Meadowsweet Ranch…read more Wow! I cannot say enough good things about the staff and the program at Meadowsweet Ranch. I live over an hour away from Spring Grove, yet made the journey for my daughter who is an avid horse lover. She recently went for Spring Camp, and while it was only two days, she met other campers who have the same passion as her HORSES. She told me the day we left, "Mom hurry up! You need to sign me up for the summer before it is full!" She enjoyed riding, grooming and especially cleaning the hooves of the horses. I have always told her that riding a horse is a privilege and not a right. Horses need to be respected and that was fully reinforced at Meadowsweet Ranch. The safety of the children is priority, which is why the HORSE comes first. Crafts and activities planned with the other campers were appropriate, and the ranch feel is definitely welcoming. My only request is that I would have liked more feedback on the day of the camp to know what my daughter did that day. I guess no news is good news! Most importantly for me is that she LOVED it and we will definitely be back for on of the 3 summer sessions.

My daughter Avery has attended the Winter Break Camp and just completed the Spring Horse Camp. She…read moreabsolutely loved it! She talked about how much fun she has had and how much she has learned. She has been wanting to spend more time with the horses at the ranch. So we may have to sign her up for more lessons :) The staff & counselors are so kind, friendly, and wonderful! Thanks Meadowsweet Ranch for providing such a great experience for our daughter!

Last year, I went to camp here. I just want to say, it is the highlight of my year going there…read more Their activities are so fun and enjoyable, the grounds of the camp are astounding, the staff are nice and very accepting. The rooms for sleeping are very clean, also. I have made so many friends from Camp Henry Horner. It has been the most fun camp I have been to ever. If you have a 9-15 year old that wants to go to a sleep away camp, I recommend Camp Henry Horner.

The family and community environment is amazing! Truly a special place. The perfect balance of…read moreclose to home, yet still feels far enough away to create a one-of-a kind camping experience

Camp has a climbing wall, zip line, and low ropes course…read more Great food! We had tomato bisque with ham filled grilled cheese, soo tasty! Chicken tenders with fries were also on the menu and some tasty breakfast options as well. Very kid friendly food, and awesome staff! Thanks Camp Wonderland and Zac!

For a retreat center (and I've been to a good number of them in the IL/WI area), this one is pretty…read moregood. Can handle a lot of people, has a good dining facility, pretty decent food, and pretty decent facilities. It's not super run down and has things like tennis courts, bball hoops, a pool, a sand vball court, and more. Went for a weekend retreat and went kayaking (that was kind short though). Plus some of their housing has AC which is very nice during the summer time. They hold other camps here too so I imagine it books up fast. I'd come back!

My son started Play Hard Hoops basketball here in the Fall. He's really enjoying it. The coach…read moreworks really well with the children. This place has only been around a year so I don't think many know about it yet. I recommend it if you live in the Volo, Lakemoor, Fox Lake area. They offer a good amount of sports programs.

From the owner: We pride ourselves in our amazing facility! You and your children can participate in fun and…read moreexciting sports programs such as basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and more, all coming soon. Whether you're located in Volo, Lakemoor, or surrounding areas, learn more about MoRE Sports Complex today!

Fantastic place for kids!! I have taken my daughter's here and have only great experiences. My…read moregirls learned so much!

From the owner: Snapology offers year-round STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) learning programs…read morethat engage children from ages 2 to 14 in hands-on activities. While children are exploring robotics, computer programing, and video game design using LEGO® bricks, K'Nex, and technology, they're building skills that will help them throughout school and their careers, but to kids, it's just fun! Our programs are offered throughout the McHenry, IL community through after-school programs, summer camps, workshops, scouting events, field trips, birthday parties and custom events.

We were one of the first families at Kiddie Academy of Grayslake when they opened in 2021. We…read moreeventually enrolled both of our young children and for a decent amount of time were happy with the care and enriching educational environment provided by Kiddie Academy. However, all of that changed after a DCFS incident which involved our youngest son and one of the teachers. The entire situation was incredibly upsetting, but we felt as though Kiddie Academy at the time took appropriate action. The teacher was fired immediately and Academy wide training took place. We hoped that it was simply a "bad apple." We made the decision to pull our kids from the care of Kiddie Academy about a year and a half after that first incident when our older son also had a DCFS incident with another teacher. The directors response to that incident after reviewing the footage was so passive that we no longer felt that the safety and care of our children was a top priority. It felt more as though there was a protection of the teacher and the institution happening. Additionally, with this now being the second incident that our family was involved in there seem to be a more widespread problem. It has taken six months for our son to recover from the emotional damage that incident caused. We feel as though Kiddie Academy of Grayslake failed our children in not providing the most basic care and safety to them and we were extremely sad to be leaving under these circumstances.  I have really wrestled with whether or not to post this review, but upon hearing that a coworker of mine had considered this care provider without knowledge of our experience, I am finally making the decision to put our story out there.

Putting your children in someone else's hands takes a lot of trust and I truly couldn't think of a…read morebetter place than Kiddie Academy Grayslake. My daughter went there for about a year before we got relocated for work. Everyone there is absolutely so so kind. They LOVE each and every kid. They were such sweet people and I wish we could've have kept her there. Love them! Don't look anywhere else because you're not going to find a better daycare center.

Unfortunately, we didn't have a good experience here. The teachers were not friendly or warm or…read morenurturing at all in my daughter's 3 year old class. My daughter complained that the teachers were mean but I kind of just brushed it off. But then I would pick her up from school early and observed what she was talking about. The teachers were sassy and rude to the children - it wasn't behavior that I wanted exemplified for my child. On top of this, the activity log that they shared with the parents was just wrong. They would include activities on it that they didn't do and my husband and I would see the kids doing activities in the classroom that weren't listed on the log. They also mixed our child's profile up with someone else's and we would get reports saying things like "she napped for 45 minutes" or "she ate all of her lunch" when in reality we had picked her up from school before lunch and nap time. We brought this to the attention of the teachers and staff and they temporarily corrected it, but it always went back to being inaccurate. The final straw for me was that there was no sense of community. I joined the parent group hoping that my perspective would change but it turned out that the main focus of the parent group was to fundraise because the Goddard school had no budget for the family/community activities. I found this to be pretty disappointing considering how expensive the school was. We switched to a different preschool and have had a much better experience. I'm only sharing this because choosing a school for our kids can be such a hard decision. I wish all parents and kiddos the best and hope that the Goddard school will take this review into consideration to make some important improvements.

I wanted to post an update for parents who wonder about how children that go here progress... My…read moreoldest daughter has been at Goddard since she was 18 months old - she is now 5 1/2 years old, and my youngest also joined at 18 months and is now 3 1/2 years old. At 3-1/2, the youngest daughter can READ sight words, knows colors, numbers, and weather in English and Spanish (Spanish is not a language we speak at home, so this is all the school). While some reading is due to us working with her, and some in part because of her sister's advancement, a big part (and thank you) is owed to the school for working so diligently with her. At 5-1/2, the oldest daughter has blossomed into an amazing and bright little girl. She is reading at a 4th Grade level, doing math at a 2nd grade level, and the teachers are making sure to encourage her and help her grow, even though it requires them to take "special" time out for her to do so, since she's above the average lesson plans. They have worked very closely with me to make sure she stays engaged and challenged, and as a result she's a happy, healthy, very bright kid who LOVES her school. I read the previous review from someone in April, and while I feel horribly for the situation in theory, I can't imagine it being accurate. There is no mention, for example, of the specific room the child was in, and I can tell you from years of personal experience there's NO WAY the Dave I know at our school would refuse to help a parent who was uncomfortable, or force a child backward and not forward. While I won' t say it outright isn't true (I wasn't there), I can say that the parents who have children here know everything, see everything, and an event like what was described would have been talked about heavily, yet I never heard a peep.... Bottom line, if you are looking for child care, there is hands down no where better in the area - they've won the "Best Childcare in Lake County" award for like 7 years running. If you are unsure, call them and ask to take a tour to see for yourself... you'll be so glad you did.

My child caught hand foot and mouth disease here twice in 6 weeks. All they did was put a little…read morenot up in the window to inform people. No staff members informed anyone. They have a system that is capable of informing all the parents which they chose not to use. Apparently they are only required by law to put a note up the note was so small i never noticed it 7-8 times dropping my child off. the note had been up for more than a week. Their summer program just ended last week as well so I would be willing to bet there will be many more cases. Would give zero stars if I could.

I love it! My baby has been going here since he was 7 months old and he loves it too. The girls are…read morevery caring with everyone and you can tell they truly love the kids. My son gets very excited every time we get there, and I won't change that for anything in the world.

Can not say enough good things about this location. My son has been coming here since he was 8…read moreweeks old and is about to start Kindergarten this fall. They have truly shaped and helped him grow and prepare for Kindergarten. My girls both started at 12 weeks and have blossomed as well. All of the teachers have been amazing. Miss Pam in the infant room is so loving toward the babies, Ms.Julie is so involved in the toddler room, Miss Laney is the twos room is so good with all the kids. Miss Jennifer and Miss Dani have prepared my son he is writing his name and comes home with something new learned everyday.

My son has been attending COA in Lindenhurst since he was an infant. He is now in the Pre-K class…read more We have nothing but wonderful things to say about COA. The facilities are clean and safe. The director is engaged and communicates with families on an ongoing basis. All the teachers we have had have been absolutely fantastic! They have not only engaged my son in interesting, developmentally appropriate activities, but have helped him grow socially and emotionally as well, and they are always wonderful at communicating with the parents. Ms. Pam, Ms. Julie, Ms. Rachel, Ms. Debbie and Ms. Andy have all been wonderful teachers and role models for our son. We have no doubt that he will have a very successful Kindergarten transition due to the efforts of the staff. We are very happy with COA!!

Great pool, not too big but big enough to give my kids a little independence. Lifeguards have all…read morebeen friendly and consistent. My son is not a strong swimmer but loves the water, couple of the life guards even gave him swimming tips when they were on a break from guarding. Other pool patrons have been friendly and respectful of space when it gets crowded in the weekends.

What a rip off! $6 per person admission for an over crowded public pool where you can't even. Ring…read morein a water bottle and kids can't use the water slide!! Pool goers beware - the height restrictions for using the water slide are 48", however, due to the pools employees not installing the measurement stick correctly you actually must be 50" tall to use the water slide. They measure the kids at the bottom of the slide, tell them they're tall enough and send them up the stairs. Then when the kids get to the top of the stairs, after waiting their turn in line for 10 minutes, they get measured again only to be told they're too short and sent back down!!!!