We have been sending our daughter here since she was 17 months and we have loved it so far. I…read morestayed at home with my daughter for the first year and a half because quite frankly I wasnt able to trust someone else to care for her. So it was a big step for me to send her to daycare/school. However, it was quite relieving to see how much my daughter loves the school and how much care and love the teachers show the kids.

From the owner: A pioneer in early childhood education since 1969, Kensington School is built on a foundation of…read morechild-led curiosity, balanced with academic excellence that builds confidence, inquisitiveness and wonder in learning. Nationally recognized for excellence, Kensington School offers private nurseries, preschools, and kindergartens across Northeastern Illinois, including Chicago and its suburbs. Our innovative curriculum, inspirational teaching, and beautiful classroom environments make Kensington School an outstanding first-school experience.

First year at the school for our kids. So far great education. Kids look forward to school every…read moreday and the teachers and staff and not be more loving and kind.

When searching for a school for our 3 year old daughter to attend part time we came upon ILS and…read moreswitched her to there from her daycare facility (which we also loved). The nine months she has attended ILS have seen her grow and blossom as a person both mentally and spiritually resulting in a strong moral compass. Her teacher and aide in the class have been nothing short of incredible as well as the after school staff and all that we have encountered at ILS. So many times in our life, we look back at the choices we make with some regret, we never have with this one and can only extol upon ILS as a great place for children to attend.

We have LOVED our 5 years at TGS Oakbrook. I can't believe we are about to leave behind this daily…read morepart of our lives! The people at The Gardner School of Oakbrook Terrace have helped to raise our daughter to be the beautiful, smart, hilarious, creative, sweet little 5-and-a-half-year-old lady she is now. These women have changed her diapers, fed her nutritious meals, played with her, read to her, soothed her, encouraged her, loved her, taught her, shaped her, and helped her grow in every way possible. They've helped me be a better mom (& teacher, too). They've helped my husband in myriad ways as well. The teachers, administrators, and other staff are supportive and caring in all their interactions. The administrators were understanding whenever "life" happened and you needed to bend protocol to make all the things happen, whatever they might be. In our case, when our daughter was an infant, we actually pulled her out of TGS for a 6-month period because she was getting sick so often and so intensely. (Former preemie with low immune system plus she had the stereotypical childhood recurring ear infection.) When we decided we wanted to have her return, TGS welcomed us back with open arms. And...no matter what...every day during high traffic/morning drop-off/evening pick-up times, one of the administrators was there with a smiling face to greet parents and families at the front door. That meant more than it might seem on the surface. First of all, there were plenty of days where I blew into the building in quite a mood from my own long, trying school day with 100+ kids, but after I was greeted by a smiling Ms. Natalie, Ms. Jen, or Ms. Brittany and walked to my daughter's classroom, that interaction had managed to shift my focus to what kind of day my child had. Second, consistency is key with children and at TGS, it's demonstrated even in this area. Third, knowing you can count on that presence at a particular time makes it simple to plan quick verbal check-ins with TGS staff. The teachers were forever gracious about everything, including me dropping off incredibly late in the summer. :-P Enrichment teachers like Coach Janelle helped our daughter explore ballet, gymnastics, and theatre in a friendly, safe environment. We counted on Chef Nicole to prepare and serve tasty, healthy food several times a day every day & she always delivered. Most of all, we knew that daily our daughter's classroom teachers were doing absolutely amazing things, instilling in her a love of learning and an understanding of how school works... Ms. Angelika, Ms. Abbey, Ms. Tameka, Ms. Jessica, Ms. Angela, Ms. Jennifer, Ms. Cassi, Ms. Adriana, Ms. Ann, Ms. Anna, Ms. Lonnisha, Ms. Vanessa, Ms. Elyse: you are forever in our hearts. Beyond everything mentioned above, these women at TGS Oakbrook have always understood who our daughter is. That means they know what she responds well to and what she needs in order to feel safe, loved, & happy. It also means they knew what gaps needed to be filled and what she needed to work on. So at TGS, she has learned soooo much about how to be brave, to write, to play with friends (or to play alone when she's not feeling it!), to wash your hands at all the right times, to listen when others speak, ... Because of TGS Oakbrook and the women who work there, my daughter will walk into kindergarten at our neighborhood school the most prepared she could possibly be. And for that, we are forever grateful.

After moving from the city to the suburbs, our family was in search of a new daycare and were lucky…read moreto have found The Gardner School. Our son started at The Gardner School around 1.5 and is still there 2 years later. During these 2 years, he has had caring / passionate teachers who have taught him countless things in fun and exciting ways. He has made many friends and gotten to experience extracurricular activities (basketball, karate, music class, etc.) throughout the year. During the summer, children not only continue learning, but are treated to ice cream trucks, petting zoos and more! If you are in search of a daycare, do not hesitate to visit The Gardner School Oak Brook!

Somehow my review was removed. I'll continue to re-post this until there is no chance Colleen can…read moreget in business. She has defrauded teachers and parents. This place is one big pyramid scheme. I was told the tuition would be $1100 / month. The first month month is was $5000. Colleen charged TWO MONTHS in advance, and then went out of business. My family (and every other family) that attended has heard nothing unless you put a Patch journalist on the email. DO NOT TRUST THIS WOMAN, and if it ever re-opens stay away

Although my son attended this school 8 years ago, I am posting this review and believe it to be…read morerelevant because the leadership remains unchanged and other parents are still reporting issues similar to those that my family faced. Please beware of this school. While a few of the teachers genuinally care, there is an overall culture of intolerance towards any child who does not immidately meet expectations socially and emotionally. I was told to stay after school almost daily so teachers could report various "red flags" that they felt indicated problems with my son. These included not sitting in circle time, not making eye contact, not playing with others, and not following directions. He was two and a half years old. Because this was my first child, I can't even begin to communicate the fear these conversations caused me. The teachers said nothing-- nothing-- positive about my son ever, even though everywhere else I took him, (sunday school, etc) adults praised him. When I would try to ask questions, the teachers at Elmurst Academy would interrupted me and roll their eyes at what I said-- frequently when they thought I wasn't looking. I would leave and cry in my car because I was so scared. One time, I sat through an entire "parent teacher conference," and after hearing them report the entire time about my son's deficists, I actually had to ask them to please say one kind thing about him. This is regarding a two year old toddler! At their recommendation, I had him tested by two outside sources, both of whom told me that my son was fine and absolutely developmentally where he should be. Despite this, the teachers continued to harass us both. I finally left after two years, sure that something was wrong. Once I put my son in a different school, we literally never had any trouble again. Never. I held my breath when he went to Kindergarten. Nothing. No problems. All his teachers loved him. Was he better at circle time by then? Of course! But he was 5 years old, and ready to do it. Why didn't his Elmhurst teachers understand that getting up during circle time IS NORMAL for many two year olds? I have no idea why they targeted us or why I stayed so long. As a new mom, I thought they were professionals and must know more than I did. My son is in middle school and doing perfectly well, academically and socially. I really want those years of my life back that I sent him to Elmhurst Academy. I wish I knew then how disreputable and unprofessional they were.

I can't really comment on how business is today but I have very fond memories of being an attendee…read morethere in 1982/3-1984! Nostalgia brought me here to see if it still existed. To my surprise it does! I have read that they may have closed. I have also read reviews posted recently speaking of events that happened in 2016. I would research yourself because when I did these reviews did not seem to match the stories read....

In 2017 my wife and my child uprooted our life in NYC to come to Chicago to give our son a better…read morelife. While in NYC our child attended a home daycare lead by an excellent teacher where they taught and spoke Spanish, had a diverse group of children, and cared for him very deeply. In moving to the Elmhurst area, we had to make a decision on where we would decide to place our child somewhat blindly. I called several places, searched several different websites, and of course check YELP before making our decision. What sold me was Carol's methodical approach to our child's development and I haven't been disappointed in our decision. What I love about this daycare is that it holds the parents as accountable to their children's development as the teachers. Each month we are required to work with our child on a project and to help them each week to gather "research" for their own projects. I love that they do not call themselves Raggedy Anne Daycare. It's a Learning Center and it truly is. We were concerned that our child would not find the diversity that we loved at our daycare in NYC, but that was not a concern as there is plenty of diversity. Do they ask the children to clean up as early as 2 years old. Sure and I can tell you my kid is one of the cleanest 2yr olds I ever met. There is a lot of love in this learning center. You don't get into daycare to become rich and if you did, Carol wouldn't try to find creative ways to help contain costs. It's a GREAT school and you would be doing your child a disservice if you didn't at least give Raggedy Anne Learning Center a look.

My son just finished a "summer camp" with them and had a great experience. The staff was very…read morepatient and caring with him and we really appreciated it. Would recommend.

We started our son at the Kindercare in Elmhurst in Nov 2023 and have been so pleased with our…read morechoice. The teachers, staff and management have been so kind and welcoming, and the relationships they form with each child are truly remarkable. It's such a comfort dropping him off each day knowing that he'll be well cared for and have so much fun. Thank you, KCE!

Both of my children attend The Gardner School at Yorktown and my husband and I could not be more…read morethrilled with the attention, care, kindness and all around nurturing this school has given to them. The staff is unbelievable and they go above and beyond to make sure we are informed on a day to day basis on the progress of our children. On another note, the activities that are available to the kids are super fun and it is great to see the growth, and confidence that comes with that. I love this school and recommend them highly without any reservation. Angelika, Natalie and Stephanie are amazing! Tell them I sent you!

After trying several daycare solutions, we came across TGS Yorktown just before they opened. I…read morespoke with Kerry, the Executive Director, who was incredibly welcoming from our first conversation. The warm environment and beautiful facility made the decision to sign up our son very easy. Our son was one of the very first students at TGS Yorktown nearly one year ago and started in the infant classroom. The staff has always been extremely communicative, caring and understanding. The updates and photos throughout the day allow us to rest assured knowing our child is in a wonderful and fun learning environment. As he transitioned to eating solids, gained more independence in his motor skills, and began talking, the teaching staff has consistently provided incredible care and paid close attention to his developmental milestones. I think back to our decision to send our little one to daycare, how stressful and anxiety-inducing it can be as a first time parent, especially during a pandemic, and smile because I now cannot imagine our life without the amazing staff at TGS Yorktown!

Diana was amazing with our daughter who started with her when she was 2. Going to Diana's felt like…read moregoing to a little school but in the comfort of a home. It was organized, safe, and full of fun toys my daughter loved. She came home with multiple art projects everyday and tried all different kinds of foods. When we picked her up she was happy and talked about how much fun she had! I cannot recommend Diana and her amazing daycare enough for your little ones.

Diana has been a big part of our daughter's life and she has given us peace of mind for years. She…read moreprovides the most genuine care and experiences that our daughter will still reference to this day (years later). She is the most positive, energetic and loving care provider out there. We have had other care providers in the past and no one has ever compared to Diana. She is truly an amazing human being. She treats your family like its her own and I highly recommend her!