What a wonderful gem of a daycare in Chicago - North Center! It was a perfect place for our 7 month old baby, who was home until then due to COVID. Our only regret is not finding Discover the World Daycare sooner. We found them back in February and quickly got on the waitlist for a September start, but luckily was able to begin in early August. Our 7 month baby had a big transition being with other people and children for the first time. So napping and taking the bottle was a challenge albeit extremely stressful especially for new parents. Petra and Maria patiently worked with us for weeks (yes, weeks...) as we tried various scenarios with bottles and sippy cups. Thankfully one day, baby drank milk and I can't tell you how thrilled we all were! At the same time, our baby just started eating solids and having alittle water. So Petra worked with us carefully to ensure whatever baby ate there was first introduced by us at home. She even asked multiple times a month to get an updated solid list to have on file. It was such a relief the daycare supplied food, snacks and water, since it was already hard enough getting baby (and parents) ready each morning! This brings up the really good communication at Discover the World Daycare through the whole process. Baby had a dedicated notebook logging every diaper change, meal and nap, which was so helpful going through all of our baby's daily activities. Any important information due to keeping children safe during COVID, etc. came through emails and messages or even calls. There were WhatsApp messages, along with pictures and videos. This by far, seeing pictures, was the best part of our day while baby was away from us! And then, usually we chatted either with Petra or Maria for a synopsis of baby's day: her mood, accomplishments, naps, etc. That said, our baby had a wonderful time going to Discover the World Daycare! We definitely noticed her development accelerated: crawling, listening intently to other babies, starting to communicate herself, dancing and practicing to pick up herself to stand! It was amazing to witness. We are convinced this daycare was a big part in making all this happen all within a couple months! I would recommend Discover the World Daycare to everyone I know. The care and communication is tailored to each child and family. (Actually, every parent we met had great things to say about the daycare!) Scheduled play time, reading, outdoor play and meals are all carefully planned ahead, which really accelerated learning and allowing more time to focus on babies. Petra and Maria care for each child like their own. And we were able to trust our baby was in good hands each and every day! read more

My husband and I had such a great experience with Discover The World. Our son was with Petra from 16 months old - 2 years but we recently moved out of Chicago. It was hard to say goodbye to this lovely daycare. Petra and her assistants are so attentive and always keeping the kids entertained. I loved receiving videos of their adorable music class. Our son made good friends with children of mixed ages (including the babies!) and we believe this will help him transition into his new role of big brother. In his time spent in Petra's care our son developed a love for reading books and his language blossomed. Also to note, the home is very clean and staff is quick to contact you if your child becomes ill. We were on several daycare waitlists in our neighborhood (Roscoe) but I'm so happy we stumbled upon this in-home option. Best thing that could've happened! Thank you DTW. read more

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We had a really lovely experience at Discover the World for the past year and a half (only leaving because we moved out of the vicinity). Petra (the owner) cares deeply about her kiddos and designs a thoughtful curriculum for them that encompasses core skills (somehow meeting each kiddo where they are, despite them ranging from young babies to 5+ years old), fun/play, music, cultural awareness, and intrapersonal skills. Our son regularly came home having learned things or improved on skills we were working on with him at home. The community is warm and welcoming, and we are truly saddened to leave it! read more

Our son has been at Discover the World since 2019 and we can't recommend them enough. Petra (the owner) and the staff are wonderful and there is nothing more comforting than having your child in the care of people that truly care about them. We attribute much of his development, growth and curiosity to the curriculum they offer which includes music, Spanish, reading, math, shapes, drawing, cultural awareness and much more. Our son has made good friends with the other children there and Petra, the parents and staff have become an extension of our family. We'll miss them when he's off to kindergarten but again, we can't recommend them enough! read more

Long story short: I can't recommend Discover the World highly enough. My son has been at DTW for two years, from the time he was nine months old. We were in a childcare lurch, enrolled him here with next to no research, and had every expectation he'd be there for a month or two while we found a more permanent arrangement. And then my terrible sleeper started, :cue choir of angels:, taking regular naps and going to bed on a schedule. He started reliably eating solid food from his high chair tray. We started getting WhatsApp pictures of our son in music and baby yoga classes, taking walks and playing with his daycare buddies, having the time of his life. It didn't take long for Petra's daycare to become an integral part of our village. My son has thrived in the care of Petra and Maria and assistants. I especially appreciated that he got healthy, balanced meals and snacks, and that they read all the time (the daycare is filled with books). They've truly gone above and beyond to support potty training. Petra and her husband and daughters host holiday/backyard get-togethers for the daycare families. Most importantly, my son loves it at Petra's house, and I've dropped him off every morning knowing he's with people who genuinely care about him. read more

My daughter has been at Discover the World for 17 months now. She started when she was 3 months, and the daycare has become a second home for her. We fell in love with DTW almost immediately, and have only grown to appreciate it more over the months. Petra and Maria have helped to raise my daughter from a fussy baby to a curious toddler. As other parents have said here, they have become a part of our village, which has meant the absolute world to us having no family in the city. I can't recommend DTW highly enough! read more

Petra and her assistants are lovely and so good with the kids. My son started At Discover the World when he was six months. I was very nervous because prior to daycare, he was with an in-home nanny. I felt like he needed more socialization so we decided on this daycare which was a fair cost and included formula, diapers and meals. After the first day I dropped my little man off, my mind was set at ease. Petra probably saw the anxiety of a first-time mom. She sent me pics of him throughout the day...it was no secret. He was having a grand old time! The facilities are amazingly clean and there's plenty of space (2 floors!) for the kids to play, interact, etc. The ages of the kids are all rather close and range from my son (who is the youngest, now 10 months) to about 21/2. They all play like family, it's adorable. The two assistants adore the kids. Every day, between Petra and the girls, there's a story to tell. They have great activities planned for the kids as well, that I believe really encourage creativity. Art and music...my favorites! The ratio of child per adult is usually about 2/3 to 1. Most days I've seen her two assistants there, for 5-6 kids. That's great. They're all getting plenty of interaction/attention from adults. And there isn't a boatload of kids running around. It's a decent sized group of kids without being overwhelming. In addition, Petra holds little family events for the kids. We've shared a Thanksgiving, Christmas and even her daughter's first birthday. So we've had an opportunity to meet the other parents and become friends with them as well. I feel like we've added to our family. When my son is sick, Petra really cares and asks about him. And every day when I drop off my child, he's genuinely happy to be there. (I can tell because he passes out in the car on the way home. Every. Single. Day.) I highly recommend Discover the World. read more

Our son has been going to Discover the World daycare for more than 2 years, and we are extremely happy with his experience there. We really recommend this place to anyone looking for a daycare you can trust. Petra and her staff take great care of our son and every child there. Children really have fun and are very well treated. Petra's daughters were also part of the daycare and we were invited to celebrate the girl's birthdays as well as the rest of the families. Our son loves this family so much. Kids are exposed to English and Spanish due to the bilingual teacher, Maria. Maria is a very nice person. Our son loves her, she is very caring and gentle. During all this time, Petra has organized many events and parties during the year for kids and parents to participate and get involved. Kids are always very happy to spend the week there. Some of the activities they do daily includes: Story time, Circle time, arts and crafts, music classes with different teachers, playing with water during the summer, going for walks, etc. What matters the most to us is that they really take care of our son and he spends time with people he cares about, real friends! She gave us a big hand with potty training too! If you are interested in a home daycare, this is a great one. Petra and her staff really know how to do their job. Carolina & Pablo read more

Our son has been at Discover the World Daycare since he was 3 months old and is thriving. Now he is 15 months old and Petra and her assistants are a part of our family. It was hard taking my baby everyday to daycare but Petra gave him the attention he needed and has done wonders for helping him get on a schedule and teach him new things everyday. I would recommend DTWD to anyone. read more

Our daughter has been at Discover the World Daycare for 8 months now, and we could not be happier. Petra is absolutely fantastic, and her two other teachers are just wonderful. The environment is beautiful. Cozy, safe, always impeccably clean and plenty of space for our little one to run off her energy. Petra makes the children food herself, and it is always nutritious. The little ones have a schedule, but plenty of time for playing. There are loads of fun art projects and weekly music class that our daughter talks about all week long. She always sleeps well, as the home environment is very restful. While all of these things are great, we are most delighted with Petra and her teachers themselves. Petra is impeccably organized and cares for the children so much. She is passionate about language, and both her teachers speak second languages. Our daughter can have conversations in Japanese and can sing us Korean songs! Jennifer and Juyoung are wonderful teachers. I'm delighted with everything our daughter is learning and the care she gets every day. As a mom who works more than full-time (I'm an MD in my residency) with a husband who works full-time as well, we rely on quality childcare for our daughter and visited too many daycares to count. You will not find a better, happier place to send your child than "Petra's house", as my daughter so sweetly calls it. read more

Our son has been attending Discover the World daycare since he was six weeks old. Sadly now that he is almost two we are moving out of state because of a job offer and we will have to take him out. We have had the most wonderful experience with Petra and her staff. They have always been extremely caring and warm, not only to our little boy but to us as well. As an infant Petra was very helpful in assisting us on getting him on a schedule and very accommodating when it came to storing and dropping off breast milk. He was frequently held and was an extremely happy infant. At each stage of his development the staff was loving and always provided encouragement. It is clear to anyone how much they love working with the children. Our son was great with baby sign language and was encouraged to use it in daycare. He is always coming home with fun and creative art projects. It is easy to see that both Petra and her assistants take the time to expose the children to many different activities whether it be singing, dancing, or planting plants! Our son is now also saying words in Spanish! The daycare is well equipped with a multitude of play areas/toys/games/books. Our son LOVES going in the morning and occasionally acts like he would like to stay instead of going home. It has always given me peace of mind to know he is well taken care of and happy. The staff is wonderful about filling us in on his day and any funny/interesting things he has done. I would gladly recommend this daycare to anyone looking for a safe and wonderful environment for his or her child! read more

Our son attended Discover the World Daycare for three months before we moved him to a preschool setting. He was very happy at Discover the World Daycare and we always felt that he was in good hands. We were particularly fond of the bi-lingual opportunity there. The only drawback we found was the lack of preschool-like curriculum once he reached that age, which is the only reason we moved him to another program. We understand that Petra will be advancing her program soon to include preschool age curriculum, so for new parents bringing their toddler to Discover the World, you should be in good shape! read more

One overly picky Mommy...check. One high maintenance baby that was cared for day to day by Grammy (read: held all day)...check. One in a million provider willing to patiently answer all my questions and accommodate all of my quirks and requests...double check! No really, Discover the world daycare has been awesome. I brought my baby in when she was almost seven months old. Now she's moved on to pre-school and is doing so well there thanks to Petra and her crew. She gave my girl a great foundation to start school with. I went back to work when my baby was 2 months old, the first few months my mom cared for her in my place, then I switched to a in home nanny until I realized she wasn't really playing with and engaging my daughter in my absence. (Yeah, I'm THAT parent, I want you teaching my baby, not just parking her in front of the tv...My mom could have done that for less than $13/hour!!!) Okay, so back to DTWD, after I took my baby there she really began to thrive. She began learning baby sign language and words so quickly! I don't know how they did it, but they were able to get her to enjoy her tummy time and become more active and actually start walking at 9.5 months! Yes, 9.5 months! Before she started pre-school, she could sign the alphabet in English AND Spanish. She knew colors and shapes and was so far ahead of the game. She was playing and learning so much at Discover the world. When we were preparing her for pre-school, we started the dreaded potty training. Petra was right on board helping us with the task. We spoke daily about how well her potty training was going and how she was handling the transition. The staff and Petra were soooo helpful and gave me lots of tips and encouragement when baby girl ran into a few mishaps and setbacks with her progress. Seriously, I cannot express how hands on she was guiding my daughter through her infant years. In the time since we worked with DTWD we've moved and I'm expecting baby number 2! Unfortunately it's not as convenient to my new home, but I still added my new daughter-to-be to the list for a spot because they are THAT good here and I trust them to take care of my munchkins like their own. read more

After we made arrangements to meet with Petra (the provider) the evening before our daughter's first day, she strangely acted very surprised/annoyed to see us when we arrived. She refused to take the pumped breast milk that I brought for the next day, demanding that I bring it back the next morning without giving a reason. Her demeanor gave me such a bad vibe, I cried the whole drive home. Looking back, I really wish I had trusted my instincts on that day. Throughout our time with Petra, there were several incidents regarding breast milk, naps, and other issues where she was simply unable to understand or communicate effectively regarding the most basic childcare concepts. Any issue, no matter how delicately we brought it up, was met with defensiveness and aggression. Her overall demeanor and demanding attitude were very difficult to deal with. While I was pumping and leaving Petra with more than 20 oz of milk per day (WAY more than enough per all guidelines), she would often use it all PLUS the frozen bags of milk she had to use for emergencies. Because her journal entries stated she had given our daughter less milk than she was using, I politely asked about it and was met with defensiveness and no explanation whatsoever. Instead, in what seemed to be a sort of passive aggressive punishment for my having asked about the milk, Petra sent home all of my daughter's bottles (which she had previously kept and washed and filled with bags of milk I sent each day) unwashed and with sour milk sitting in them and wrote in the journal that she wanted me wash and fill the bottles from now on (with no explanation as to how this was supposed to solve the issue). Some other examples of issues with demeanor: Petra rudely shut the door on my mom and left her out in the snow in the middle of winter (even though she was on my list of approved pick-up persons) and then when another mom showed up, acted like she was surprised my mom was outside and told her to come in. At one point, I asked Petra to give my daughter a sippy cup with water per her pediatrician's recommendation. She never did so and when I asked about it later, she acted like I had never made the request. My daughter came home sun-burned several days and when I very politely asked about it, it was impossible to get a straight answer on whether my daughter had been in the sun or whether Petra was putting sunscreen on her. What should have been such a simple, basic conversation was like talking to a wall. When my mom took care of my daughter during Petra's vacation, she easily took 2 naps a day on schedule and drank 12 oz. of milk while I was at work. This seemed strange considering that Petra had not been able to get my daughter to nap more than once per day (odd for her age) and was giving her 20 oz. + per day of milk (despite our informing her of our pediatrician's concerns that our daughter was consuming too much). The most egregious issue, however, is that Petra apparently has a policy of NOT PICKING UP A CRYING INFANT "JUST" FOR COMFORT. This questionable (at best) policy was NOT ever articulated to us when we interviewed this daycare. We only found out when our daughter was 9 months old (had been with Petra for 6 months!) Right after Petra took her week long paid vacation & we had taken a vacation the week before (so she collected $850 from us for two weeks off), she told us that our daughter "requires too much attention" and may have to find another daycare. When we suggested that perhaps our daughter was in a frustrating stage because she wanted to move but hadn't yet figured out how to crawl at 9 mos, Petra responded that she's 10 mos old and should be crawling. When we politely said she had just turned 9 mos, Petra argued with us about how old our daughter was! It finally came out that my daughter was crying when she was seated on the floor and Petra refused to (and instructed her staff not to) pick her up simply for comfort (e.g. unless she needed her diaper changed, to be fed, etc.) When I asked, "wait, so you just leave her sitting there crying?" the response was that no, they would rub her back or try to distract her, but NOT pick her up (per this previously undisclosed policy). Petra said that even her daughter (who was 3 at the time) had tried to distract my crying baby while she sat on the floor crying, but "nothing" would work. Apparently my daughter's crying had become such a distraction that Petra wanted to call in an expert from the "Fussy Baby Network" to analyze the issue. When I asked how long this had been going on, Petra responded: a couple of months! When I asked why this was just now being told to us, she responded that she didn't want to upset me. We pulled our daughter out immediately and found an interim nanny and then a daycare, neither of which had any problems with our "fussy" daughter, who they found to be an easy and happy baby (but then again, they did pick her up to comfort her when she cried). read more

My family's "actual" experience with Petra Dubell and Discover the World Daycare was quite different from the previous reviewer. We sent our daughter to Discover the World (DTW) when she was three months old and left nearly a year ago, just prior to her third birthday. Our reason for leaving was because we moved to the suburbs. The environment at DTW is spacious, safe and clean. Petra and her assistants provide a nurturing yet fun and educational environment. She puts strong emphasis on providing educational activities, including teaching manners and has brought in additional support to teach art and music classes. When we transitioned to our new suburban daycare/preschool program, the teachers were amazed at my daughter's language development and behavior. Petra played a large part in her development, and we can't thank her enough. It's been nearly a year since we've left and my daughter still talks about all the fun experiences she had at Petra's and her friends at DWT. Overall, fantastic experience with Petra and Discover the World Daycare. My husband, daughter and I would highly recommend. read more

I'm employed as a Japanese teacher at Discover the World Daycare and have seen nothing but good things from the owner, Petra and her employees. I have been a teacher at other schools in the past, but have never found them to measure up to the standards of this place. This school is exceptionally clean and children get home cooked, delicious meals made by Petra each day. She even bought a ton of new toys for learning purposes for the children because education is really a priority to her. You can see it in her continuous efforts she makes. At Discover the World Daycare, children have the opportunity to study foreign languages in a fun way. I think this is really great that Petra sees the importance of foreign languages in a child's life. Early on, is when children grow the most and learn the fastest. I think understanding others' culture and language early on, will provide them with better opportunities in the future and a good understanding of others. The kids love it when I teach them Japanese and will often even request me to play different Japanese games I have made for them, in which they like. They often say Japanese words to me in which they have learned and I have even had students who could sing entire songs in Japanese all by themselves. it's great every time to see this progress, and it makes me feel so happy that they enjoy learning. We not only teach Spanish and Japanese at Discover the World Daycare, but also other areas of study. This is because we like the children to be well rounded . Because of this, math, science, music, art, and exercise time is also incorporated into the curriculum each day. It's made fun by incorporating science experiments, games, songs, acting, and dancing into the activities. I also agree with the last poster that the poster before who wrote a bad report about Discover the World Daycare did unfortunately, not get to experience first hand, how great this school is since they didn't actually enroll. I think she had some misunderstandings about Petra and her school. Petra is very caring with the kids and attentive to the needs of the parents regarding their children and works very hard to make Discover the World Daycare a great place to learn. read more

Our son has been going here for just under 2 years and we have nothing but great things to say. The bilingual program is outstanding and my son LOVES Petra and her staff. I've been told by many how articulate our son is for his age including his Pediatrician, but more importantly he seems to enjoy everything that he does, he's confident, and he's very happy. We were very pleased with the preschool curriculum as well which was a recent addition. read more

We came upon Discover the World via an online informational posting, well before we needed a daycare for our daughter. We visited and were very impressed, so we added our name to the wait list when our daughter was about 6 months old. We didn't expect to need the spot, or get off of the waiting list, for a year or so. As these things go, we were mistaken. 6 months later, our trio of babysitters all had schedule and life changes that left us with no childcare plan, the week after Christmas. We had one week to figure something out, so we called Petra Dubell at DTW. They had an opening, but we were third on the list. Thankfully, the other two families found other daycares, and we got in. We only had 3 days to prepare ourselves for full time daycare, and to get used to the idea that someone besides family or close personal friends would be watching our daughter. The first drop-off was tough, but we were in for quite a surprise... DTW was an incredible experience for us. Our daughter started full time with DTW on her first birthday, and never looked back. Our little one is pretty outgoing and talkative, but the obvious developmental jump she made at DTW cannot be denied. Two months in, she was speaking in clear sentences, in English and Spanish. The staff, including Petra, are wonderfully warm and welcoming, while remaining firm and keeping the children well-disciplined. In addition to the amazing increase in vocabulary, our daughter was clearly affected by being part of a carefully planned group learning environment. DTW's approach to education was a perfect fit for us; the balance between structured learning time and group or individual play kept our child interested and engaged. We are, admittedly, pretty laid back parents. Petra and her staff are VERY responsible for the wonderfully polite and well-behaved young lady she has become. Our daughter spent a little over year at DTW, and we seriously considered making a 45 minute commute each way to DTW so she could stay longer. We could not possibly recommend Discover the World more highly, and have done so to several parents that called us for references. This an excerpt from the email I sent to Petra at the time of our move, with our names removed: "On a personal note, we owe you, Dale and all of your employees and family an incredible debt of gratitude. I don't know if you recall, but **** started with you on very short notice, and we didn't really have time to mentally prepare ourselves for those first days of not seeing her all of the time. ***** told her father, who had been watching her two days a week at that point, that we would never be able to find anyone who loved and cared for **** the way he did. We were wrong. When **** grows into the amazing woman that she already is starting to become, it will be due greatly to the love and dedication of you and your family and staff. We could not have found a better environment for her to spend the last 14 months, and we can't thank you enough." read more

My wife and I have taken now 3 of our children to this day care and have had nothing but a positive experience. It is a safe and nurturing environment. Petra and her staff are fantastic and really do give each child personal attention. Our oldest is now in preschool and is thriving because of the head start in learning he received at this day care. It is a small, home day care that is child proofed for safety. All meals and guidelines for each child's age are strictly followed. We have healthy, happy children - two of which still attend the daycare. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a more intimate atmosphere than the larger day cares in Chicago. read more

After a number of challenging experiences with nannies, we decided to consider an in-home daycare for our daughter. Petra was very helpful and understanding about our needs and how quickly we needed to find another childcare option after our latest nanny quit w/o notice. She invited me to visit the daycare and set up a follow-up visit to meet my daughter. Her space is very clean and organized. The assistant I met was great with the kids. I found Petra to be approachable and knowledgeable about working with infants and their schedules/needs. She successfully worked out a schedule that allowed us to enroll our child quickly. For factors having nothing at all to do with Petra, her staff, or her program, we ultimately did not choose to use their services at this time. I would recommend her and Discover the World Daycare to others. read more

When I found Petra and Discover The World Daycare, our current Nanny was pregnant with her second child and was going to need a few months off. I had searched for another Nanny but wasn't able to find anyone that wowed me, I live in Roscoe Village and found DTW and decided to go for a meet and greet. I felt comfortable with Petra and her home right away. The kids that were there seemed very happy and I met a few parents that were picking up and everyone was very nice and spoke very highly of their experience at DTW. We ended up getting a spot and our son (1.5 yrs old) went for 2 days a week for a little over 2 months - and I can't explain how happy we were with Petra and her assistants. You can tell they truly care about the kids and really love what they do. We were so sad to leave but happy to be back with our original Nanny but we plan to visit Petra and look forward to running into the kids in the neighborhood. Finding someone to care for your child can be an overwhelming experience, Petra made the process so easy and I would very highly recommend her to any friend of my that was in need of a loving daycare. read more