Our son has attended Ivy Garden since 6 months old. He has now graduated from two infant level…read moreclasses and onto the toddler classroom! As first time parents, we were anxious about daycares and thoroughly researched all nearby options before landing here. We absolutely love this school/daycare! The teachers are so attentive, experienced, and kind. Our son loves each teacher he has had and enjoys going to school everyday. As parents, we trust they have his safety and development in mind. Since starting, he has been coming home with new sign language, words, and preacademic skills (e.g., shapes, letters) constantly. We especially love the academic and events programming. From weekly themes, science lessons, to holiday events (e.g. Valentine's Day dance, Easter egg hunt). I know the older kids go on field trips too. The school also offers organic meals that our picky eater actually enjoys! Personally, it was also very important for our biracial son to attend a school with diverse peers and teachers. He's class is made up of 80% mixed race classmates which is incredible! We couldn't have asked for a better daycare!

I can't say enough great things about Ivy Garden South Loop. I enrolled both my boys there starting…read moreat 2 months old. The care they received at every stage was phenomenal. The teachers were very warm. The curriculum is challenging and stimulating. The parent community is supportive. My kids really thrived at IG, and we will always be thankful for this opportunity.

Absolutely wonderful school! We had both of our children at ITAV - before and during COVID. Our son…read morestarted at ITAV at 3 months and was there until kindergarten. Our daughter started at 4 months and spent 2 years at River City. This is an amazing and truly unique daycare. The teachers are the absolute best! Both of our children are reading at levels well beyond their ages. The entire staff is fantastic. Special recognition for Ms. TeKay, Ms. Michelle, Ms. Tabitha, Ms. Shirley - honestly, too many names to remember all the great teachers - as these teachers were so instrumental in helping to raise our children. I would recommend ITAV to anyone. Thank you!

Our 2 children (Ages 2 & 4 now) were at ITAV since they were both toddlers, and we have had a great…read moreexperience overall (we moved away from Chicago). I would give them a 4.5* overall. Pros: * The education is top-notch. Only through comparison with what other daycares are learning in our new city now did we realize how much advanced the content our 4yo was learning compared to other schools. My kids know so many random facts and songs they never cease to amaze me. * In addition to reading, writing, math, the focus on the project based arts and sciences is really nice and appreciated. They teach Spanish. Again, many daycares I visited didn't have the volume of student projects hanging up. * The add-ons (they do cost $$$ like $300 per 10-weeks) offered like karate, violin, basketball, are pretty unique to ITAV and convenient. * The final icing on the cake is they recently started Field Trips, which no other daycare we visited does. * They feed lunch and snack, which not all daycares offer lunch, though taste quality highly varies on this :). * Teachers know the kids' names from all classrooms pretty quickly which is a nice touch. Cons: * The biggest issue that other 1* reviews highlighted, is that your kid will have about an incident report monthly, and sometimes a scratch or bump that no one noticed. My 2yo lost a tooth at daycare and they had no clue how. I can't say if this is above or below average, as kids get into accidents was always our assumption and we are now just starting them in their new daycare. Most incidents happen end of day during pickup, when they're put into a general playroom that often are not their primary teachers, with a lot higher student:teacher ratio. So if you want to avoid the accidents, pick up your kids in that 4:30-5pm window before their main teachers leave. * There is noticed staff and teacher turnover. This hasn't affected the quality of care for our kids, but I have talked with the teachers who left and they've uniformly cited that ITAV does not pay their teachers well - assistant teachers are paid @ $12/hr and lead @ $19/hr as of 2018, so teachers will leave. That's something the teachers and the owner needs to work out, but from the parents' side, they interview candidates well and have consistently good teachers so for us we don't dock them for that in our rating, but I'm providing the info here as FYI. Overall, I would have no hesitation putting your child into ITAV and you'd get a top-tier education and can easily avoid the physical accidents issue by picking up earlier.

I hesitated to write this review, but after sharing our brief experience with other moms, they…read morestrongly encouraged me to speak up. While our initial tour with Ms. Krista was reassuring and helped ease my anxiety about sending our 6-month-old to daycare, the actual experience was a complete 180. We pulled our baby out after just four days because we simply could not trust them with his safety and care. Here is why we left: Unsafe Sleep Practices: Despite Illinois state law requiring infants to sleep in their own cribs, we were repeatedly sent photos of our son napping in a baby swing. Even after we explicitly requested he sleep in a crib for his safety, my husband walked in later that day to find him asleep in the swing again. Propped Bottles: Photos sent to us showed our 6-month-old being fed with his bottle propped up by blankets in a swing, forced to figure out how to feed himself because staff wouldn't hold him. Lack of Interaction & Comfort: On his first day, he was placed straight into a saucer screaming, with no comfort. When we checked in later, he was crying alone in a corner swing while toddlers wandered the room. Every time my husband did a pop-in check, the infants were confined to containers (saucers/swings) rather than being on the floor interacting. The caretakers all sitting in chairs and not playing with the babies. No Outdoor Time: We were promised the kids go outside (which is also state law, weather permitting). In reality, they never went outside. We work around that area and never seen kids being taken out for walks. Terrible Communication: Daily updates on feedings, diaper changes, and naps were practically nonexistent. We had to ask for a daily report text through MsKrista. the one report we finally received was completely blank on crucial details like sleep duration, diaper change and food intake. Furthermore, emails from the center were completely anonymous with no names signed. Neglect of Basic Instructions: When we packed up his things on our last day, the diaper cream we provided had never even been opened. Ms. Krista is a persuasive talker who tells you exactly what you want to hear during the tour, but there is little action behind her words. The center takes shortcuts, ignores safe-sleep laws, treats babies like a monolith instead of individuals, and operates with a concerning lack of staff (this is our assumption based on what we saw, we don't have prove) and transparency. Those four days were incredibly stressful for our family. Ms Toni was sweet based on the short interactions we had with her. I think she was trying to her best. I think who ever runs that place is taking advantage of her. It appears to us that she doesn't have adequate support and is alone in the infant room most of the day. They told us someone comes in, in the afternoon to help. That didn't seem right. Our baby is now at a wonderful new daycare where safe sleep is practiced, containers aren't used, they go outside daily, and we get real-time updates on an app. Most importantly, he is happy when we pick him up (his face/eyes aren't puffy from crying all day), and we finally have peace of mind. Trust your gut, parents--i am glad we did!

Teachers make this place, however the Owner of this place is petty, bitter and can never get a hold…read moreof her. I am posting my email to the "Owner" of the daycare so you will see what we went through and how she is. "It is a shame that we were not able to discuss this in person before today and YOU decided that this would be my kids last week at your daycare. You made this their last day when nobody was ready for it. Not us, not the teachers and especially not our kids. We had to break it to them that today would be their last day, and you should have seen the devastation on my baby girl's face crying telling us that she will miss Ms. Tora. Similar to when you told Miss Moni not to come back after she gave you her notice that she was leaving. My son and Miss Moni have created a beautiful bond but you stripped them of their proper goodbyes and you broke their hearts. It's hard to believe that an owner of a daycare would be responsible for breaking the hearts of teachers and children in this way, by taking away their moment of a proper goodbye. It's unfortunate that you could not work with us to be able to have them there for one more week, even if that meant charging us a late fee to process a payment on August 15. We didn't say we would not pay, just that it would be late. You could have worked with us and accepted payment on the 15th with a late fee or another option that would help us all, as working parents, yet you choose to shut the door on us. Now we need to decide what to do about childcare during the week that was supposed to be their last with you. This is extremely unprofessional and uncalled for. I'm sure there could have been a solution that would work for all of us, but you decided to be bitter and give us options that would not work with us due to our work and salary schedules. It is a shame because we have been loyal customers of yours since 2019. My daughter was only 2 and a half months old when she began attending your daycare. We've been spreading nothing but good things about your daycare center. All through the pandemic and the renovation of 78 W. Van Buren, we were patient and ready to have both our kids return to your daycare. We have even called so many times during the renovation to check to see if it opened yet, out of excitement and this is how you send us out??? I feel you may have some sort of resentment towards people who plan to leave your center. Just like with Miss Moni, who has been such a blessing as a teacher to our kids, when you told her not to return after she put in her notice. Miss Moni has the nicest heart and beautiful spirit and she did not deserve that. You took away her chance at saying goodbye to her kids and you took away the chance for us to explain to my son that he would no longer see her unless she stayed until the day she said she would. Now that we put out our notice, you have given us the go around through email, because clearly you have a problem meeting in person, as I have asked you to give us a time and day to discuss and you ignored it. Because of this, today was indeed their last day. You gave us no room to discuss and come up with a reasonable solution that would work for all of us. You can be assured that I will no longer be recommending this daycare center to those around us and will not hesitate to talk about this situation and leave a review. Parents should not have to deal with this kind of unprofessionalism. We enjoyed this daycare center because of the teachers here like Miss Moni, Miss Shenaya, Miss. Tora, Miss Annie, Miss Ivy, Miss Brenda, Miss Christa, Miss. Barbara, Mr. Chris and even going back to Miss. Jan, who have all been super wonderful with our babies. We are indebted to them for all they have done in helping our kids educational and emotional growth. You are lucky to have them and they are definitely the backbone of the center. I hope you know that and value each and every one of them, even if they decide to resign from your daycare. I also hope that in the future you allow others to have their proper farewells, especially for the sake of the children. May God be with you"

Sadly this place has really taken a turn for the worst. Staffing shortages and teacher turnover,…read morepoor management, leadership and communication, and many of the beloved teachers being stretched beyond their capacity to provide cover for said poor management and turnover. My daughter started there at 3 months in the baby class, and progressed through 3 rooms, to the 2 year classroom. Ms. Kenecia, Ms. Jackie, Amr, Ms Gladys, and Ms.Charlotte who care for babies up to 2 years are all fantastic. Loving, attentive, caring and communicative. We never had an issue until we arrived at the 2 year old classroom, and experienced two instances of neglect and verbal abuse of our daughter. We addressed the first incident with the director, and a teacher was moved out of the room. Then, we continued to see new teachers in our kids classroom and they'd never introduce themselves and we were never notified. Multiple parents voiced concerns, we started to have teacher bios printed on the doors, but those would not cover the revolving door of additional teachers we'd see every week. Some days we'd drop our daughter off and there was 2 teachers for multiple classrooms at 830a, nearly an hour after they opened. The last straw was another parent alerting us to a teacher yelling at our child outside and telling her to "shut up" and "stop crying" and that "she was the problem." She's 2 years old! We, along with many parents, reached out to the director following this and though she verbally communicated her apology, she did not speak to either the teacher who yelled at my daughter nor the teacher that was present. We've reached out to the regional manager to also voice our concerns but made the decision to pull our daughter out of the school because at this point we are concerned for her wellbeing. Parents beware.

Our oldest was at D2D for a little over a year and it was a great experience so when we needed care…read morefor our younger child, we thought of them immediately. The teachers are great about sending videos and pictures throughout the day so you can track how your child is doing. They have made some recent upgrades to the space, including a nice large indoor play space and a new library. And I think they take kids outside every day if the weather permits. In terms of price, D2D is comparable to similar child care centers in the area. And the peace of mind you get from knowing that your babies are being taken care of is priceless.

While a move took us away quite some time ago, forcing us to find a new, northside day care. I…read morewanted to circle back and leave some kind words for South Loop Kindercare. Not only did the entire infant and then toddler team show professionalism and support, they also showed compassion and love. My experience with the South Loop Kindercare made me realize just why they have been in the childcare game for so long.

awful, my 2 year old son was left crying in a corner when I picked him up and burning up with…read morefever. Never again!

My child has been enrolled in the infant class at UCC for the last 5 months. He has loved every…read moreminute of his time at UCC. He loves his teachers and it is clear they love him too and take wonderful care of him. Ms. Rosa and Ms. Lashawnda are fantastic teachers. My son gets a huge smile on his face to see his teachers every morning. They keep us updated through the Kindercare app; sending us pictures of his day and letting us know about his eating, sleeping, and diaper changes. In the late afternoon, he transitions to another classroom, but Ms. Haley and Ms. KK and all the other teachers take wonderful care of him and always have updates on how the day went when we pick him up. The consistency of teachers has helped make us feel comfortable with our son's time at UCC. They know him so well! We can't say enough good things about how comfortable we feel dropping him off every day. The facility is clean, organized, and we're always met with a smiling face and personal greeting from the administrative staff for drop off and pick up. Everyone knows our name and our son's name. It really feels like the staff at UCC cares about our family.

Our 2 year old son has been going here for daycare for over a year. It's been a great experience…read morefor both us and him. Great teachers and staff! Excellent communication and awesome indoor playground for the winter and rainy days.

I had been eyeing this facility since I was pregnant. I was super excited to hear they had a spot…read moreavailable in mid-Feb. I immediately set up a tour with my little one. My husband wasn't able to come in-person, but I was able to video call him in for part of the tour. My son has been going here for almost 3 months now, so I feel a bit comfortable making this review. This review is only for the infant room 1 and geneal policies. The waitlist is free. The school requires two notice if you want to withdraw your child from their institution. You have to place a $500 deposit. This secures your child's spot and is returned once you provide the school 2 weeks' notice at the time of withdrawal. Mrs Maria is the lead teacher in Room 1. The other 3 teachers rotate in/out daily. The classroom is shoeless, or parents will have to wear booties inside the classroom. Each child has their own crib, cubby, slot in the fridge, and diaper/wipes cubby. Parents supply all food for the infant classroom. Parents supply diapers and wipes. Please note once your child enrolls in the toddler room, 15 months and up meals will be provided. All updates are communicated through the brightwheel app. Unfortunately, Rainforest does not use the brightwheel app for the toddler up rooms. From my understanding, parents are given updates on a sheet shared weekly, I believe. I will find out more once my little guy transitions in the next month. I will update my Yelp review to include the toddler room updates. Taylor, the director, and Veronica, the assistant, are usually the ones to communicate updates and will answer any questions! They are usually the ones communicating any health updates as they do not add those in the brightwheel app. My son has some sensory components, music, and Spanish language lessons weekly. Since he is mobile now, he can go to the playroom and crawl around. If the weather permits, the kiddos go outside for a bit to the park in the area and/or stroller. I wish they shared when what days they go out and pictures of them at the park. I receive a weekly newsletter with pictures of the babies in room 1. Infant full-time tuition $2980 Toddler Full-time $2750 Toddler Part-time MWF - $2150 Toddler Part-time T&Th- $1720 What I love about this place is the open door policy!!! During the warmer months, the facility restricts drop-offs from 9-11 am because the kiddos are outside. It makes scheduling doctors' appointments a breeze! They are also very flexible with allowing therapist onsite. When I message them that we are on our way to pick up my child, they have him ready with a clean diaper!!!!!! I have a few issues with this facility. There is no nursing/lactation room. They have a staff bathroom, but you don't want to feed your child in there. The one time I had a virtual appointment because I wanted to include the lead teacher, we had to do it in the lobby. Taylor explained they had testing go on, so I couldn't use the office. So they don't have much space, although the facility is pretty big. Health updates about my son are communicated verbally, which can be confusing when speaking with various staff. My son is continously sick! They change the sheets weekly, which I think they should do it daily!

My husband and I were texting this morning, as we often do after drop off and pick up, and we…read moredecided we need to share our appreciation for Pamala and Jen, the school as a whole, and the incredible team of caregivers in room 6- Ms. Ally, Ms DeAnna & Ms. Tomiya. Our Dorothy (Dottie/Dot) is 1.5 years old and about 3 months in as a student. Ms. Ally gets a special shout out for her morning routine with our girl. Dottie was working through some typical separation anxiety and morning after morning, Ms. A takes the time to meet Dottie and comfort her and remind her how much fun and love she will experience throughout the day. Chris and I both started new jobs the same week that Dot started at Rainforest so our plates were full but every one was on Team Dottie to help make the transition seamless (initial daycare germs are tough but you have to build the immune system when you can right?!). Ms. Deanna gives me awesome updates every afternoon and Dottie loves to blow her kisses goodbye- I can tell they are great friends! Ms. Tomiya greets all of us with a wide smile and open arms. It's magic! Dottie now runs through the hallway to get to her room and her friends. Dottie and I started off on a tough path when she was born a little early, a little small and very emergent. The first time I went back to work was incredibly hard on me and I didn't know if I would be able to handle a career that I've always wanted as a mom, but Rainforest, the team and Rm 6 has not only given me the opportunity to go back to work to help others at my new job with United Way of Metro Chicago, but has given our whole family the peace of mind to shine and grow. Just last weekend we moved apartments and 19 month old Dot started wearing glasses- again the support has been spot on and the transition tears few. She's a specs-wearing CHAMP already and loves the new (shorter!) walk to school. Rainforest is creative, the food smells delicious as they prepare fresh meals every day and there is so much love that this Mom and Dad 's cup runneth over. Daycare is a tough choice, we are so thankful we clearly made the right one.

My three year old son has been attending Concordia since November. He absolutely loves it!…read more Starting a new preschool during Covid times was nerve wracking for sure, but Concordia has plenty of excellent policies in place to make a safe and healthy environment. All of the employees we encounter on a day to day basis are friendly, caring, and efficient. Communication from the teachers and administrators is excellent. I'm thrilled that we found Concordia, and looking forward to seeing our son learn and grow with them!

We have been thrilled with our experience at Concordia these past three years. While the pandemic…read morehas made childcare much more difficult, the administration and staff at Concordia has been up to the challenge. Our first child has been at the school since they turned 13 months old (now 4 years old) and our second since infancy (now two). We've loved all of the teachers that our kids have had and appreciate the continuity (teacher turn over is very low compared to most centers). The kids stay active throughout the day and they have access to different outdoor playgrounds (different play lots for the younger versus older kiddos). There is also an annex room that can be used for indoor play during the colder months. The teachers set up the most wonderful art projects - I'm always amazed at their creativity and energy! The communication has been great with the teachers - we had trouble with our eldest napping at school but we worked with the teachers to try a few strategies we use at home and significantly improved the number of nap days (which makes for a nicer kid at the end of the day). The front staff is great as well - everyone is welcoming and will get to know your kiddo by name. The school has clear COVID-19 protocols (which I like) - they follow Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and CDC guidelines. If they didn't follow IDPH guidelines they could risk losing their license. The school is also very diverse and does a lot to support the community. I whole heartedly recommend Concordia - this recommendation comes from a parent of two children who attend, a person who worked at a private daycare for seven years, and a graduate of an elementary education program. I know I am sending my kids to a warm, supportive, structured and fun environment.