Where does one begin a stupid online review when a teacher physically assaults your child? It's hardly a means of retribution, but there are other avenues being pursued to that extent. I make this review more as a warning to the other parents who send their children to Chesterbrook. My wife and I had enough issues dealing with the "educators" at Chesterbrook when our child came home with a head injury or covered in human feces - but if you batter our child, you have started something you cannot stop. Perhaps other parents reading this will feel the same way. To be sure, we are in no way 'helicopter parents' and believe in discipline. But, there is, of course discipline and abuse, and this crossed the line. Our son became scared and hesitant to attend Chesterbrook, and would tell us approx. a week later about this incident. Upon hearing this, we met with the "principal" - who showed us the video of the "teacher" being physical with our child. Oddly enough, the principal agreed that the contact was inappropriate and that steps would be taken to remedy the situation. Upon picking up our child a mere three hours later, we were told that the principal had been fired. Following that, in an act of retaliation, we were told that our child was moved to a class of children two years younger than him. When we met with the district manager (or whatever she claimed to be), she not only admitted that she had never video and laughed in our face while we met with her. Completely unprofessional and indicative of somebody who cannot handle their job responsibilities, much less have some control over the well being of children. I could (and would like to) name the relevant individuals, but that will only serve to have this post removed. Nevertheless, those responsible will be held responsible in court. But, my advice - ask questions and get your child out of Chesterbrook asap. read more

I have a 4 and 7 year old who have attended Chesterbrook for 1.5 years. My daughter is in PreK 2 and my son attends the before and after school program. A few months ago, we were looking for a new place to send our children. I had really had it with all of the changes in staff and leadership at the school. I really loved the teachers when we first started but the atmosphere had changed and the teachers were very unhappy. I was beginning to see that it was hurting my children's experience at school. Right before we were leaving Chesterbrook, there was announcement that a new principal (Jen) would be transferring from the Plainfield Chesterbrook. I've never seen a school turn around so quickly (and I have worked in education for 15 years myself). I noticed an immediate change in teacher morale, cleanliness of the school and communication with parents. Because of the changes, we decided to stay. Jen sets high expectations for her teachers and is a great communicator. The teachers seem happy and the kids also seem much happier. Jen has also led new changes such as getting organic milk into the school, ordering new furniture and adding new learning materials. I hope the school continues to make these amazing improvements. As for the curriculum, my 4 year old just read her first book last night, teaches me words in Spanish, can add and subtract and talks about all of the "cool things Ms. Becca teaches her" at dinner each night. My kids are safe, appreciated and have a lot of fun at school. I'm not sure I can ask for much more! read more

Chesterbrook Academy has been AMAZING! We were sold on Chesterbrook after we went to the open house and Ms. Jen was so warm and welcoming. My son had a really hard time transitioning because he had been with his sitter for 3 years. Ms. Jacquie and Ms. Arshi were so incredibly patient and loving to him. My son also has some needs and they have been so supportive of him. My son absolutely LOVES it there! They do so many fun activities that he never complains about going to school. I highly recommend Chesterbrook in Wheaton! read more

Chesterbrook is a great place. Jen and her staff are amazing (my son was in toddlers/twos). The Director Jen is very understanding and accommodating of child's schedule. The children do a lot of great activities throughout the day and the app that they use enables you to see pictures of your child throughout the day which is a huge plus. I loved this Chesterbrook so much that after moving, I had a commute of 35/40 minutes. After months of commuting we decided to find something closer, It was a tough decision to leave. I would definitely recommend Chesterbrook Wheaton to parents. Cannot say enough good things about Chesterbrook Wheaton. read more

We made an appointment after checking availability. By the time we went to see the location and spoke to the front desk person they told us they had no availability so what's the point!? He director seemed to be clueless there. I hope they deal differently with kids than adults. read more

Here are the top 10 things a parent should know if Chesterbrook's Pre-K program is in their consideration set. 1. Chesterbrook does not foster a spirit of inclusion (ask about the numbers by the play areas). 2. They promote neither a love of learning nor social growth. 3. Their teachers do not have the knowledge base or resources to ease your child into their transition to the school. 4. They do not offer a safe, healthy environment. 5. They do not engage with the children or parents. 6. Many of the teachers are unprofessional, dismissive and don't have any desire to collaborate with parents and ensure your child is in an environment where they can feel comfortable and where their minds and spirits will flourish (with the exception of Ms. Ann). 7. They do discourage direct communication with the teachers your child interacts with daily. Instead they insist on filtering info through a non-responsive principal. 8. They have a gossipy staff who swear in front of parents, are disorganized, and don't understand how their billing system works. 9. When your child's behavior drastically changes over the 18 days he was there and he cries every night about going back to school where the kids are allowed to push around and exclude other children, teachers tell him to play by himself and don't believe him when he uses his words, you pull the plug on bad child care. Then you watch him sleep better than he has in almost 3 weeks after being told he didn't have to go back. 10. There are many other schools in this the Wheaton area that are welcoming, nurturing, concerned for the welfare of every child, and employ excellent teachers who will embrace your child, and help them make more progress in a week than he had in the last month. And you place your little boy there you see him get back to himself after just a few days at that school and you know you're in the right place. And that's not Chesterbrook. P.S. It's also a red flag that the principal appears to have reviewed the school. read more

Worst school!!! Kindercare does a better job! You'll actually have staff members that don't drop the f bomb infront of a bunch of toddlers! Don't let the principal and assistant fool you! read more

I am so happy my grandson no longer attends this seemingly demeaning and unprofessional school. He is no longer unhappy with learning. No more nightmares. I'm so grateful his parents are so involved to have discovered the lack of true ability to nurture children so quickly. I suggest anyone contemplating this school do heavy research and observations. Do not be fooled by first impressions. read more

I LOVE CHESTERBROOK ACADEMY!! First off all the directors Pam and Lauren are fantastic. They always have a smile on their faces and are happy to see my children and I. The teachers are always taking great care of the kids and they love to run around with them on the playgrounds. I would not trust any other place with my infant son. I wish I would have known about Chesterbrook when my daughter was going through day care. The facilities are spotless and never smell bad like alot of other daycares I have been too. I did question them about an incident that I read about on this website and they assured me that DCFS came out and evaluated the situation and reported to them that it was a false incident report. I am so happy to have found such a wonderful daycare with a fantastic curriculm and love for my children. read more

My kids have been at this Chesterbrook location for 2years now and they love it. The first year we did experience a little staff/management turn over but ever since Jen new principal transferred in from another Chesterbrook location things have turned around. Both of my kids really like their teachers and I feel like the teachers genuinely care about each one of the kids under their care. read more

I don't do lots of reviews, but this seems necessary. Over the nearly two years our kids have attended this place it has declined, dramatically. It's clear that the problem is management. 3 or 4 principles, incredible teacher turnover, and incredible administrative incompetence has forced us to make a change. Well, that and the fact that so many of our kids' friends and favorite teachers have left over the last few months. If this place is still open in a year it will only be because there aren't enough seats for children to attend daycare in the area. It's almost as if the corporation that owns Chesterbrook is intentionally attempting to shut the doors of the Wheaton location by driving long-tenured teachers and families away. I'm sure there are still very nice people left, though they are blatantly getting younger (cheaper?) teachers and pushing out long-tenured ones, but there are better options (for the same high price!) around. And, during our search for a new daycare we learned that Chesterbrook Academy is viewed by other institutions as kind of the joke of the area. I'm just bummed because the location was so convenient for us. Oh well. Buyer beware. The current director "A.G." is overmatched and way in over her head. I'm sure they got her at a favorable pay rate (seems to be the running theme of this corporation), but it's all going down hill fast. read more

If I could give zero stars, I would, but that is not an option on the site. The principal is unengaged and doesn't communicate with the parents, or her teachers for that matter. The teachers in the intermediate room do not care for children at all and pay no attention to them. They let kids bully other kids and do nothing to stop it, or even (at the very least) protect them. After my son came home with scratches and bite marks no one coudl explain I asked to view video from my sons room. What I saw was schocking -- he was basically assulated (pushed, hit, kicked, etc., twice within a four minute time period) and the teachers did nothing. My son went up to one of the teachers for help and she walked away from him. I pulled my kids immediately and will never return. RUN from this place. Your children deserve better. read more

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Chesterbrook Academy. Our son has been attending since he was 12 weeks old. We have had an excellent experience - from administration to the amazing teachers to the curriculum. We always know our son is in good hands, they truly love him and have been amazing partners in his development. I am so thankful we found such a great place. I would highly recommend Chesterbrook. read more

We as a family finally found a place we love and feel so good everyday when dropping off our 3 and 4 year old. The communication is excellent and the level of education and exploration is a great balance. Our girls cannot wait to go to school everyday. read more

My son just started Chesterbrook Academy in Wheaton and absolutely loves it. The principal took a great deal of her time prior to his attending to answer the many questions that I had while researching full time preschools in the area. Since attending, the principal has continued to take the time to talk about any questions or concerns that I have had during his transition. His teacher has also taken a great deal of her time to talk with me and let me know how my son is transitioning into a new school and classroom. My son's excitement about going to school every day, and his comfort level also speak volumes. I am so grateful to all of the staff that have made that happen and am so excited to see all that he learns and experiences as a result of this school year! read more

I have two children attending this school; one in Pre-K and the other in Beginners. We began at this school a couple of months ago after moving to the area. The children had previously attended the south Naperville Chesterbrook for a couple of years. The south Naperville Chesterbrook was such an amazing experience that when moving to Wheaton we knew that we wanted our children to remain at a Chesterbrook. Since moving to this location everything about the school has been great! The teachers have been amazing and work well with the children. My children come home every day excited to talk about what they learned about at school. The principal (Jen) has clearly done an amazing job with this school. She is very attentive to the needs of the children and the parents. Overall, the environment provided by this school has exceeded our expectations. I would recommend this school highly to anyone looking for a place to enroll their children. read more

I had my kids at Chesterbrook since they were 12 weeks old, but recent changes (which I attribute primarily to the principal who is borderline rude in 25% of any contact) have caused this facility to go downhill dramatically. There has been a mass exodus of both staff and children, so you will not get continuous care as is expected, and is the state mandate. Instead, because they have so few staff, they will send your kids to different classrooms without telling you (including against EXPLICIT instruction that you your child is not to be moved without contacting you). They don't bother keeping track of where the kids coats areo send them back to your assigned class, so you have to go on a scavenger hunt at the end of the day to find them, and frequently get nothing or incomplete sheets regarding daily activities that are required by law. They take no responsibility for inadequate care nor will they address your concerns expressed directly to staff or their director (email went us acknowledged, much less substantively addressed), but rest assured they will make an effort to call you to tell you that you owe them money for services not performed when your kids are no longer at their school. read more

Chesterbrook is a wonderful child care facility. The teachers and staff have been excellent with our children. We are new to the area and didn't know much about summer camp options in Wheaton. I signed my 3 kids up for different week long camps in the area. The kids attended Balckhawk Camp through the Wheaton Park district, Summer Science Camp through the Morton Arboretum and summer camp at Chesterbrook. All 3 kids preferred Chesterbrook Summer Camp. Chesterbrook took them on field trips almost every day; they went to Lego Land, water parks, arcades, splash pads, local parks & swimming pools. The kids had cooking classes & beginning chess instruction. The kids always had tons of new and exciting things to do. We had such a great experience with summer camp that we enrolled our youngest in preschool at Chesterbrook. Preschool is going well for our little one and Chesterbrook was able to add days for us on week when we needed a little extra help. Chesterbrook recently added enrichment classes in Spanish, music, art, PE and technology. read more

It's always hard for parents to find the best care and education for their children. The minute I walked into Chesterbrook Academy, I felt the love of the staff and observed the children actively learning. The school had children's work displayed through out, which as a parent, I loved! My children both began in the school as babies and have loved every single one of their teachers. The teachers have always made our children feel so loved! Every staff member is caring and very nurturing. The baby teachers are amazing with the babies! I have never once questioned whether or not my baby was getting the care needed...I knew my babies were in great hands! The curriculum that is taught at Chesterbrook goes above and beyond! My children have learned so much from attending this school. I have been very impressed and pleased with what they have learned while attending there. My oldest has attended multiple field trips through out the school year and during summer camp. I love that they provide field trips to the younger children too because that allows them to learn through real life experiences. My oldest child has always been very excited to learn and I thank the teachers for their encouragement and making learning fun! read more