Personal attitude. Sanitary level is high. Lots of activities included in the toddlers group…read moreschedule. Lunch time napping...private backyard with a view on the pond....highly recommend!!

Loved this Center!! It's the second year in a row that I've performed my Jigglejam Kids Music…read moreConcert for their summer camp program! 1st off you get a very warm & welcoming feeling walking into their center. I worked with 2 groups & the staff & kids were great! I think the staff might have had as much fun as the kids! Everyone participated including teachers :) Hope they enjoy the CD's I donated & can't wait to Jigglejam with them next summer! www.jodijigglejam.com Jodi Koplin

My kids have gone to the Berkshire KC for almost 8 years. While there have been a few staffing…read morechanges recently for the most part my kids have had the same teachers for years (anyone who uses daycare knows how important it is to not mess with routines). This center is small so there really is no choice but to keep a close eye on everyone. The kids don't get lost in a huge room with tons of teachers (you can only watch so many at once, I don't care what the ratios say). My daughters love their teachers and I feel completely comfortable dropping them off daily. The center director isn't alarmest, meaning I don't get calls just when my kid gets the sniffles (but when she does call I come get them since that means they really are sick).

!!ATTENTION ALL SKOKIE PARENTS!! Please keep your children away from this daycare by any means…read morenecessary! Look for other daycare alternatives. This place is a public safety hazard. In less than 2 months my son contracted 3 diseases/viruses: (1) HFM (Hand, Foot & Mouth), (2) Strep Throat and (3) recently RSV. They do a terrible job of properly communicating and reporting children with illnesses. I believe they underreport the number of illnesses that occur. They have zero standards for cleanliness and hygiene. Their standards are so low, they make a Motel 6 look like a Ritz-Carlton. Not to mention, the beds these poor children sleep on look like military field gurney stretchers dating back to the Gulf War. When I picked up my son during lunch hour there was a foul smell of spoiled rotten food. It smelled like a forgotten dumpster. I'd rather walkthrough the streets of Manhattan on garbage day and the streets of Tenderloin in San Francisco. They even forgot to change his clothes after lunchtime and gave him to me with food all over him. I had to clean and change him in the car before I put him in the car seat. It's next door to a very sketchy "CASH ONLY" salon & spa business.

We had a great experience sending our now 2-year-old son to Mosaic. He became very attached to his…read moreteachers (and they, him), he had blossoming friendships, and his language skills developed far quicker than with his nanny. In addition to the standard baseline requirements (safety, hygiene, friendliness), we were looking for a place that would offer diversity. Mosiac delivered in spades - staff and students came from varied cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. Erum, the Director, is amazing at communicating expectations to the parent community and responding to individual parent's needs. Thank you, Mosaic team, for making our life easier by knowing our son is well taken care of!

Rating this 5 stars so that others can see. When I started…read morebringing my daughter here about 6 months back I thought it was the best daycare because of the love Ms. Sophia has for her children. Well just recently my mother dropped my 2 year old off like a normal thing. And as she was leaving she heard the director (Wanda) yelling at a child "Noo! Don't do that pick it up!!!!" My mom decided to stick around longer to see if she would continue yelling. And she did so she went to the main hallway and saw through the window Wanda had grabbed a chair and forcefully sat MY 2 year old down and tied her own scarf around my babies arms together while placing her leg between my babies privates to restrict her form moving. We have a dcfs case open with this lady. This is a parents worst nightmare!!! My baby is not the same any more :( . Parents if your child cries or doesn't want to stay at a daycare they're most likely being abused please be careful and take care of your children.

Great child development center love the values that they teach my children. The staff is great we…read morebeen going to little bear for almost a year and just love it there. They have a great curriculum for the kids during the school year they get your child ready for kindergarten!

My 3 children go here and they all love it. They get to socialize and meet new friends and learn…read morenew things.

After moving out to the Algonquin area we had to find a new daycare for my son. Cadence Academy was…read morehighly recommended by a friend of mine and after interviewing other centers the choice was clear! They are above and beyond any other center I spoke to. The communication between the staff and the parents is just a breathe of relief. Even though I'm not with my kids 24/7 I know what's going on in there lives! After having my daughter it was so nice already knowing the perfect daycare to go to! I recommend this place to anyone who needs a daycare they can trust

It's cheaper in the area for a reason. I say cheaper because daycare is not cheap! Compared to…read moreother daycares in the area this was the cheapest I found, and at the time it met our needs. But my child's learning, growth and livelihood as made me change my mind. I'll pay more for peace of mind. Not even when during the registration process that I had to sign off that the facility informed me that they had done their yearly bug spraying, i kept on signing the paperwork. At least they told me they have bugs and took care of them right? No, wait until summer when your child doesn't want to wash their hands in one of the sinks due to ants/bugs going all around it. The highlight of the month is pajama day at this school. No field trips, dance/music class, foreign language...none. The carpet is cleaned yearly, but its very dirty and old. The toys and the play area in the back is very dated as well. The building needs an revamp/update.' My child has allergies and her nose was running year round being in this facility - this has change with the move to her new school. Another reason for pulling my child out was the fact that she would come home and ask me to watch TV show that she had never seen in our home. When I would ask her where she found out about this show, she would state from the phone from one of the teachers. Meaning after awhile, Frozen or Mickey Mouse Playhouse is taking care of my child. The final straw for me was with the food that my child was fed. One day in the stores, my child pointed to ramen noodles and called it chicken noodle soup. I was not understanding why she would do so - upon further probing, she informed me that ramen packets were served in her school and was called Chicken Noodle soup at school. I immediately called and spoke to one of the directors who confirmed this to be so. She informed me that yes they use Ramen Noodles packets, however that don't use the full flavor packets when making it and also add vegetables. I pulled my child out within the next week. I must say that some of the teachers are the highlight and saving grace of this school, as the directors were never really there. With the tools they were provided, the teachers tried (i still don't appreciate the watching of tv on phones). Even when I came earlier than 4 to pick up my child, the few times i did I saw them maybe twice. I can say for the 2 years we were at the school I only saw the two directors may 5 times. My child is now at Children's Land, which just opened literally down the street from One Leap Ahead. Prior to starting my child at One Leap, I was interested in getting her into this school based on the education programs, field trips, menu and cleanliness of the facility - however there was no opening in their Wheeling location. I am so happy that a new site opened right by us. It has been such a great move for our family!

This facility only fell on our radar through word of mouth referral of a phenomenal teacher. The…read morecenter is quietly tucked away just off the noisy hustle of Lake and Milwaukee Avenues. What we found after touring was an entire team of fabulous teachers at One Leap Ahead (OLA). After touring numerous facilities prior to making a decision we decided to go with OLA. In truth I can't say that we saw something wrong in the way the other centers were operated. Many of the sites were newer with more modern amenities. However, what we discovered with OLA set them apart from the others which helped make our choice easier. Our assessment was rooted firmly in the quality of care our child would receive. This is EXACTLY what we found at this site. The first telltale for me in the quality of the program and care was the number of professional families that are educators and in the health care field like myself. The teachers at this center are long-term employees; even assistants have a lengthy history with OLA. The owners and Directors are all former teachers at the center. This all translated to me as a love for the job they perform and it resonates in the way it's operated. Everyone in the facility is CPR certified including the Chef! The teachers are regularly in-serviced and educated in their field. Families supply "community" supplies once a year, keeping tuition competitively low for the area. Most of the items are easily picked up on a Costco or Target run. I have never been asked for another dollar outside of registration and regular tuition. Yet I've received countless projects including, photos, tie-dyed tees and the like throughout the year. No surprise fees! The teachers get even the tiniest fingers and toes involved in art and sensory discovery. I really appreciate the stream of activities to keep my little guy busy and the detailed notes I receive at the end of each day. The teachers keep parents informed on each little milestone reached on their watch; a true blessing for a working mother. They are able to seamlessly accommodate the individual needs of each child yet keep the group intact. While teachers have assigned classrooms they are all cross-trained in the rituals of other age-groups. They have the teamwork-thing down! There is indescribable warmth in this center you feel the moment you walk into the front door. I did not smell soiled nappies or hear background noise of constant crying. I'm not saying that the children don't cry but the frequency and duration are short lived. Children are a priority at OLA and their emotional needs are addressed accordingly. It's comforting to be able to leave your little one with a team of professionals and rest easy knowing he is not only in capable hands but in loving ones as well!

Are you looking for a preschool for your little one? LOOK NO FURTHER! Just register, you won't…read moreregret it. I researched all the local preschools from Barrington to Crystal Lake and St Barnabas was the best decision I could have made for my son. Immediately I felt at ease when talking with the director Kathy. She spent a lot of time talking with me and answering my questions (first timer with a lot). She was more than happy to show me around the school as well (it was summer time and they were closed). My son has febrile seizures so I also needed to put him someplace where I felt comfortable but also where they felt comfortable having a child there that this could possibly occur on their watch (lucky not to date). This was the place that made me feel most comfortable with his seizure disorder! My son is now in his second year of preschool and my youngest is already registered for next year to start in the 3T's program. It makes me so happy to see how my son looks forward to going to school each day. He has learned SO MUCH! He constantly comes home singing or telling me something that he's learned that day and it amazes me! But I love St Barnabas for the culture. The school environment is SO LOVING! It's like dropping him off with family. I know each time I leave he is in great hands. The staff have worked together for years and you can tell they all love what they do! What more could you want for in a preschool? This is the one! I know some have asked about the religious aspect in the school. Even if your NOT religious it's OK to still have your child attend preschool here. Religion is not forced upon you there. Yes it's faith based and my son can now tell me about Jesus and say prayers. It's not excessive. He tells me more about the months of the year and the days of the week.

Hands down the best preschool in the area! I felt like my daughter was in such great hands every…read moretime I dropped her off. She loved having Miss Lauren as her teacher. I can't stress how great Kathy, Chris and everyone there is. They make you feel like family. I can't recommend them enough!!!

My son has been attending this daycare since he was 2 months old and my niece is in the preschool…read moreclass. I have nothing but amazing things to say about Ms. Joy and ALL of her staff! Since day one they have always dealt with all my questions with such kindness and sincerity. Any concern I've ever had has been addressed immediately and resolved. I never have a doubt my son is well taken care of on a daily basis. My niece has learned so much in their preschool program and tells me every day how much she loves school!! I would highly recommend A Step By Step for anyone looking for a reliable, safe and loving environment for their children!!

Yes, this is as good as it gets! I recommend A Step by Step Academy to everyone that I know who…read morehave children! I Love this place! You can Trust the place! Best child care I've witnessed, Period. Joy, the owner, and the whole staff here at A Step by Step is so professional, so helpful, and so on point that all Four of my kids have attended the academy! When I say rapid learning... Whew!! I want to say geniuses are being bred in that building! I have two still there now, and it's one of the best decisions my wife and I have made together. So grateful for you all, thank you, and keep up the great work! Cheers, Darryl Jones