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!

Are you looking for a preschool for your little one? LOOK NO FURTHER! Just register, you won't…read moreregret it. I researched all the local preschools from Barrington to Crystal Lake and St Barnabas was the best decision I could have made for my son. Immediately I felt at ease when talking with the director Kathy. She spent a lot of time talking with me and answering my questions (first timer with a lot). She was more than happy to show me around the school as well (it was summer time and they were closed). My son has febrile seizures so I also needed to put him someplace where I felt comfortable but also where they felt comfortable having a child there that this could possibly occur on their watch (lucky not to date). This was the place that made me feel most comfortable with his seizure disorder! My son is now in his second year of preschool and my youngest is already registered for next year to start in the 3T's program. It makes me so happy to see how my son looks forward to going to school each day. He has learned SO MUCH! He constantly comes home singing or telling me something that he's learned that day and it amazes me! But I love St Barnabas for the culture. The school environment is SO LOVING! It's like dropping him off with family. I know each time I leave he is in great hands. The staff have worked together for years and you can tell they all love what they do! What more could you want for in a preschool? This is the one! I know some have asked about the religious aspect in the school. Even if your NOT religious it's OK to still have your child attend preschool here. Religion is not forced upon you there. Yes it's faith based and my son can now tell me about Jesus and say prayers. It's not excessive. He tells me more about the months of the year and the days of the week.

Hands down the best preschool in the area! I felt like my daughter was in such great hands every…read moretime I dropped her off. She loved having Miss Lauren as her teacher. I can't stress how great Kathy, Chris and everyone there is. They make you feel like family. I can't recommend them enough!!!

We LOVE Algonquin Preschool! When we first moved to town a year ago, we were really overwhelmed…read morewith all the new decisions to make. Finding a new preschool turned out to be the easiest and best decision we've made so far! Some of our new neighbors casually mentioned Algonquin Preschool, so we scheduled a visit. My little guy was immediately comfortable with the teachers (and he's usually very shy at first!) and they let him stay and play as long as he wanted to. We immediately felt that this was the school for us. The environment was warm and friendly, and you can tell that a lot of thought goes into the planning of the classrooms and planning out the school year. The teachers all genuinely care about your child, and the focus is on PLAY. Play is the way preschoolers learn, and my son has shown so much social and emotional progress in his first year of school. We're so happy with our decision to send him here, and are so excited to send him again next year before he goes off to kindergarten :)

Our son loves this preschool! All of the teachers are so warm and kind! They seem to connect well…read morewith all of the children and families in the school. Algonquin Preschool is a friendly and nurturing environment with wonderful teachers and we can't recommend it enough!

The Goddard School has been our first experience with a preschool/daycare for our children…read more We've always felt the expense was not aligned with the benefit. We were wrong. Our 3-year-old is happy as a clam coming here. She cries sometimes at drop off, but the teachers are so great at consoling. One thing we love about Goddard is that they have flexible options for your needs. I won't get into them all, but we utilize 4 days a week and when there was a need for a day-switch, they easily accommodated. I already said the teachers are great, but in addition to being caring, they have given our child a sense of confidence and the freedom to try new things. Goddard also uses an app called Tadpole, where they regularly post photos with captions on what our child is doing. We like it because they send images of children only to the parents, it's not a shared directory of photos (except for the occasional group photo). Regarding the cost. For what they provide, we feel the cost is more than justified. Depending on your schedule, there are meals served throughout the day. They also allow you to bring substitutions for allergies or preferences. The cost is comparable to other schools in the area. Lastly, the school feels very safe. You need to sign in and get buzzed in to enter. There are plenty of windows so that you can see in and out of every classroom. This is great because you can see that the kids are happy here and the teachers are calm and kind. You should definitely consider Goddard.

This has been a great place for both my children. They always felt safe and cared for while they…read moreattended. they learned good coping strategies as well as experienced a rigorous but fun curriculum. As an educator myself I really appreciate the enthusiasm, commitment and care the teachers bring everyday. my family has been to other daycares and they did not even come close to Goddard. my daughter just graduated and seems ready for Kindergarten. my son is just finishing the 2nd grade and has been at the top of his class since kindergarten. This was largely impart to the great foundation of learning that he experienced at Goddard. I would strongly recommend the Lake in the Hills Goddard to anyone looking to bring their child to a fun and safe place that values learning and enriching the whole child. In addition they also started this year having field trips to the senior center across the street as well as a science fair. they also bring in MCC speakers to discuss the outdoors and different life cycles etc. My family and I have really enjoyed our time with Goddard and would recommend them to anyone.

After returning from a family members memorial, This place…read moreis CLOSED.. this business was a disgrace for the Early Childhood Learning industry

Does anyone know why this center closed? I turned them in for operating out of ratio, but I think…read morethere is more to the story....

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.

We have been a Tbubderbird family for years! Uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews have attended! My…read moreown children started attending at the age of 2 and went for 3 years! The teachers are so caring and my children loved going there! I would highly recommend this school!

Our family couldn't speak more highly of Thunderbird! We truly love being part of the Thunderbird…read morefamily. Our oldest son did two years at Thundbird, once kindergarten time came we couldn't believe how far our little guy had come! Thank you Thunderbird! We are excited for our youngest son to have the same experience now!