in Winnetka. This is such…read morea warm and inclusive community, and we're so fortunate to have decided on this school for our child's education. Our son is on to 2nd grade this fall, and his kindergarten and 1st grade education, care, and experience, continues to be extraordinary.

I have never been part of such a caring community like the one I have found at Sacred Heart. I have…read morefour children at the school ranging from Kindergarten to 8th grade, and they have built so many happy memories, made lifelong friends, and have received a top notch education. The staff and the principal are second to none and have gone far and above to make school fun and safe during the pandemic. People really take care of each other here. When someone is dealing with something tough, or having a hard time, this community shows up, supports you, and lifts you up. Plus, there are many fun parties, sports, fine arts, etc., it is easy for kids and adults to make friends! It's an awesome place to be!

When we moved from the city a few years ago, I was overwhelmed (pleasantly!) at all the choices we…read morehad. I did my due diligence with the search and after meeting Miss Sue, the director and seeing her and the classrooms in action, my mind was made up. They focus on the socio-emotional piece and my daughter is truly becoming a little citizen. It's often said that parents make friends through their children's preschool and that has definitely been proven here. I have enlarged my "emergency contact list" and have created my own deep connections. Trinity would get 5 out of 5 if it offered even more extended day opportunities. But overall, we have seen our daughter learn so much academically and socially.

We feel so fortunate to have our kids enrolled in preschool at Trinity. There are many things to…read morerave about, but most importantly the teachers create a loving, safe environment where our kids enjoy going to school, have fun playing with friends, and learn so much - socially and academically. Music, art, cooking, and an introduction to Spanish are all thoughtfully woven into the program. From talking with friends, one of the things that seems to be especially unique about Trinity is the community of parents and friendships that are made among families at TCNS. Trinity helps foster a sense of community through its many (optional) events - an annual fall family festival, parents' night out events, parent seminars, TCNS Gives Back events that provide opportunities for the kids to work on a service project, and more.

We live in the city and I teach in the North Suburbs. I was looking for a school somewhere in…read morebetween (it's just a short jog off the Edens), that would provide a high quality education & well rounded experience. As a teacher, I definitely feel like I know what to examine when deciding upon a school. I visited a number of private schools, but when I toured St. Joseph, I felt such a great vibe & I just knew. I visited multiple classrooms in multiple grade levels. Students were engaged in learning in EVERY room in entered (speaking from experience, this is not something you can train kids to fake for a tour). Entering our 4th year at the school, it's everything I hoped it would be. There's such a sense of community at St. Joseph. The way younger students are paired up with an older buddy really developed a sense of belonging from the start. My kids are constantly learning, integrating technology in their learning, and most importantly happy! There are a million opportunities to get involved in extra-curricular activities & as a working parent, I love that before & after-school care is reasonably priced & available at the school. I really have nothing but great things to say about St. Joseph. If you're looking for a fabulous school with a great community feel, I highly recommend you visit and check it out for yourself!

From the owner: Our Mission is simple and embraced by every member of our School and Parish:…read more St. Joseph School is dedicated to academic excellence for every child, and fosters personal and spiritual development within a distinctly Catholic community of faith. We implement this mission through a partnership between our students, parents, staff, Parish members and the community. Catholic values and morals are emphasized and children are nurtured spiritually, morally, intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally. Students learn respect for themselves and others. Our School provides a high-quality learning environment in which every student develops a love of learning in a safe, inviting community. Uniqueness is celebrated, allowing students to reach their maximum potential.

The craziest thing happened the other day... My 2 year old…read moredumped out her container of bows (this is a daily occurrence). I waited for her to move on and create yet another mess in my house (sigh), but she said "I need to clean this up." And then she actually started cleaning up after herself. She must have noticed that my jaw hit the floor because she said "Miss Jacqueline taught me how to clean up at camp." And that's when I decided every penny I've spent for camp @ GJK this summer was well worth it! After we had a contract on a house in Glencoe I started exploring pre-schools in the area. I checked out GJK, The Park District ,Am Shalom and even asked around about the Glencoe Montessori school (opening in September). I don't think you can go wrong w/ any of those options, but after touring GJK with the Director, Debra, I felt most at home here. I also really liked that the majority of the kids who go to this school are from the Glencoe area (rather than the entire North Shore) since that's who my kids will be going to school with later on. While we don't start pre-school until the fall, we've been in camp all summer and I'm 100% confident I've made the right choice. My daughter LOVES camp and I don't blame her. I'd love to spend 2 hours playing, doing art projects, etc as well. When I drop her off I know she's well taken care of and at times between the head counselor, assistant counselor, CITS etc looks like there's more "big people" than 2-year-olds. I've heard several parents who send their kids to other camps comment that their kid seems happy, but they're unsure of what really goes on there. When Miss Jacqueline isn't teaching the kids to clean up (among other things) she does a fantastic job of keeping the parents in the loop and often sends personal emails with pictures/updates. Like most 2 year olds mine has a few issues with sharing and listening. We've still got some room for improvement (then again I could learn to share/listen better myself at 32), but I"ve noticed a huge difference just seeing her interact with other kids during playdates over the past few weeks. The structure and social interaction @ GJK has been really wonderful for her...and me! :) I've also gotten to know many of the parents and it's such a warm, friendly community! Between both my kids we've got several years at GJK ahead of us and I'm looking forward to it!

I've been hearing murmurings of Kid-Motion for months now and finally asked a mother in my…read moredaughter's ballet* class what it was all about. Another mother overheard and said "You don't know about Kid-Motion? You must be new in town because EVERYONE goes to Kid-motion. Kid-motion day is my kid's favorite day." Mom #1 agreed that Kid-Motion was pretty special and recommended I sign up for January as soon as possible since the classes tend to fill up quickly. I went home feeling guilty I"ve been denying my almost 3 year old of "kid-motion day" and emailed them letting them know I"d be interested in signing up my daughter for the next session starting in January. It was our lucky day because minutes later I received an email that there was a spot in the 2 1/2-3 year old class and we could start next week. Hooray! I listed Kid- motion under "pre-school" here on Yelp, but it refers to itself as a movement program. For my daughter's class it's a 2 hour drop-off, which is pretty awesome since most of the classes at her age are 30 minutes (aka: way too short for mom to get anything done!). Each week has a different theme - this week they learned about pumpkins cause of halloween, which my daughter has decided is her favorite holiday (i'm sure soon to be replaced by her upcoming bday). When my daughter got home she came running into my home office (my next review will be for a locksmith:)) to tell me all about pumpkins and show me her "fridge worthy" picture of a pumpkin. For my daughter's age they spend 65 minutes in the gym where there's lots of equipment that you'd find in a kids gymnastics studio (rings, low balance beam, etc) followed by 55 minutes in the playroom where they do more typical pre-school activities (ex: art, play with water, playdoh, parachute, snack etc). Kate and Lois are my daughter's instructors and they seem very patient and capable, which is probably why so many people are raving about Kid-motion. And I don't blame all the children for being such fans. I'd like my own version of adult-motion day! * http://www.yelp.com/biz/baby-take-a-bow-winnetka

Mary and Kate are remarkable and have created a program known around the North Shore as the gem of…read moreWinnetka. An absolute must for parents with young children who are looking for something special for their children a couple days a week.

Kim saved my sanity and marriage. Seriously. She's that good…read more I know that might sound crazy, but if you're reading this review, it probably means that you're in a situation that's no bueno with your mini me. There is a solution, and it's Kim. As first time parents, my husband and I thought we were totally prepared -- we read the books, listened to the ancedotal advice, put together somewhat of a game plan, etc. -- then our sweet daughter arrived and sleep became a relic of the past. (Honestly, the 40 week pregnant rolling around uncomfortable sleep suddenly seemed like the best sleep I'd ever gotten in my life.) So, after 15 weeks of doing the craziest things to get our little love to sleep (including, but not limited to, trying every swaddle known to mankind, building a little fort around her legs so that she wouldn't startle so easily, running in every time she dropped her pacifier, you get the picture...), we hemmed and hawed and finally called Kim 10 days before I went back to work full time. So, here's what happened: PK (Pre-Kim; a/k/a what my husband and I affectionately refer to as the "Dark Days"): Daughter slept in co-sleeper by our bed; every night we did a 10 step routine before bed and would repeat as necessary throughout the night to get her back to sleep; at 15 weeks, our little girl was waking about every 3-4 hours and couldn't nap during the day without lots of sleep props. We were exhausted and on edge. AF (After Kim; cue angels singing from heavens): after 9 days of following Kim's step-by-step instructions, our 16 week old daughter was in bed by 7 pm each night, woke 1x a night for a feed, and awoke between 6:30-7 am the next day. She now wakes up happy, plays in her crib and waits for us to come in and say good morning. Our night routine now consists of 5 steps and doesn't involve rocking, pacifying, or crying. For her one night feed, I would feed her and then put her back in the crib -- again, no rocking, pacifying or crying. (At 6 months our daughter dropped her night feed herself and now sleeps from 6:30/7:00 pm to 6:30/7:00am every day). Make no mistake, I know lots of people read Weissbluth or Ferber and sleep train their babies themselves with varying degrees of success, but Kim gave us the tools and support to sleep train our daughter with confidence -- without feeling like we were abandoning our daughter or doing irreparable harm to her psyche. Without Kim and her support, I'm not sure I would have had the intestinal fortitude to see the sleep training through. Kim is honestly the best money that I have spent thus far as a parent and, I know I shouldn't say this, but I would actually pay her more for the piece of mind and sanity that she's given me.

From the owner: Needing to rock or feed a baby to sleep - We'll get him falling asleep on his own for you or any…read morecaregiver! Running the kitchen sink/fan or driving in the car to lull her to sleep - We'll get her falling asleep by herself, so you can lay her in the crib and she'll fall asleep on her own! Frequent night wakings - We'll get baby (4+ months) to sleep through the night without waking up until morning so you both feel well rested the next day! Late bedtime - We'll change his schedule and get your child in bed between 6-8pm (and bonus - you get your evenings back!) Popping in the pacifier every hour at the night - We'll get your baby to stop depending on the pacifier to fall asleep so you can stay in your bed and not have to pop it back in all night! Not being able to concentrate at work - we'll get your baby to sleep through the night so you can be more productive at work!