I am so confused with the poor reviews! Helping Hand Center has been so instrumental in the…read moredevelopment of my son, who was diagnosed with Autism. He attends their school for autism. My son has flourished in their environment. We have seen such improvement in his day-to-day, behavior, and speech. The staff truly care about the children and are so attentive and thorough. They are the best of the best! HHC has open communication with teachers and staff, constant feedback and reviews on our sons goals and progress, and 1:1 assistance/teaching aides. My son loves being there! We are so thankful for the quality of care they provide. Would not know what to do if we didn't have HHC! They are family.

Hi - my daughter has been have ST and OT services at Helping Hands for about 3 years now - every…read moreMonday. The clinicians we've had have been top notch -- and my daughter has had consistent progression. She enjoys going to Helping Hands -- also, Carol Boyke is always very nice. Also, the clinicians are so passionate about what they do. Thank you everyone for what you do every day! Donna K.

Hands down the best decision was to put our children in this school. We met Mrs. Schaffer when the…read morekids had turned 4, as we were looking for a kindergarten for our kids. She made us feel welcomed from the minute we spoke on the phone to the moment we left the building. We even received a post card months later with a follow up. Just pure wholesome education and wonderful people to be around! Thank you for always being so flexible with our family needs and for offering such amazing atmosphere and overall excellent education for our kids..

Good School, kind teachers. I have made lots of friends there and highly recommend it! (Junior High…read moreStudent)

Everything. The concerts, programs and the people that work at the Center as well as the people you…read moremeet there. .

Always the most wonderful time to spend with family and friends. The animals lighten up everyone's…read moreday and the people there are terrific :D best place to hang out and have some fun

I am currently term 2/8 and I must say, I have really enjoyed my time here so far. Although this…read moreprogram is very challenging, we learn so much and all instructors go out of their way to make sure we understand everything. I really like how all of our instructors are certified and experienced veterinary technicians or DVMs and it makes me feel more comfortable being taught the real things that I will face in the future. I also really enjoy the privilege of hands-on learning. We have so many animals on campus that we are able to not only help, but learn as we help them. It is really rewarding taking care of such amazing animals here. The initial process of getting registered for the program was easier than I thought and the staff in admissions was extremely helpful! From helping me figure out financial aid, to the in depth explanation of the requirements of the program, I felt very confident in my career choice. It is clear that all the faculty members just want us to succeed. They offer so much help that is easily accessible and they even check in on everybody to see how they are doing in the program!

Please read the bad reviews. They are ALL true. I had all A's and B's but had to drop 4 weeks into…read moremy second term due to excessive stress and anxiety. I wasn't sleeping and it was affecting my physical and mental health. You're forced to take 5 classes at once starting your second term- there is no going part time- PLUS kennel duty. And the accelerated pace left me overwhelmed. There is no time to prepare for tests. Plus there are tests that if you fail them, you fail the entire class and therefore the program. We weren't so much as warned about this before starting. There's at least a test a week in each class, hours of homework and/or studying every single night. The pay for being a vet tech is simply too low to put this kind of stress on students. I wish my grades could have transferred, but I'm glad to be out of that stressful place.

This is my second time staying at the Olive Branch Mission and I truly appreciate this place…read more Today is my last day here, I am moving into my new apartment and they have gone above and beyond to assist me with some of the things that I need. I am truly grateful for Olive Branch Mission and the staff.

Second Baptist Church Youth Ministry in Action: Partnering with Olive Branch Mission Second Baptist…read moreChurch of Harvey, Illinois, under the leadership of Pastor Darnell Bowles Sr., has a long standing commitment to serving the community. Our Youth Ministry has been especially active in outreach, taking every opportunity to put faith into action. Last year, 15 youth members, supported by adult volunteers, partnered with Olive Branch Mission to serve Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Together, we provided meals for nearly 100 residents, offering not just food, but encouragement and fellowship during the holiday season. This effort was an extension of our ongoing support for local shelters and programs that assist battered women, children, and families in need. We are excited to celebrate Olive Branch Mission's recent announcement of major infrastructure upgrades made possible through a city grant. As part of the Department of Family and Support Services' $40 million Shelter Infrastructure Initiative, Olive Branch Mission will create 32 non congregate rooms with private bathrooms for families, along with eight semi-private rooms. These improvements will bring greater privacy, dignity, and security to families experiencing homelessness. Led by Executive Director Katrina Coleman and supported by dedicated leaders like our own member, Geneice Randolph, Food Service Director Olive Branch Mission continues its 158-year legacy of providing hope and a safe haven to Chicago's most vulnerable populations. Second Baptist Church is honored to partner with such a vital organization and looks forward to continuing our youth-driven service in support of their mission. Together, we can build stronger families, stronger communities, and brighter futures Sincerely, Chris Cowns Youth Ministry Darnell Bowles, Sr. Pastor Second Baptist Church Harvey, Illinois

Complete scam. No certs were given after earned...took payment and left students with federal…read morestudent aid bills and no certifications.

Best trade school to in my eyes. Go in knowing nothing leave with all the knowledge you could…read morepossibly have, teachers are excellent and have no problem breaking problems / questions down many different ways so you can get it. Everyone does their part to assist you but if you ask me my opinion the most helpful and most committed person wanting you to succeed there is LAURIE!!! Shes the best. Laurie helps with everything you need from tools, resume, questions about jobs, to finding a job after school. Won't go wrong going there to learn HVAC/R or Welding. EVERYONE is a big help, if you're looking to get into a trade my advice is go to ETI School of Skilled Trades! Best thing that happened for me was enrolling, now I have the experience and knowledge of HVAC/R and now getting paid $24 an hour at a commercial job. So thankful for the Teachers, Administrators, and everyone there. -Q

My wife and I looked at several daycares, and at home daycares, in the area for our 2 year old…read moredaughter. Kindercare care was clean, the staff seemed friendly and the hours were convenient for our work schedules. We thought we'd try it out and see how are daughter adjusted to the environment. Before moving to DG we had a nanny and we wanted her to have exposure to other children. It's been over a year now and we're very happy with the care our daughter has received. Our daughter loves going their each day and is learning a lot from their lesson plan. The staff is very proactive in addressing issues; though we have had very few. If a parent has a concern, they respond and follow up immediately. I don't agree that the staff are overwhelmed. With a classroom of 2 year olds it's going to be a bit noisy. But, the staff is great at settling the mood of the room. Since the first week, I have felt at ease and confident that my daughter is getting the best care possible. I highly recommend considering the DG Kindercare.

I starting taking my child to KinderCare Highland Ave when my baby was 4 months old. Every time he…read moregoes in he is extremely excited to see his friends and teachers. I am at ease and know my child is in good hands whenever I leave. I believe being around other children and the teachers has helped advance his milestones! Additionally they have an amazing app that sends photo or and video updates and keeps a daily report of everything! Kris, who manages the establishment is organized, quick to respond, and extremely sweet. If you're interested they give tours! I'm a very happy Mom!

I would like to explain the experience of being here at Acacia Academy. In Acacia Academy, I've…read moreexperienced difficulty with learning while dealing with PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, and ADHD mostly. While being here, I've struggled even more. The classes with these two specific teachers have made it even more difficult for me to learn and to work. The teachers will follow me to the bathroom due to the fact I've cried in the bathroom multiple times and it has been a '"concern" to the staff members. I would also like to mention that I've gotten panic attacks in the bathroom too-because of my PTSD, and also feeling like I am not good enough for anyone in this school (staff members, teachers, and students.) It has really made me uncomfortable from the fact that the administrator has instructed the teachers to follow me to the bathroom to monitor for me crying, panicking, or talking badly about myself even when I had stopped now. I would also like to mention that the administrator assumes that every problem with a student is either stress, or anxiety. There was a time when I was on the bathroom floor from having a panic attack and I felt weak, I've told the social worker that I had a PTSD flashback, yet they had put me in a room with an administrator to just eat my lunch and apparently "give me time" is what the social worker said and put me back in class. I understand that social workers have to talk to other kids in school, but what makes these "social workers" think that putting me back in class was a fine thing to do? Every time that I've talked to these "social workers," and discuss about how this school has made my mental state worse, yet they encourage me to keep going to this school. I've never felt more disgusted, hatred, and anger in my life from how a "social worker" would convince me that it is required to keep going here while my mental state is getting worse day by day while coming to this school. Keep in mind, I am really struggling with suicidal thoughts right now at the moment and I have to do an online hospitalization program. The teachers continue to stack up on work, while knowing that I will not be able to do some of these assignments at home because I have to do an online hospitalization program. I've never felt more pressured in my life than ever when wanting to have good grades, to get my work done, while I feel that the teachers and staff have absolutely NO awareness about the fact that I won't be able to have enough time to turn in all these assignments on time because of my online hospitalization program. Dealing with my mental health and education is absolutely exhausting, but yet-the teachers continue to give me stacks of work while I'm having to do the online hospitalization program at the same time. I've tried talking to the social workers here, but I've noticed that social workers tend to go straight to the negatives when it comes to certain talks, but never find the positivity in things that could happen if I made changes for coming to this school. Another thing is that a social worker was hoping for me to go to a partial hospitalization program *in-person*, but I told her that I was doing it *online* and she gave me a disappointed look and said, "I was hoping you would go in-person." I felt that it was completely unnecessary that she had to give a comment like that for the choices my parents make to try to help me. The social workers will always tell you, "I'm glad you came today!" Sure! You're glad that I came today to this school, but do I feel that I'm glad I came today? Absolutely not, in reality, I feel like I am forced to be in this school and suffer more each day as I continue to come here. Sometimes I don't even have a choice from whether I should come to school or not, my parents mostly make the decision to whether I can stay home or not. Attendance really matters here, because if you don't come to class for a certain amount of days, you will be held back. I feel even more pressured that I am *required* to come to this school every week without being able to give myself time to stabilize myself, yet I will have to continuously live a dreadful loop for coming here to this school and suffer even more. This school needs to have more awareness on how students feel and need to know what they're struggling with. This school may seem that it's "accommodating" and "helpful," but I feel that the school has barely accommodated anything for me as a student who wants to be successful. Oh! And also, this school told me to take my other rating down because they're afraid of people seeing the truth for what it's like to come here.

When I was sitting in an IEP meeting for my child in our normal school district I was gutted when…read morethey recommended placement out of district. I mean, how could this be? His diagnosis is manageable in public school. It happens everyday. I knew the teachers didn't understand him, and didn't care to. I knew they were mean to him but I fought to keep him in regular school because I wanted him to be with friends in the neighborhood and I didn't want the stigma attached to being sent out of district. His school district turned the screws and fought harder to get him out by destroying his self esteem. Ultimately I agreed to placement out of district to save my son's sanity. Enter Acacia. I was apprehensive at first. Everyone was so nice. I didn't think this could be real after everything we'd been through. But guess what? It IS amazing! My son loves going to school here. He feels valued as a human being and an individual. They teach him at the speed he's comfortable with. Every day that I ask him how his day was he says, "GREAT". I used to be scared to ask him how his day was. My stomach would flip when I saw an email from his school. Those days are over for us. Acacia is where it's at. Everyone knows what they're doing and I regret fighting our school district. He went from someone who was being shamed daily and punished for a neurological problem to someone who has his self esteem and happiness back. He has A's and B's and they LIKE him. I highly recommend Acacia. If you're checking reviews like I was, I know you're not in a good place right now. Hang in there moms and dads. Meet with Acacia as one of your options. You may be scared but everything will be ok - especially if this is where your child ends up.