My family is very grateful to have found this place, especially after our current daycare gave us…read moreonly a 2-week notice that they were closing their doors for good. Little Minds is a hidden gem conveniently located near the Crystal Lake/Pingree Road Metra stop. Only having been open for a few months, the place is clean, spacious, and welcoming all throughout. The teachers are nurturing, knowledgeable and accommodating (except for one elderly woman who is cold and never greets my family - thankfully NOT in my son's classroom) to my 2-year-old's mood changing needs. The director has been very flexible with our family when we decided to change our schedule. My husband and I like that there is an indoor play area (i.e., slides, ride on toys, etc.) for those extreme weather days. I also like how one of the teachers incorporates a baking/cooking lesson daily with the students. The only TEMPORARY downside is, because this daycare is new, the enrollment is low. My family has very HIGH hopes that Little Minds will grow in the next few months with more exposure. We literally pass a "big shot" daycare, that is 5 minutes from our home, to get here, and you couldn't pay our family to go to that one! If you are in search for a new daycare in the Crystal Lake and surrounding area, come check this place out!

Putting your child in daycare is stressful, especially at 6 weeks old! After looking at all my…read moreoptions in McHenry county, I found Little Minds in Crystal Lake. I went in and met Nicole while I was still pregnant. I took a tour of the center and it was awesome. Everything was so clean and new! They also have cameras in each room which was reassuring. My son started there right at 6 weeks old and always comes home happy. I peek in on him during the day and he is always being tended to. I would highly recommend this daycare center to anyone in the area looking. It's also better priced than most!

My daughter spent the better half of 3 years here at Little Hands! She's now off to kindergarten…read moreand still talks about her memories there and how she misses everyone! Location is perfect. Communication was great - always love updates with pictures throughout my work day! 10/10 would recommend!

We had 2 of our kids attend Little Hands, one was there for 1.5 years and the other for 4 years. I…read morefelt like my kids were safe, happy, and well cared for. Miss Amy and the teachers were like family and were always happy to send pictures and tell us about the day. They helped potty train my youngest with no issues. My kids have made life-long friends and were prepared for kindergarten.

Posting this because if this was my child I would want to know…read more On 2/7/24 at 8:30 I dropped off my girls at daycare around 8:30 am. It was breakfast time. The teachers in my daughter charrlottes room were Paige and Barb. These were the series of questions I asked them. 1. Do you know where charrlottes water bottle is? "I don't know, it's probably in the kitchen being washed" I went to the kitchen and was able to locate her water bottle. When I came back to the class room I Filled it with water and gave it to her. My daughter was sitting down at the table with 12 other 2 year olds. Total 13 kids. 9 of those 13 kids were served food. The other 4 (including my daughter) were not. They were all hungry the kids that had food wanted more and the kids that didn't have food wanted food. The teachers kept telling them to use their manners but I didn't understand why. Kids were so hungry they were licking their plate and the applesauce off the table. One child was even eating applesauce with her fingers because they didn't or "forgot" to give her a spoon. 2. I asked something along the lines, are you going to feed the other kids? "We are waiting for more plates, we called the kitchen and the front no one answered." I got up went to the kitchen and grabbed plates so our kids could eat. Please note Paige said, "thank you, you should be hired" 3. Is that all the food they get? "Yes, said Barb" 4. Are you going to give them something to drink? "We are working on it." The kids finished their food before they were given a drink. 5. Are you going to put cream cheese on their bagel? (I could see the cream cheese sitting on the table) "Paige said they were waiting on a knife" "No, I don't put cream cheese because they will just eat the cream cheese and not eat the bagel, said barb" I was by the table squatting down by Charrlotte and I got up to go by the cream cheese and asked 6. Can you put cream cheese on my daughter's bagel? That's when Barb told me I need to leave now. I walked out and went to the front to get someone. I was very upset. I tried to get Jill but she was busy getting kids on the bus. I tried to get Stacy but she was talking to a parent. Then I saw Ed the owner walk through the door and told him I needed him in suite 650. He said I don't know who you are. I told him I'm Charrlotte and calis mom. His response was, "okay I don't need to go in there is this is not the right place for you, you can leave on Friday, okay, I know your notes, we're doing everything we can, so you can leave on Friday, if this is not the right place for you." I said it's how your teachers are handling things in there. He said "I'm sure you let Stacy know" I said no I didn't. This just all happened right now. They just told me to get out of the classroom. What are they doing wrong? ed said. I started to tell him, told him I grabbed plates and he told me to stay out of the kitchen and that I'm over reacting. He told me again I can leave Friday I told him I was leaving today and took my kids. As a parent we have a right to ask questions. It's too bad Barb didn't like my questions, her responses were unacceptable to me and I was the voice today for all those kiddos that weren't served breakfast properly according to DCFS licensing standards. A report has been made. Ed has proven to me that he can care less about any parents concerns and his attitude is if you don't like it you can leave. I've sent numerous emails including Ed and not once has he replied or chimed in. He hides behind Cheryl and Stacey. He was not compassionate and very dismissive. And that is the reason I pulled my kids. He is the face of the center and how he handled my concern for the kids in his center went ignored.

I understand that people have their own opinions of different establishments, and people have their…read moreown standards on what they expect or how they or their children should be treated at those establishments. With that being said, the previous reviewer really got under my skin. 1st of all, children are getting dropped off at different times of the morning, food is being served as quickly as possibly. ( No I do not work here) I have Nieces and Nephews that attend here. I have dropped off and picked up. Kids are kids, what child hasn't licked off food off a table or a floor, or a couch, or wherever, yes you get my drift. 2nd of all, parents do not belong in classrooms, telling the teaching how to do their jobs. Do you know the other children? Do you know their habits? Maybe the child was just fed, maybe the child is on a special medication, you don't know. 3rd, DCFS has ranked this center very high, Cheryl runs the day care with precision. 4th, Ed is the owner, he has Cheryl, Stacey and Jill to run the facility for him. You go through the chain of command. Cheryl is properly trained and educated for this position. When you have an issue with Walmart do you go straight to Waltons and complain? No, they have people in place for that. I love all the activities the Director puts together for the kids and staff. It really is a great place to watch your little ones learn and play. People need to make their own judgement and its ok if a facility is not right for their family. If I saw something I didn't like going on with my nieces and nephews, then I would speak up, and its ok if I felt it wasn't the right fit. Please do you research before making a judgement call, find the right fit for you and your child.

While we were of course nervous as new parents leaving our 7 month old daughter for the first time,…read morethe staff at Learning Tree Algonquin are incredibly caring and attentive and our worries quickly disappeared. Our daughter loves coming to daycare each day, and we're so glad we are a part of the Learning Tree family. We are also very grateful that they were able to accommodate us for part time daycare (3 days/week) while other centers would have required we find another family on our own to cover the other 2 days. Can't recommend them enough!

The staff at The Learning Tree are caring and responsive. All four of my children have spent time…read morethere over many years, from infancy through preschool. The preschool program is great preparation for kindergarten. The building is clean and well-maintained. I recommend The Learning Tree!

If I personally could give the childcare facility 0 stars, I would. When you send your child to…read moredaycare, you are trusting strangers to care for your child, but have great hope that the child care facility has done an in-depth review of the teachers they hire to care for your little ones. On 3/15/23 Ms. Janet (one of the teachers currently employed at Kiddie Academy) decided to twist my son's ear, because he and several of the other children were running around during nap time. However, I did not become aware that something had transpired until Thursday morning, when my son became distraught, crying and falling out because he did not want to go in the class with the teacher. Not understanding the full extent of what happened and believing what Ms. Luisa (the Director) shared about the kids running around during nap time and a teacher yelling into the classroom on 3/15/23, he attended daycare on 3/16/23. When he got home on 3/16/23 he had bruises on his left leg that resembled a hand print. Upon seeing the bruises, my son's father and I met with the Director to share our concerns. At no time were we offered the ability to view the video of the classroom on 3/15/23 to fully understand what transpired, nor were we able to see what happened on 3/16/23 that caused the bruises on my son's legs. To-date the only option offered was an apology and forgoing paying the 4 week cancellation fee. Ms. Janet is still employed at the facility and no additional action had been taken. As I am still exploring my personal options on how I'd liked to proceed in this particular situation, I thought it best at a minimum to post a review to hopefully help another parent avoid a similar situation.

Me and all my sibling's went here we had an amazing education be cause of Kiddie Academy! The staff…read moreis amazing they help us learn while having fun. I remember all my sibling's and I would come home with fun arts and crafts! They gave us an opportunity to grow. My cousin now comes here he always shares the fun things he did and whenever I pick him up he has the biggest smile on his face they make everyone feel special and proud of who they are they gave me the best experience I could ever ask for!

My 3 children go here and they all love it. They get to socialize and meet new friends and learn…read morenew things.

After moving out to the Algonquin area we had to find a new daycare for my son. Cadence Academy was…read morehighly recommended by a friend of mine and after interviewing other centers the choice was clear! They are above and beyond any other center I spoke to. The communication between the staff and the parents is just a breathe of relief. Even though I'm not with my kids 24/7 I know what's going on in there lives! After having my daughter it was so nice already knowing the perfect daycare to go to! I recommend this place to anyone who needs a daycare they can trust

My child was here for 3 days & caught 3 different viruses within those 3 days. I was in the…read moreemergency room over night with him for 4 days, and he was completely dehydrated due to the viruses. He caught COVID, Rhinovirus, & Influenza. Mind you there was no notice sent out to the other parents when I informed the daycare my child tested positive for these viruses. Also multiple times during the WINTER this location has stated that their heat has stopped working, but they are " having the kids dance around to keep them warm" Absolutely ridiculous and unsafe. Regardless of how friendly the staff is, this is an UNSAFE environment.

My kid caught lice here, then a week after she had a fever that wouldn't go away I noticed some…read morekids that were sick around my child, I mentioned it to one of the teachers but she said it was fine. Then my kid was sick for 5 days straight. Never coming back here for child care ever again. Management should be evaluated/ investigated by the state. In fact I'm about to report.

We have had such a wonderful experience! The staff goes above and beyond to make sure my child…read morefeels safe, happy, and cared for. It's clear they genuinely love what they do, and it shows in the attention and kindness they give every day. Thank you, La Petite, and the entire wonderful staff, for treating my child like family!

The teachers they are not professional at all. They don't know to talk to people at all. And they…read moredon't take care of the children like they should . They have a high turnover with the teachers so that mean they don't have any type of professionalism at all.

Would not recommend. The care was not acceptable in my opinion. Seemed to be short staffed and…read morelacked the cleanliness and patience.

This is the best daycare. As a mom of 1 baby, you know Id be super critical but Ive got nothing bad…read moreto say and although I NEVER write reviews, I love this place so much I feel compelled to write one. Ms. Gloria is like a 2nd Aunt to my son (Id use Grandmother for reference but she is so young in spirit, I feel Aunt is more appropriate). My kiddo sometimes has a tough time in the morning with separation anxiety and anytime he is upset, she jumps right in and holds his hand and sings with him until he is all better! You could not ask for a better care provider to watch over your precious little one in my opinion!

For the past three years, Friendship House has been such an important part of our family. We…read moreswitched here from an in home daycare. After touring, I knew immediately this was the right place. My oldest child started here first and truly blossomed. Now my 16-month-old has been attending since he was just 8 weeks old. Knowing that both of my children have been loved, cared for and encouraged every day has meant more than words can express. The teachers truly go above and beyond. They create a safe, nurturing environment while helping each child learn and grow. It's clear they genuinely care about the children, and that love shows in everything they do. Barbie and Jamee in the front office are equally as incredible. They are always welcoming, kind and willing to help with anything we need. From the moment we walk through the doors, we are greeted with smiles that make us feel at home. What truly stood out during our tour is they know every single family and child that comes through their door. After these years, Friendship House truly feels like an extension of our family. Leaving your children in someone else's care is never easy, but they have made that trust come naturally. We are so grateful for every teacher and staff member who has loved our children as if they were their own. My children have grown so much here and enjoy coming every day (even wishing to come on weekends) Thank you for making such a positive impact on our family, we couldn't imagine a better place for our boys.

From the owner: Over 50 Years of Quality Care…read more Friendship House of Crystal Lake specializes in infant care, day care, preschool and before and after school care for school aged children. We offer two, three and five day sessions. We have nurtured McHenry County, IL, children for more than 50 years. We have low staff turnover, and many of our instructors have more than 10 years of experience.We provide:* Large outdoor playgrounds* Summer camp up to 12 years of age* Transportation to and from some District 47 schools* Creative curriculum and developmental screenings* Field trips, nutritious meals and enrichment programsFriendship House is state licensed and not for profit. We provide learning through discovery in an environment that is rich in materials and challenges. Call Friendship House of Crystal Lake for more details.