We love it here! Our son has just completed his first year at Montessori Dual Language Academy and…read moreit's been wonderful. He's only 4 and has learned so much and has become so independent. 10/10

We could not recommend MDLA enough! Our son started there about a year ago and attends both…read morepreschool and the summer camps. He learns in Spanish for half of the day and also gets to do fun activities like yoga. He's become so much more independent and well-mannered since going there. We're also thrilled that hot lunch is now included with tuition. The hours are great for working parents, and the staff is so wonderful and caring with the kids. We're grateful that they were here for us when we moved to the area!

I cannot say enough great things about this daycare/school. My daughter is at the Forest Park…read morelocation and the teachers are ALL amazing especially Ms. Elbanet & Ms. Elizabeth. They love her like she's their own and take exceptional care of her. The owner, Luisa, is wonderful! She's always available if you have questions (provides personal email & cell phone) and sends frequent emails updating everyone on what's happening at the school. My husband and I went to several daycare's/schools and were horrified by what we saw at most places. The second we met Luisa at the Forest Park location we knew our daughter would be in great hands there. I would recommend everyone send their kids here!

The Montessori way of learning is not for every child. This should be recognized by the leads and…read morewhen it's not working it should be made clear to parents instead of stringing them along to trust the process. Our mistake for trusting the process. I only wish we would've withdrawn our child sooner.

Amazing, inclusive, stimulating and diverse community. Both my sons attend and have thrived…read moreWe have also formed lasting relationships with other parents with children here It is a special and wonderful place and I could not recommend it more!

We moved to the area at the start of the pandemic and by 2021 were ready to send our 4 year old to…read morea Montessori. So began our hunt for the best of many in the Oak Park area. We didn't know any folks who had sent their kids to one near by so had to do cold calls and tours. I reached out to a few in the area and Mrs Eggerding was the fastest to callback and schedule a tour, starting us off on a great foot about how well the school had their act together. We got to observe a classroom and we're extremely excited by the vibe of the guides (Montessori speak for "teachers") and the children. There was just so much independence and respect that we knew we found the right school. At first our 4 year old was resistant. He had been with his grandmother for the last 1.5 years of the pandemic so I get his resistance. But even after day 1 he was excited to share his experiences. We eventually sent our second child there too in a different classroom, which they were happy to accommodate. We couldn't have been happier with our choice even with a 10+ min drive every day. We're definitely planning to send out third there as well. At first it doesn't seem too different from other schools as far as what they're able to do but by even a few months in they're showing so much more independence and eagerness to do more. It's a challenge to me to expect and enable them more at home. The guides have been wonderful about getting to know our children and guiding them on their journey. We've had a few parent teacher conferences which are helpful to peek behind the current as they're often exhausted in a good way by the end of the day. Our child's guides and the front office staff were very receptive to questions and helped us both understand Montessori better but also our child. It was funny for us as parents to go from a city daycare that sent us his eating, peeing, pooping, and activity schedule with activity photos nearly as they were happening to come to Montessori which is really trying to put the child first and focus on them, not logging everything they're doing. I had been a Montessori student so expected that but it was still funny. We get photos and reports every couple of weeks and had parent teacher conferences that did align with what he was saying or what we figured was going on.

If i could rate this place half a star i would. i took my daughter here for preschool and she loved…read more1 teacher only 1. as soon as she got into her 1st year at that school she was getting bullied by everyone and the teachers because she had a physical disability. the classrooms are VERY packed, my kid was in a class of 35 from preschool to 6th grade. she was the happiest little girl and she loved dressing up and having parties, but as soon as she got into 1st grade she was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. she was CONSTANTLY having fights with her teachers because of her depression, later she was diagnosed with explosive anger issues. because of her teachers . she was coming home crying because of the kids bullying her. she eventually had to leave in the middle of her 6th grade year because her mental health was super bad. she is now happily at gwendolyn brooks middle school and doing much better.

My son is in his second year at La Casa, and we plan to enroll our daughter when she is old enough…read more The building is clean and beautiful, and the teachers are communicative and caring. They respond promptly to text and email, and post pictures weekly on the closed FB group. I know that as soon as my son steps into the classroom, he will be treated with dignity and kindness. He loves all his teachers and gets so excited to see them - he even wanted to invite them to his birthday party! La Casa does a great job of following the Montessori methods, and I have been impressed by what my son has been learning (and is excited to learn!) - at 3, he is teaching Spanish to US! He has become quite and eager helper at home, too. La Casa is excellent at working with parents on potty training, and is much more flexible than most schools at working with the parents of kids with special needs to make sure they are learning to their full potential. Probably what I love the most is how active the kids are every day. They go for walks and to the park nearly every day, usually twice a day. When the weather isn't cooperating, they play "pelotas" and games inside, and they have Zumba at least once (if not two or three times!) per week, which my son LOVES. They also have options for yoga and additional directed art on top of the regular classroom art (and this all starts at age 2!). The only reason I would not give La Casa 5 stars yet is there is still room to improve in terms of administration. They would benefit from FT rather than PT administrative staff, as the organization can be a bit lacking at times. As a parent, you need to be a bit persistent to get all the information you need at the beginning - but at least the staff is very responsive. My son and our family have made some wonderful friends through this school, and we would recommend it to other families looking for a flexible, full-day, reasonably-priced, Spanish immersion school starting at age 15 months.

Best most loving teachers and great classes! We've been at this school for 3+ years. The lessons…read moreand classes are diverse and so rich. Art, yoga, field trips, science for the older kids! I can't say enough about the loving teachers and staff. They're true family.

Post Covid I was so hesitant to place my now 27 month old in daycare. I feared not only the virus…read morebut the thought of leaving my son in the hands of a stranger tore my heart into a gazillion pieces. Fast forward---- I finally decided it was time to help my son with his social skills; which were impacted due to Covid. I started researching for daycares in my area. I read reviews after reviews. Then, I came across Little Bright Minds. The reviews were great. I looked at the pictures. Read and re-read their goals and mission. So I made the call. I spoke with Oscar who was so professional. He scheduled me for a visit. When we arrived the first thing I noticed was their Covid protocols posted on the outside door. Hand Sanitizer. This was already a big PLUS. I was greeted by Oscar along with Alicia. This place is MAGICAL. You can smell how clean and sanitize everything is. So organized. Spacious. Alicia- she is truly AMAZING. The most Professional Childcare Provider I have ever came across. Her patience and kind soul is palpable. I was already sold and I had yet to see their curriculum. As I sat and listening to then explain their day to day activities; Alicia allowed my Son to play with the blocks, and cars. They where very thorough in explaining their policies. Their goals. Their expectations. They listened to my concerns and they were willing to accommodate my son. I was so ecstatic to learn that they finally had a space for us. LBM a has been a huge blessing in our lives. My son loves going to daycare. He is thriving and I see such a huge improvement In his social skills, speech, and overall behavior. If you are looking for PROFESSIONAL, COMPASSIONATE, GOAL ORIENTED, TEACHING childcare- Little Bright Minds is the answer! Alicia and her team are so so amazing and I'm so lucky to have my son under their care! Daily Updates Healthy Meals Pictures Family Oriented These are just some of the many things that have made my heart so at ease

Little Bright Minds Daycare is a hidden gem! After my wife spent three years at home raising our…read moretwo boys, we were anxious about her returning to work and finding quality care, but the Little Bright Minds family made the transition incredibly smooth. We were immediately impressed by how seriously they take their interview process. They focus on ensuring the children and parents are a perfect fit, which gave us a great deal of confidence and reassurance. Everyone at Little Bright Minds is exceptionally patient and easy to get along with. Thanks to their attentive care, our sons adapted to their new routine much faster than we anticipated. It's amazing to see our boys eager to attend every morning and come home with big smiles. We love the Montessori-based curriculum and the creative activities they provide daily. The arts and crafts they bring home are always great to see! We are truly grateful to have found a place where our kids are safe, growing socially, and genuinely learning. We highly recommend them to any family!

We have been absolutely thrilled with the caliber and quality of Intercultural in Oak Park. The…read morecommunity we've created with other parents, the support we feel from the school administration and teachers, and the leaps we've seen both our kids make academically, emotionally, and socially are all reasons we've stayed all the way through kindergarten for both kids. The Spanish immersion was a no-brainer, but the Montessori method was new for us - I truly credit this method in helping shape our kids into little world citizens who are independent, inclusive, curious, and kind.

Um, I was sad after reading the first review. Not knowing what sort of experiences others have…read morehad, my daughter seems to love it at Intercultural. It's a wonderful departure for her from regular day care, and I love the fact that she is getting a healthy dose of the Japanese language every morning. The teachers communicate well and are good at sending home what the children have been working on. My daughter just started at the beginning of November and is happy every morning that she attends school as opposed to not wanting to go to her previous day care. Obviously I don't have as much experience with the school as others do- I am interested to hear what others think. I give it 4 stars simply because it is super expensive. (As are all private schools of quality) We're shelling out a lot of cash monies to read a bad review of this place..... eeek. Thought I'd update my review - Feb. 08 - my daughter does not attend this school any more. We took her out at the end of last school year. She seemed to be the one kid who couldn't handle not understanding the language. She wouldn't talk to, or hardly look at the (Japanese) teachers. It made me sad to take her out because I really wanted her to have the early understanding of another language. She also seemed to dig the Montessori learning techniques. She's super happy at her new school and seems much more comfortable. comfortable

My daughter attended Alcuin Montessori from 2006-2012 and I only have great things to say about…read morethis school! We considered it her second home for those years! The attention the students get from the teachers, positive learning environment, love of learning that is fostered and meaningful social connections with their peers really sets students up for success when they leave the school! We left Alcuin to attend the Oak Park public Schools (Mann) when she was in 5th grade for financial reasons and were completely let down by the local public school system. Academically 5th grade was a wash of a year for her in the public schools.(She learned how to study to memorize the exact answers for tests and her love of learning went downhill as she would say, 'I don't need to know more than this to get an A mom!") Socially, she just learned what bullies were and how manipulative other girls could be! We keep in constant contact with her old teachers and they have even advised us materials to get for her to help her adjust to her new public school environment! We left the Oak Park public school system before middle school(6th grade) to move to a new district where middle school students are flourishing. If we could have afforded it I would have kept her at Alcuin all through middle school! The new middle school is still way too easy for her (straight A's and top test scores...)and she has noticed herself that she is a bit more mature than the other students. She goes the extra mile again on projects though and her love of learning that Alcuin fostered seems to have returned! Sure there will always be a teacher or staff member here and there at a school that is new or you have an issue with as a parent.(Everyone has a bad day once in a while or messes up!) I encourage you as a parent to talk with your school though about your issues. When we had any issues at Alcuin, the director was always interested in hearing about them and I watched them actively make changes or assist the teacher or staff member that might need it! It is easy to point fingers at someone but it is more difficult , yet more effective to constructively speak with a school about issues. I believe it is the test of time and patience with a school to give them a chance to work out an issue that counts. If the school is unwilling to acknowledge you as a parent, then it is time to move on. Alcuin always worked with us over our 6 years there and we miss them dearly! In our hearts we will always be a proud "Alcuin family"!!

As an employee of Alcuin, I can speak highly of this school's teaching faculty, who are among the…read moremost intelligent, talented, and committed Montessori teachers I have met in the field. The families who send their children to this school seem highly committed to helping their children reach their highest potential, and see their children as whole beings with social and emotional needs, as well as academic ones. As a teacher here, I have greatly enjoyed my relationships with parents, as they have been so collaborative and positive. We have newly begun a terrific adolescent program, and I encourage anyone interested in finding an alternate middle school, or a high-quality educational program for any age child to inquire. I have been so happy to work at this fantastic and excellent school, which is truly a haven for Montessori teachers who love to nurture and challenge children!