We are so grateful for Caterpillar Care (East Village)--it truly feels like a partnership in our parenting journey. The team is incredibly communicative, attentive, and nurturing. They keep us updated on our daughter's needs, milestones, and daily experiences, which gives us so much peace of mind. What stands out the most is how genuinely happy our daughter is to go every day--she literally kicks her legs with excitement at drop-off and can't wait to join her friends. Knowing she's in such a supportive and loving environment makes all the difference. We can't recommend Caterpillar Care enough! read more

We had an amazing experience at caterpillar care from 12 weeks to 3 years old. The smaller school was an ideal environment. They are flexible and meet the individual child's needs (or mom's expectations). Despite some staff changeover, they always prioritized hiring of quality and experienced teachers. They provide a safe, stimulating and fun environment that our little one was always excited to go to and helped us feel reassured about where she was spending so much time each week. read more

We toured the facility multiple times, both were wonderful experiences with its owner, Diana. she was warm and knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. The facility is clean and welcoming. We like the intimate feel of the Chicago Ave location with only 8 infants. Lastly, the staff is responds promptly to requests. read more

Caterpillar Care (Streeterville) truly became a home away from home for our baby. The activities, curriculum, outdoor walks, and social interactions helped our little one grow into a smart, independent, playful child. We HIGHLY recommend this daycare!! read more

My wife and I couldn't be happier in picking Caterpillar Care for our son.  We reached out to a few in the East Village area and this was by far the leader in our opinion. About one week prior to our first son starting at Caterpillar we learned that he had a swallowing issue and would be needing to receive liquids via a feeding tube.  While we had a decent list of questions and concerns upon learning this towards the top of our list was whether Caterpillar would accommodate a little one who needed a bit more attention and care than the average infant starting with them.  Thankfully Erika and the rest of the East Village staff were open to learning how to feed our son and accommodate him which meant the world to us as many daycares aren't as receptive to this type of requirement. What is great about this location is it was always designed to be smaller so the teacher to student ratio is 1:3 and actually a bit less as there are 5 teachers for the 12 kids at this site. We couldn't be happier with our decision to go with Caterpillar Care and while I'm sure there are other great places out there, I am so happy we got a spot here as it's been the best possible experience for both us and our son.  Our second child is due at the end of February and we already are excited for him/her to start the adventure with Caterpillar. read more

This review applies specifically to the Chicago Ave. location. We have been very happy with the care our son has received at Caterpillar Care. He started at age 4 months and is currently 10 months, we are leaving due to job relocation. Some highlights include: *Incredible infant care staff, Ms. Brittany in particular is very loving and sweet. Our son just adores her, he is genuinely excited to go to daycare every morning. *Great communication, they use an app called Tadpoles to communicate the basics (feedings, sleep, etc) but they also take the time to discuss your child's day with you when you pick them up. This is especially appreciated considering pick up is a busy time of day. *Drop off routine, other daycares we visited had elaborate drop-off routines, at Caterpillar Care you simply kiss-and-go, then leave all of your drop-off information (last bottle, last diaper, when they woke up, etc) via the Tadpoles app at your convenience. Caterpillar Care has been a wonderful experience for our child, we can only hope to find something similar near our new home. read more

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Congratulations, you've just found your daycare. The place where you can drop your child off, and he speed-crawls away into the arms of his best friends. The place where the teachers send you photos you'll treasure forever of your child's enormous smile. The place you walk into after work to the sound of live music (one of the teachers plays the ukulele), and singing and children clapping. Sound like a fairy tale? Well, it's real. And it's called Caterpillar Care. I was once like you, mom. Shopping for daycare. Freaking out. Going on tour after tour. Hopelessly, throwing my money away onto wait list after wait list. (We were on 4 while I was pregnant). Then, I met Diana, the founder and owner of Caterpillar Care. My initial impression was I want to be friends with this person. I liked her instantly. And as I've come to know the teachers who work at Caterpillar Care, who spend every week day with my son, I realized that if I knew these women, in some other circumstance, I would want to be friends with them. And isn't that every mom's dream? If you can't be with your child, who would you want watching him? How about 5 or 6 of your friends? Sound good? Done. My son has been at Caterpillar Care for over 7 months now. I can truly say without reservation that I never worry about him. (Do I worry about him when he is home alone with my husband? No comment.) When's he's at daycare, I know that he is going to eat well, take a nap, and get some good play time and exercise. Most importantly, I know he is safe and happy. At 13 months old, my child has a community of friends his age, and adults who truly care about him. He's got a pretty great life. Thanks to his mom&dad and Caterpillar Care. read more

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I'm a super busy mom (who isn't, right?) and I love that when I drop my son at Caterpillar Care, my mind is eased that he is in the best possible place he could be. We've been going to CC for over a year, and I find myself dreading the day that he turns 3 and we need to find somewhere else. The teachers really care about each one of the children, bragging about the kids' accomplishments (yes, my son's first steps were on those foam mats - and YES, the teachers got a few of those steps on video), and keep you up to date on every single thing that goes on during the day. My son learns, sleeps, eats, plays and loves being at CC! As a mom, I love that the center is focused on natural woods, organic foods, imaginative play and has an outdoor space for every sunny day that Chicago give us. If you've been on a bunch of tours, you'll know that weird, pungent, ever-present, baby scent that some places have - CC legitimately smells like flowers and sunshine. I also want to add that Caterpillar Care is onboard with us Cloth Diapering! I called SO MANY daycares trying to find a place that would allow us to cloth diaper and CC was ready and up for the challenge. read more

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My daughter attended Caterpillar from July 2016 - May 2017. We left b/c we moved to California, and we shed some serious tears over the decision to move and leave such a wonderful daycare. As so many parents can understand, finding good, safe, reliable childcare with a nurturing and empathetic environment is not the easiest problem to solve. Caterpillar is the solution. The teachers are warm and loving, and my little one always had the best time! There are planned lessons, which might be hard to believe for the infants and toddlers, yet the kiddos are sponges and soak up the great info taught to them! In the time she was there, she learned so much, and she didn't want to leave most nights! Their overall approach is forward-thinking, including the curriculum, design, and use of technology. In addition to the great curriculum, the space is inspiring, which is an important stimulus for little ones. The design of the daycares (both locations) is thoughtful and beautiful, with the toys being nicely curated, too. Caterpillar used (they likely still do!) a mobile app and posted photos each day, along with updates. This helped us get a sense of what our lady learned and the activities she participated in each day. If you need a daycare, check out Caterpillar - they're the best! It's hard to get a spot but be persistent. My husband emailed and called regularly until we received a call back, met with the owner, and ultimately decided to send our daughter there. We miss our Caterpillar family and can't thank you enough for the loving, empathetic environment for which our daughter thrived. A year later and she still talks about her three besties. Thank you for such a positive influence and wish you'd open locations in The Bay Area :-) read more

My daughter has been going to caterpillar care part-time for almost a year since she was 12 weeks old. They were accommodating from the very beginning and you could tell that Diana really loves what she does. I love that they send out a weekly lesson plan and everyday you receive a report card of what your babes did. I also LOVE that they have catering by whole foods for the older students (which my kid is now). All of the teachers have been wonderful and the structure has been great for my daughter. Its also always super super clean in there, which is an added bonus. Leaving your kid is the hardest thing a mother will have to do and caterpillar care has made it just a little easier. read more

My daughter has been going to caterpillar care for more than a year now and my family is very happy with our choice (and our good luck we got a spot). Would give 6 stars if I could. I drop her off without a worry everyday that she's well taken care of and loved! My daughter too is usually rushing in the morning to get to daycare to be with her darling miss Kassie and friends. She learns amazing things sign language, games, good manners and these days at home she is trying out her new yoga moves Miss Jackie is teaching them! read more

caterpillar care - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Love, love, love Caterpillar Care! My son has been a member of the CC family since he was 3 months old. The staff is excellent and they really care about my son. He learns so much every day and smiles when arrives and as he leaves. They really listen to me as a parent and communicate well. They calmed my nerves as a new mom by sending photos throughout the day and now they do AMAZING sensory and craft projects with him in the toddler room. We love the teachers (Erika, Karla, Martha and Yulissa), director (Kristina) and other families who attend. This is a special place and I highly recommend it! read more

This review is purely based on their lack of communication. I have tried calling them several times to no avail. I left a few voice messages last week and no response as of yet. I've tried calling them again today only to be greeted 'Welcome to Caterpillar Care. The person at extension 101 (or 102) is not available. Blah blah blah'. Seriously, how many phone calls and messages does it take to get your response? You may have the best teachers, but you have the worst office staff (sorry to say this, but that's the truth). This is plain annoying! read more

My daughter ( two years old) has been with Caterpillar for a year now. She loves it at Caterpillar and we are very happy with it too. The teachers care a lot, are very responsive to needs and questions from.parents. She has learnt a lot at daycare and has formed very strong relationships with her teachers. She comes home happy and is eager to go meet Her friends and teachers. I would highly recommend it Snehal Update: WE LOVE Caterpillar Care. My daughter and son were at Caterpillar Care for a combined three years and we've gotten to know the staff as family. The teachers know the kids very well. Both my kids were very happy there and even now they know the teachers and recall things they did at Caterpillar Care. We developed great relationships there, we saved a lot of money on clothes because the teachers gave us clothes they didn't use for their kids! Caterpillar Care prioritizes relationships with parents, we've benefited tremendously from it. They worked hard to find a spot for our son after having our daughter go there for two years. We've attended birthday parties with the staff! They're very accommodating and understand each kid very well. My daughter remembers her Caterpillar Care teachers after leaving the school almost 2 years ago. We miss Caterpillar Care. It is very evident after we moved to the new daycare. Snehal read more

Love love this place and love the ladies who work and run it! Our little one has been with Caterpillar Care for over two years now and loves it. We are so happy we chased after Diana (the owner) non-stop for a month to get a placement here. The teachers are wonderful and know their kids.There are weekly lesson plans provided to parents/guardians every week. The kids do a lot of reading, writing, music plans, nature walks, park visits and a ton of projects ...artworks galore. At the end of every day we get a "report" of our kiddos activity that includes photos, lessons learnt, food intake etc. I love and look forward to these EVERY DAY!! A special thanks to Kristina and all the ladies here for working so so hard each and every day. Thank you! Thank you! - Love, Pennington's read more

My 2 year old son has been with Caterpillar Care since he was 3 months old. This place is fantastic and I really feel he is very happy there. Here are some things that I like about this daycare: 1. My son doesn't mind being dropped there every morning. He just say bye bye and send me kisses. That's a great sign. I know he likes going there. 2. We get detailed reports on food, naps, diaper change and a lot of pictures every day. 3. If something is wrong they call right away. 4. My son really loves his teachers, I can tell. 5. They do a lot of art and it's great because I'm not very good with that. 6. They teach a sign language, so finally I can tell what does he want or if he wants more food! 7. Food! Great menu every week. 8. They go to the park almost every day. 9. Open at 6AM, so I can be at work at 7AM (burbs) and still pick him up at a reasonable time. 10. They read a lot of books, sing songs, dance or do yoga! I'm very grateful to Diana (owner) and all teachers for taking care of my son when I'm at work. They are doing a really great job. Thank You! read more

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We have sent our son to Caterpillar Care since he was three months old. The caretakers are great, he adores Brittany and Diana's team takes amazing care of him. He is always excited to go and we feel he's learned so much with regards to motor and social skills from being around the other children. They do a great job with their weekly curriculum and helping teach him ABCs, numbers, shapes, etc. We also greatly appreciate that they speak to him in Spanish and are willing to teach him as he gets older. We really enjoy the pictures and daily summary they share too. read more

As a disclaimer - I do not have a child enrolled in Caterpillar Care, so this review is not regarding the actual care provided, but rather the communication (or lack thereof). I would have loved to enroll my child in this daycare; however, I simply could no longer wait months for a response from the director. I first filled out the online inquiry in May 2016. After about 2 weeks, I got a generic email (essentially an out of office response) including basic information about the business and current openings. This was actually great and not an excessive amount of time to wait for a response given the director was out on maternity leave at that time. Because I was only 5 months pregnant at the time and not looking to start my child until January 2017, I wrote back to say I'd love to attend an open house (this was mentioned in the generic email, however, no date was given for said open house) and inquired about the waitlist situation for January. I received no response, so I decided to wait until July when Diana would be back from maternity leave. I emailed two more times in July to follow-up and received no response. I called the number from the website and was sent directly to voicemail with no call-back. In early August I decided to drop by and see if there was another staff member I could speak with to set up a tour and get my questions answered. I spoke with the woman at the front desk who was very friendly and as helpful as she could be, however, she was not able to set up a tour for me or give me any information about the waitlist because that had to come from the director. She took down my info and told me Diana would contact me soon. After two weeks I heard nothing from Diana, so I contacted the front desk directly again and was told I would hear something in the next week. By this time it was the end of August, but Diana did actually email me back. The first available tour wasn't until September 10th, so I told her that should work for me, however, I needed to get back to some other daycares by the end of August to avoid the waitlist. At this point I was still seriously considering Caterpillar Care, so I asked if she could please answer a few simple questions by the end of the week (what days are you closed, are you currently on a waitlist, and are there any rules around pick-up/drop-off times). It's now September 12th, and I did not get any answers to my questions nor was I contacted to actually schedule the tour on 9/10. I've since booked with another daycare. While it's completely understandable to be out of the office for an extended period of time for maternity leave, vacation, etc., I do not understand why another staff member could not be appointed to handle questions, tours, etc. during this time. read more

My son has been enrolled at the Chicago Ave location of Caterpillar Care full-time since he was 3 months old and is now almost 12 months old. I cannot say enough good things about this daycare. As a first-time mom, leaving my child at the end of maternity leave when I started back to work was the most difficult thing I have ever had to do. I was unsure how I could possibly trust any stranger to take exceptional care of my child. I must say, the staff at Caterpillar Care put me to ease from day one. My little guy is always happy to go to there and looks just as happy and content when I pick him up. He adores his caregivers (a big thanks to his primary caregivers, Ms. Brittany and Ms. Kristina!), and just thinks that they are our part of our family, which they have proven to be just that. We love how open the communication is, especially with the phone app that provides us with information about how his day went along with pictures. They also give us a nice verbal report upon pick up for the day. A big bonus is all of the artwork my little guy has made for us since day one! We also very much appreciate the flexible hours. Working as a medical professional can mean early and odd hours. I was worried that my only childcare option due to my early start time would be a nanny and I really wanted my son to go to daycare for social interaction. While most of the daycares in the city open at 7am, this daycare opens at 6am. This is great because it allows for parents with early work hours the option of placing their child in daycare. My only wish is that Caterpillar Care expands to offer pre-school before my son turns three and can no longer attend! read more

After looking at numerous daycares and child care options to no avail (either they were very unsuitable or very unavailable) and with about 1 month of maternity leave left (yikes)...we found Caterpillar Care. Within 30 minutes of seeing the space and meeting Diana, Caterpillar Care's wonderful owner, we knew this was "the one". I had tears in my eyes as we walked back to the car after our visit because we had stumbled upon something very special and we were lucky enough to find it. We were one of the first three families who signed up for caterpillar care when they opened in 2012 and our daughter stayed there until she turned 3 and she went to preschool. When I first went back to work (as a first time Mom), I thought it was going to be SO difficult to leave our daughter with someone else, virtually a complete stranger. During that first week, Diana would respond to my multiple texts throughout the day within minutes and many times, would send me photos and the play-by-play of my daughter's day. She accommodated my every quirky request for my daughter's care and never made me feel like I was being "high maintenance". Within less than a week, my mind was completely at ease. This was indeed "the one". Diana has created the most loving, safe, beautiful, cozy and nurturing environment for the kids in her care (including my lucky little nugget). She and her wonderful assistants love these kids like they are their own. She has also created a wonderful community for the parents, in which we are all in on her photo sharing, communications, and networking amongst the parents. The kids here rarely ever get sick, which is unheard of in a daycare environment. Our daughter has never been sick (more than a basic runny nose) in her time at caterpillar care. Yes, that's a big deal. I have heard time and again from friends and new moms how they hate leaving their kids at day care and how they feel SO guilty, etc. etc. Not me. I walked away each day and didn't look back. We trusted Diana more than anyone else to care for our little one (let's hope the Grandparents don't read this). Caterpillar Care was our daughter's second home, I can't imagine having taken her anywhere else. read more

Our son has been with Caterpillar for over 1 year now and we feel lucky to have found such an incredible place. Kristina, Brittany, Marta, & Alejandra are so very passionate about all the kids. They send us the tadpole report everyday full of pictures and what he ate for meals. And by the way, they provide great organic meals that allows your child to try to different foods. I would recommend to anyone. First class. read more

Caterpillar Care has a very special place in my family's heart. The daycare itself is absolutely beautiful, as well as the staff. The enchanted theme of the space is memorizing. The teachers are so sweet and welcoming and make dropping your child off a little easier, you'll know they are in great hands. The teachers make sure to keep you posted throughout the day so you know how your little one is doing and send pictures that really warm your heart during your work day. They work so closely with each family and build great relationships that last even past when the child leaves the program. The caterpillar care staff stays in contact with families to see how the child is doing into their preschool and elementary years of education. It's really amazing! I love this place! read more

Finding daycare in the city can be an overwhelming process and I feel so lucky that we found Caterpillar Care! After meeting the owner, Diana, I felt welcome and reassured that we had found the right place for our son. She said all the things I had been waiting to hear and you can see how much she genuinely cares for the daycare, the teachers, and the kids. Going back to work is hard but Caterpillar Care made it so much easier for me because I knew he was safe and loved. I can't recommend Caterpillar Care enough. My son would happily go open armed to his favorite teacher every morning and be just as happy when we picked him up. The teaching staff is amazing and nurturing and you can tell by all the smiles that the kids adore them. They are also easy to keep in touch with and would respond promptly to any questions I had throughout the day (and were always able to offer some good advice to a first time mom!). Caterpillar Care will forever hold a special place in our hearts. We trust his teachers completely and consider them a part of our family. If you're lucky enough to join the Caterpillar Care family, you will not be disappointed! read more

We moved to Chicago two months before having our little boy. This made it difficult for us to be sure we found the right day care. We searched long and hard, and then again and again. Thankfully we were so fortunate to find Caterpillar Care! Our little boy started at 2 months and has been there for the past 7 months. With all the worries of a first time parents, Kristina, Diana, Brittany and Alejandra make everyday feel right. They have worked with us addressing our wishes and are super willing to make accommodations specific to our baby boy. We have daily reports of all of his diapers, eating, playtime and pictures of smiles ear to ear. The environment is very vibrant with music and art projects. Most of all, our baby boy loves it here and is able to grow and flourish under the care of these wonderful ladies. read more

My daughter has been going to Caterpillar Care for about 7 months (since she was 3 months old), shortly after this location opened. As first time parents, we were unsure of what to expect from a daycare, but immediately felt at ease upon meeting the center director, Kristina, and owner, Diana. In addition, the infant teachers (Brittany, Ely, and Mia) have been so loving and attentive which has made it a no-brainer to leave our daughter in their care. I like the fact that this location is small - parents and kids recognize each other, it feels like a little community, and if I want to take time to chat with one of the teachers about my kid's day I feel there is space to do that. To acknowledge a concern mentioned by another reviewer: While it did take a few tries to get in touch with them initially, after we connected with them, they were very responsive, and I always feel like I have an open line of communication with them (especially via text). I often get midday updates via text from her teachers - including a video of her army crawling for the first time. Also - unlike all the other centers I looked into - they support cloth diapering! Overall we've been very happy with the care our little one has received there. read more

Compared to other options this place looks like a gem. The facility looks exceptionally well kept, clean and trendy, the ratio of children to teachers is also highly desirable. However, the owner refuses to return calls or emails making it an impossible to get any kind of information about the program & availability. If you can wait 6-8 weeks for a call back it might be worth the wait... read more