I have nothing but good things to say about Children's Lighthouse. The facility is clean and there are plenty of toys/ activity stations for any child to play with. The infant room has a very cool table with multiple high chairs built into it so that your child gets to "socialize" and hang out with the other kids! It's super cute. The staff is kind, welcoming, and they are all so quick to respond to any questions or concerns. It amazes me how good they are about posting updates including multiple photo updates which I absolutely love! The 7:00-6:30 hours of operation is really helpful for mine and my husbands busy work schedules. I definitely recommend Childrens Lighthouse for anyone in the Lincoln Square area! read more

My wife and I were apprehensive about daycare in the beginning just like most parents. But in retrospect honestly one of the best decisions we made for our baby. Everyone at the daycare shows compassion and genuinely cared about our daughter. It is affordable, convenient, and safe. The hours are great and the location is excellent. The staff in each of the rooms our baby progressed through was excellent. Overall would recommend to anyone looking for a quality daycare that you can trust and afford. read more

We love Children's lighthouse in North Center! They have a great curriculum, cameras for safety and good food options. My daughter looks forward to "school"! She was home for 2+ years so it took her a while to adjust but she loves it now. Plus it's next to Burning Bush brewery so that's a bonus ! They are very flexible and accommodating. The other parents are friendly too! One thing that stinks is some turnover w the staff but that's sadly to be expected these days... some staff however has been there many years. read more

We've been sending our infant here for almost a month now and we have zero complaints. It's in a perfect location for us and everyone is so nice and so professional. read more

Our daughter has been with children's lighthouse for about 3 years. It's a very engaging, caring environment. Our daughter loves it! We are very satisfied with the care she receives. They offer organic meals, which we appreciate. They have an indoor gym that the kids all love. read more

I have been taking my two children to this facility for over two years now and during that time I have witnessed many incident reports, bruises and marks due to understaffing, and unprofessionalism . The front desk staff are always gossiping, the teachers don't get along, and the needs of my children are not being met. When I enrolled my oldest into the daycare things were much more organized. However, the entire staff, excusing the owner and her wife, is different from then. I would give this daycare a 4/10. Their curriculum is impressive and very educational whenever they decide to do it. I love how I can log on at any point and watch my children play from home. I am no longer affiliated with this child care center. read more

I have had my kids at Lighthouse since 2016. We have had four kids attend throughout the years and couldn't be happier with the teachers that they have had. The teachers are all very caring and do an excellent job teaching the kids, from potty training to the alphabet. We would recommend Lighthouse to anyone! read more

RUN! Don't let the location and tuition fool you! You would think that a school that costs more than my monthly mortgage and is located in North Center that you would get top notch care for your child. Unfortunately this isn't the case. My child has been here for about 6 months now and they are constantly sick! Sinus congestion, pink eye, viral infections, covid, ear infections, you name it they've had it and my child rarely ever got even a runny nose before starting at this school. The staff at the front desk is nonchalant, there are no health checks and children are allowed to attend with runny noses and sickness of all kinds because parents can just send Tylenol. It's clear that even with the fancy extravagant zono system, the staff here is not taking precautions to keep the children and the classrooms clean. There's no handwashing because if there was, my child would not have sticky fingers when I pick them up. I hate to see how things were ran pre-covid because it's completely unacceptable. The teachers are careless, they don't clean the boogers off the children's faces, they don't wipe their mouths after meals, they don't change their clothes when they get messy, and the chances of you picking up your child with a full soiled diaper is about 85%. I witnessed a little girl literally eating from the trash can along with a child with snot running down to his lips. I've seen multiple children taking cups from others and drinking from it and the teachers did nothing. Its disgusting. Why are the teachers even there? They let the children run wild, there's very little structure in terms of educational activities. I've seen a teacher sit on the same spot at the circle time rug for 3 hours; barely engaging with the children. My child has come home with bumps and bruises and not only did I never get a call about them but the teachers couldn't even explain how they got them. A teacher even slapped a child before and instead of firing the teacher, the parents had to remove their child from the center. Laziness and neglect is how I would describe it. Lastly the hidden fees and payment structure; you cannot make payments as you please or for the whole month, they take the payments out each week and there's no online payment center you just have to sit and wait for the money to be taken out. There have been at least 4 times that I was charged random fees that were never mentioned in the handbook or an email and they didn't inform me until the day they were taking the money from my account. I honestly don't even know how this school is up and running. I'm not the only parent that feels this way, I'm just the only one bold enough to call out the bullshit. The only reason this review is even getting 1 star is because parents have access to the classroom cameras and because of two outstanding teachers, Ms.Karina and Ms. Jackie. Now that Ms.Karina is gone, there's not much of a reason to keep my child here! For the price and everything that goes on here, you might as well take your child to an unlicensed home daycare ....based on my experience this place is not worth the money. read more

Staff and teachers genuinely care about my child - they're proactive, communicative and responsive. Any speed bump has been met with immediate attention, action and resolution. My daughter gets excited to see her teachers and the other children every day. Regarding the prior negative reviews - there is of course no comparison for how you would care for your child, or the 1:1 attention a nanny would bring. But, if you see the benefit of day care (social interaction with other children, variety of activities and lessons, exposure to different caretakers) - there's no other place I would send my child. read more

My son goes here. The teachers are well trained and loving. All of the staff is very attentive and accommodating while teaching the littles so much. My son has grown so much over the time he has been going there and we have lighthouse to thank. One of the selling points to me and the LO was the indoor playground for when we have bad or undesirable weather. Thank you Lighthouse staff!!! read more

My grandson started here. The other Yelp reviews are positive, but here are the issues my grandson had: We had difficulty with our keypad access. The parking lot is crowded, with our car blocked in by the cars of Lighthouse employees, who apparently don't pay attention to being paged ! Crosswalks are faded out, so look out to being rundown by speeding cars ! The care was OK, but the staff we ran into outside of the Day Care Center were arrogant and paid no attention to our questions... read more

My wife and I (and our son) love Children's Lighthouse! Highly recommended. Highlights: 1. Friendly, caring staff providing a safe and enriching environment for my son. 2. Great use of technology to provide email updates to parents throughout the day and web-cams that allow us to check in on our lil' guy at any time. 3. Clean, pleasant, well laid-out facility. 4. 15-minute standing zone in front of the entrance for easy pick-up and drop-off. 5. Located right across the street from a big local park. 6. Awesome large playroom in the middle of the building with big skylights for "indoor recess" with natural light. Room for improvement: 1. We had some difficulty with our keypad access early on, but the receptionist could see the door and buzzed us in so not a big deal. 2. The parking lot is great, but perhaps a gap in the middle of the fence for easier access and a more clearly defined crosswalk to the front entrance would be nice. Again, not a big deal. Our 18-month old started at Children's Lighthouse this year. He goes three days each week and so far, I've been very impressed with our experience. The staff is very friendly and professional. Our son is in the toddler room with Ms. Angie and Ms. Kara, and we really like them both. I feel that the building is very secure, with a keypad that we punch a code (that we choose) in for access, and the building feels very clean and well-maintained. The toddlers seem to have days full of interesting activities and time to play and the organic meals (while not a big deal for us) are a nice plus. Children's Lighthouse does all of the basics very well! What I like the most is how they use technology to send updates to us throughout the day. My wife says she starts craving the email updates (with pictures of our son) during the day, comparing it to when you start dating a new person and can't wait for another text from him (I'm trying not to read too far between the lines on that one :P). Then at the end of the day, they send a an email to you with a daily report including nap times, meal times, potty times, and a recap of the snapshots of the activities from throughout the day (see photo attached). I actually like that the photos "expire" after a few days for privacy's sake. I also like the location - it's across from Horner Park so they take the kids out for walks over there - and the drop-off and pick-up is easy. Also, the big "indoor recess" playroom in the middle is awesome (see attached picture)! The picture on the yelp page shows the skylights and my picture shows some of the other toys in there, but both don't do it justice. It's really cool. I'd like to play in there sometime :P Overall, I'm very happy with Children's Lighthouse! Our son stayed at home for his first 18 months, so it was hard for us when he started going to daycare. He cried pretty hard when we dropped him off the first few days. But he likes going now and the entire staff does a great job, so we feel very comfortable and confident dropping him off each day. The email updates keep us informed and we're able to check in on the web cams to see that he's doing well throughout the day. I definitely recommend Children's Lighthouse to any parent looking for a safe, enriching place for their child to learn and grow! read more

Children's Lighthouse North Center Chicago - Indoor playroom - Preschools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We started with lighthouse during the height of the pandemic and I cannot share how meaningful the experience was. They took extremely good care of son's health and safety and it was impressive how they were able to stay open the entire time. I feel so completely safe and comfortable there and my son has a BLAST! Not to mention their hours and minimal days off are very conducive to working parents. The teachers are all amazing and you can tell love their jobs. read more

Choosing a daycare during a global pandemic was a stressful experience for us, but Children's Lighthouse made it easy and comfortable. We have really enjoyed our experience here. The facility is bright and sunny and clean. They take safety and health precautions seriously and we always feel safe leaving our daughter here. There is video monitoring if you like and we appreciate the pictures that are sent throughout the day. They do a ton of fun activities with the kids throughout the day. My daughter loves the indoor gym (especially in the winter time). Everyone is welcoming and friendly and knows our daughter by name. Would highly recommend. read more

I've had all 3 of my children attend Children's Lighthouse and they have been SO happy there! I love the staff, the bright, clean space, and the sense of community Lighthouse brings to our area. My favorite part is the detailed notes the sweet teachers leave about the things the kids did that day. They include pictures and videos that make us feel close to our kids at all times, and you can even look into the camera system whenever you wish. The teachers are engaged and the management is focused on community business partnerships & connections and sharing the good in the neighborhood. I truly feel they are the LIGHT in the neighborhood of North Center/ Irving Park/ Horner Park and have been such a welcome part of the area since they moved in. We've been a Lighthouse family for 4 years and if we weren't moving out of the city, we'd be there at least 4 more! I love you, Children's Lighthouse! read more

Children's Lighthouse North Center Chicago - My second baby started Lighthouse at 15 months and went all the way to age 5. - Preschools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We really wanted to like this daycare and we did! We put our two year old daughter in the toddler room (I believe that's what they called it or 2s room) they have live viewing so we were able to watch what was happening in the classroom. Day 1 & Day 2 I noticed how the "teachers" Ms Jenny and Brandy would grab the students by they're arms and how they sat them on the chairs and the floor. I did not see them being Loving or Caring to those kids by Day 3 my daughter cried because she didn't want to stay there i felt really bad but I left her the moment I left I didn't stop watching the cameras and I saw things that were really wrong and upsetting I couldn't take it anymore so by midday I went to get my daughter I spoke to Diana and Yanet about everything I saw they agreed I had all the right to be upset on what I seen. It was really heartbreaking if you have your kids here or plan on putting them here make sure your on top of the cameras and how they are being treated. We didn't want our daughter to get special treatment we wanted all kids to be treated the same with love and care and that wasn't happening. Ms Jenny did offer to speak to me I'm not sure about what but at that point I've seen who she really was and did not care for her apology. Diane was really great she tried to help find the best solution about this situation and I really appreciate her for that she had offer that our daughter can be placed in a different classroom but the trust I had on this place even though there's live viewing was gone! A day before I actually took my daughter out of this place an ex employee who worked there name ALISSA wrote a bad review about them how the teachers spoke to the kids & so much more a review long as mine, and that review is gone now but I did screenshot it. read more

I can't say enough good things about Lighthouse! We send both of our kids there and they love it! I feel confident in the care provided to our children, the building is safe, it is friendly and creative environment, and our children come home learning something new every day. I love the real time updates from Tadpoles and the photos they send throughout the day. During quarantine, they provided us material and offered virtual circle time to keep our children engaged. Definitely recommend Lighthouse! read more

Everything written below is my opinion solely. I'll first address the fallacies presented in the owner's response: 1) I can factually prove no threat was ever made. I take threats and bullying very seriously and her incorrect statement attests to the school's character 2. I've met Davora 2x in person. You're apparently forgettable once the contract is sigbed We felt this place had an average set of teachers with extremely poor management, but it wasn't until a series of egregious management missteps that we were genuinely concerned for our child's safety and well being that we moved her to another daycare. This is a franchise business and seems to be run as a profit optimization business ahead of quality of care for the children. They've been dishonest, argumentative, and overall presented to me a "we have a wait-list so if you don't like it, get out" attitude. Now, one must remember, the owners here have no apparent educational background or work history in the daycare business. Davora, the co-owner, has some degree in theatrical lighting and ran some bounce house and the other owner is a former trader according to their website. I've never seen him there. First, I find the quality of the lead teachers subpar. We were most recently in a situation where the school made a seemingly hasty hiring decision on a teacher (or perhaps a cost effective decision) who was terrible, threatening children with their food if they didn't behave. She had no insight on the children's days, kept horrible notes, and and it wasn't until an apparent myriad of parents complained that they terminated her. I understand at least one child was physically injured under her watch. Based on this decision making, we inquired about teacher training, and the answer was they're given some manual to read over a day and that's it. The center also sent a survey asking for parents opinions on the school, and I gave my honest opinion, which Davora responded with an email that had the tone and essence of "if you don't like it here, get out". Now, by this point we had secured other daycare, but I've never in my life seen a level of unprofessionalism where a company solicits an opinion, then leverages it against you. Usually management tries to work with your to appropriately resolve your concerns, but i guess when you have a wait list, apparently the IDGAF attitude is warranted. Management is very incompetent. No one there moves a finger without Davora's approval. You can't make a request or modification without them making you feel like they have to move mountains to accommodate. Simple stuff. Despite what they charge, they like to cater to the DCFS minimums on food for children. We all know how comforted we would be if our children were held by DCFS, so its peculiar that a place charging this much adheres to such a bare minimal standard. 2 year olds vary in size and needs, but perhaps its more profit maximizing to ensure the minimum is being given to the children. Asking them to do the right thing for children, especially given what they charge, always feels like an insurmountable task for them (can we leave extra food? can you make sure she drinks enough water?). Their default answer seems to regularly be "we can't do that" and when you ask them why, their answer regularly is "because we can't". They also do incompetent things. They had all the children's water bottles in a box, together, against one another, touching one another. There was a multi-week period where my daughter seemed always sick. They stopped this idiocy after I questioned the intelligence of it, but who thinks of this kind of silliness that compromises childrens' health? There are some highlights. A teacher named Ms Rhonda is a shining light in an otherwise horrendously run organization. They have a large indoor gymnasium, which is nice in the winter. Finally, we understand that the problem owner, Davora, recently had her own children, so perhaps by the time they are of daycare age, she will realize the importance of compassionate care driving revenue over cost cutting and minimization of necessary resources for children. In summary, don't go here. For the cost, you can get the same prices but better care at Kidz Creative. For slightly more, you can get wayyyyy better care at Kidswork. For a significant discount, you can get better care but a smaller facility with inorganic food at Children's Creative Center. All are in the same area and all have. The people here didn't impress upon me a natural intuition of how to care for children appropriately. I remember seeing other negative reviews on here about them. I don't know where they went (perhaps Children's Lighthouse threatened legal action?) but I certainly remember seeing plenty of reviews highlighting a several of these issues I've discussed (fortunately the threat of legal action is moot on me). read more

As you can tell from my review history, I'm not a person who jumps on Yelp all the time to write reviews. With that said, I feel like I would be doing CL a disservice if I didn't write a review because of our great experience there. Our son started at Children's Lighthouse when he was about 8 months old. I can't say enough good things about the staff or the way they watch over all the children they're attending to. I feel that our son has learned a ton since he started there. Another huge plus is the technology they use. They send out multiple pictures on a daily basis. It was also great to see updates on what he ate and diaper changes. There is a huge indoor playground that the toddlers go to everyday and the building is very secure. We're moving to the suburbs and had to find a new daycare for our son. My wife and I were very sad to take him out of this awesome environment. CL set an extremely high bar for us that will be very difficult for another daycare to beat. I would highly recommend this daycare for anyone who is looking for a great place to watch their kid and help expand their educational learning abilities. read more

My son started going here when he was about 15 months old. Though I was sad to leave him, a coworker's recommendation of Children's Lighthouse made it a bit easier. I have never regretted our decision. Our son has thrived throughout his time here and made lots of friends. Some of our favorite features: 1) Clean and organized classrooms with plenty of play and instructional space. 2) Gym! Our son loves that he gets to play in the gym a couple times a day. 3) Location is great with two easily accessible parks. When the weather is nice, they go outside to the park once a day. It's the first thing my son tells me about when I pick him up everyday. 4) The curriculum is age appropriate but challenging. Within a month, my son knew over a dozen animal sounds and picked up a lot of other skills. They also teach signs and Spanish for some of the vocabulary. 5) The teachers are knowledgeable and work well with the kids. If my son is having a rough morning and not wanting to go to school, all I have to do is mention Ms. Jenny and he's ready to go! They are also great at providing feedback/advice on any issues we ask about. 6) Tadpoles and video monitoring included. I get updates throughout the day with pictures and summaries of activities and how my son is doing. 7) Food provided for breakfast, lunch, snack after naps, and a late snack for kids who stay past 5. 8) Weekly/monthly they bring in guests like soccer instructors, musicians, movement teachers, etc. to work with the kids. My son loves these special events! In summary, I am so thankful for having a place like Children's Lighthouse to take care of my son while I work. It's hard for me to leave him for so long but knowing that he is being taken care of in such a loving and nurturing environment surrounded by his friends makes it a bit easier. read more

Love this place more and more every week. So blessed to have such a caring a fun place for my son to be during the week. Great program and great staff. read more

I send my 9th month old daughter to the center and she loves it. It took her few days to get to know staff and they were very patient, accommodating and professional during her "transition" period. Christina and Liz made enrollment easy and seamless. I've made a suggestion when my daughter was just enrolled and on our first day there Christina made accommodation without us actually requesting it. Ashley and Tanya have been primary teachers in my daughter's room and have been exceptional! I appreciate great customer service all staff offer. read more

My 3YO son is in the preschool program and absolutely loves it. He loves the friends he's made and the teachers. This was our first experience with a daycare/preschool environment and we couldn't be happier. I researched a lot of different places - being a stay at home mom I was anxious about my son not being home with me however with a new baby girl at home, I knew he needed some time to be with kids his own age. The facilty is immaculate, secure and the video monitoring eases anxious moms like myself as I am able to view him throughout the day. However after the first week - I only check the video from time to time as I know he's learning and having fun. Their location between 2 parks ensure that kids get plenty of outdoor time weather permitting and if not they have an indoor gym. I can't attest first hand to how the infant and younger classrooms are however when speaking to other parents with infants and younger kids they have only positive things to say. The staff are pretty great and they know all the kids by name, the administrative staff are friendly and very responsive to emails should you have any questions or concerns. A true testament of how fantastic this place is the fact that my son never wants to leave. If you are on the fence about where to have you kids attend - I highly recommend Lighthouse. We are moving to the suburbs and are really sad to leave this place (I actually cried when I told them). read more