Our family is beyond thrilled with Unity! We toured three different schools before making our…read moredecision, and we are so happy we chose Unity. Our daughter, who is two and a half, has had an incredible year of growth, particularly in her language development. It truly exploded thanks to the supportive and educational environment at Unity. She has learned ways to express her emotions, like saying "I'm frustrated" when her little sister takes her toys, which has been such a milestone for us. Sometimes we are pleasantly surprised by new phrases/ideas she weaves into conversation and we ask - where did you learn that? "At School!" Unity has also helped her develop independent play skills, which, as a parent, is a dream come true! Eva and the entire staff are fantastic communicators, and I always feel comfortable bringing up any topic with them. (What other school has parent-teacher conferences for two-year-olds?!) We can't wait for our second child to join Unity when she turns two!

Unity Preschool has been an incredibly nurturing place for my children to explore and learn, and…read moremost importantly feel comfortable and valued. My older child was well prepared socially/emotionally and academically for grade school. I love how excited my pre-K child is to share the day's adventures with me. The teachers support curiosity and exploration in the most responsive and creative ways. As a parent with an early childhood education background, I have been thrilled with the quality and care of the experienced teaching staff. The space is so bright and filled with evidence of all the fun the kids are having each day. I also now have the privilege of being part of the collaborative team of teachers. Wonderful director, very special community, would not hesitate to recommend this magical little school!

Total Child is a special place. I LOVE that they get the kids out in the world by taking them for…read moreneighborhood walks, going for frequent visits to a nearby senior living facility to do crafts with the residents, and making regular visits to the Evanston library. My daughter has thrived at this preschool over the last year. It is also one of the few options in Evanston that offers a full time PreK program. I could not recommend this school more for your little ones.

Total Child is the best! Our daughter has attended for two years now and we continue to be so…read moreimpressed with the staff and program at this school. Her teachers have been outstanding both years- incredibly qualified & dedicated partners in her development. We love the Reggio Emilia philosophy and we see the creativity & problem solving skills that have developed as a result. We cannot recommend this school more!

I was raised in traditional schools and had no prior experience with the Montessori approach, so I…read morewasn't sure what to expect when we first joined Chiaravalle Montessori. But after four years at the school, I can confidently say that I am amazed by how effective this method is and how well it supports my child's individual growth. Our child is now in kindergarten, and one of the things that continues to impress me is the sophistication of the curriculum. Every day, he brings home work that I would have been doing in second or third grade--adding and subtracting fractions, solving word problems, and even working with four-digit multiplication. The school's approach really allows children to progress (and f accelerate) at their own pace. It's incredible to see how engaged and excited he is about learning. Even more importantly, he is thrilled to go to school each morning. Knowing that he wakes up eager to learn and be part of his classroom community speaks volumes about the environment Chiaravalle has created. Another standout aspect of Chiaravalle is the extraordinary educators. Over the past four years, our child has had three different classroom teachers, and every single one has been a true education professional, deeply dedicated to their students. They don't just teach; they observe, adapt, and create a learning experience that meets each child where they are. Their ability to recognize strengths and nurture individual potential is remarkable. Beyond academics, Chiaravalle is an incredibly close-knit and welcoming community. The relationships our child has built--with peers, teachers, and other families--are meaningful. It's a place where children are treated with dignity, encouraged to explore, and supported in becoming confident, engaged learners. We truly believe that Chiaravalle is giving our child the best foundation--not just academically but socially and emotionally as well. We feel incredibly grateful to be part of this school.

My son transferred to Chiaravalle during the fifth grade because his learning style wasn't…read morewell-suited for public school. His math scores were lagging and didn't improve despite trying things like teacher conferences and outside tutoring. After visiting Chiaravalle, my son was immediately attracted to the welcoming community and the modern Montessori learning approach, where students are allowed, encouraged, and trained to take responsibility for their own learning and community. He still doesn't love math (Chiaravalle can't perform miracles!) but he's back on track with what he needs to know and has much more confidence about his math aptitude. He's also learning tons of other great stuff--not just academics but also leadership skills (and the resilience needed to be a good leader) as well as executive functioning skills like how to keep up with his assignments and plan his own work schedule. He's in seventh grade now and in middle school they are doing such a great job getting him ready for ETHS. He's a social, outgoing person and we were not sure how he would do with the smaller class sizes. This turned out to be no problem, especially because students of different grades work together. He's friends with students who are a year older and a year younger than he is, in a way that I think would not be the case in public school. Overall, Sending him to Chiaravalle significantly and positively changed the trajectory of his education and development.

Amazing staff! Such a special warm and caring environment full of creativity and smart guidance.read more

This is our 11th year at Roycemore, and I couldn't be happier with my decision to enroll both of my…read morekids in this school. Although we had a few hiccups with one teacher initially, they have since gotten to know my son better. The teachers at Roycemore are fantastic and genuinely care about their students. The most significant improvement I saw was when my daughter started high school. She became an excellent writer and developed a strong love for math. Thanks to the dedicated teachers, she was able to gain admission to an Ivy League school and now tutors other kids in math. When she ran out of classes at Roycemore, she was able to continue her studies in Mandarin and math at Northwestern. I love this school, the teachers, the staff, and I will be forever grateful for the impact they've had on my children's education and personal growth.

Midwest Montessori school has great teachers and so loving atmosphere. Learning experience is based…read morein every activity. A very family oriented place. Children love the school, so do parents. A great school community! Everyone is is always welcome! I do love the school, its teachers, parents and kids, amazing!

We have had our three daughters go through Midwest Montessori. Two of them have graduated through…read morekindergarten, and the third one will be in Kindergarten next year. We are the type of parents who will evaluate and compare all options before making a decision. We visited many other preschools, Montessori or not, public or not, in the Evanston/Wilmette area, and Midwest Montessori stood out. First, the teachers are exceptional. They are patient, encouraging and extremely knowledgeable. MMDS is a demonstration school, so the teachers are actually "master teachers" who are also role models for new teachers. The whole school is completely immersed in the Montessori philosophy, in the original sense: what Maria Montessori taught and wrote, not the edulcorated version that has been simplified or perverted to fit new pedagogical fads, that you may find at other Montessori schools. It is thus individualized to each child, at the same time making sure that the child is eager to learn new things. The kids learn courtesy, dispute resolution, and many useful practical skills. However, they also learn academic topics very efficiently, thanks to wonderful Montessori materials for Math as well as reading, writing, geography and science. When you enter the classroom, it is quiet and orderly. The students are busy, each on their own project, and they always put back their work in place after they finish it. Second, the school is small, with just two classrooms, both of which feel spacious and light with large windows. They only do pre-K to Kindergarten, so the little children do not feel overwhelmed by older ones, and they are the center of attention. Children are in mixed age groups, so the oldest ones mentor the younger ones, thereby creating role models for the youngest at the same time as it builds self-confidence for the Kindergartners. It is a diverse community, with children speaking Russian, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Hindi, and of all ethnicity. Because of its proximity to Northwestern University, it also tends to attract academically gifted children, who thrive in this self-paced environment.

great school and amazing staff. The teachers are very attentive to the kids and do a great job of…read moremixing in music focused curriculum with games and playtime. really happy we chose this school for our kiddo.

We love Barbereux! Amazing teachers and staff. Would highly recommend this school to anyone looking…read morefor a fantastic preschool and kindergarten.

Cherry is a wonderful safe place for kids to grow and learn at their own speeds. It is inclusive…read moreand loving!

From the owner: As a developmental early childhood education program, Cherry Preschool offers a safe, consistent,…read morenurturing environment that encourages the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth of children at their own rate. We include children of all abilities and backgrounds and teach understanding, and acceptance. We welcome children who are at-risk due to special needs, financial and other family challenges, partnering with families to provide quality education and a sense of community.

We had two children here for two years and pulled them out after feeling unimpressed and…read moredisenchanted with the administration throughout that time. The owners and administrators run this center like it is any old business, they do not appear to have any real interest in creating a nurturing environment that allows kids to thrive. Their sole focus is keeping the classrooms full. This disconnect is hard to escape. As just one example, a number of families pulled their kids out at the same time in the fall of 2022 (at least 6, including ours), and I don't believe they asked a single family why they chose to leave. They definitely did not ask us. As long as they have a wait list to pull from, it does not seem to matter whether or how they could serve their kids or staff better. It's truly disheartening. That said, we are forever grateful for some wonderful teachers who are trying their best to do right by the kids. This, despite a lack of internal support that was so bad that many of them vocalized their frustration to parents. It only seemed to be getting worse the longer we were there. If you can find care elsewhere, do it.

Our son has been there for 2 years and we've had a really wonderful experience! As he's gotten…read moreolder, it has become more obvious that he takes his learnings home with him. Every week, the classroom teacher provides us with a curriculum for the next week. I love to see how they make age appropriate lessons and integrate that with play-based learning. He has such a great time when he's at school and I think it has been really great for his development

School for little children is such a special place. The teachers and admin our dedicated,…read morenurturing, and welcoming. Both our kids have had wonderful experiences at SLC. The flexible extended day options have been so helpful to meeting our childcare needs. I have been so impressed with the staffs willingness to meet the needs of their students and create classroom environments that are engaging while promoting learning through play.

Our kid unfortunately had a bad experience. In their year, there was one good room and one bad room…read more-- and they got the bad room (disengaged teachers, very little communication). We also found it to be a very cliquey place -- there is an inner group of parents who themselves went there as kids, and many have worked there at some point, and have large extended families all going through, and if you are not in that group, the administration doesn't seem to listen to or value you at all.

After my family moved to the area from out of state my husband…read morewas diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. After his loss, my son was really struggling with grief and depression. I was looking for a small school with a personal touch. My son was an incoming Junior and they said they would waive the language requirement. a year later they sprung on me in August, that they would not waive the requirement and he could nit graduate on time. They recommended that I move him to public school, so I did. After which they refused to refund my $16,000 payment for first semester Senior year. He didn't attend a single day. They also, harassed me for second semester payments with collection calls and refused to sign a social security form to help me get social security as a widow of 3 children. The head of school was incredibly degrading when I called her to discuss a possible refund. Beacon Academy claims to be a holistic approach and a caring environment. Don't buy it.

Beacon Academy is a brand new high school located in downtown Evanston, IL. This is the first…read moreMontessori-style school in the region. Beacon opened on Monday, August 25th, 2014 to a new freshman and sophomore class. Beacon has a tremendously dedicated staff and faculty. The team has been assembled from both the Chicago/Evanston area and other places across the U.S. to create a visionary school that others will use as a model for the future. Jeff Bell, Kate Anderson and others have worked hard for many years to reach this historic milestone. The mayor, alderman and others in the city met the staff and students for the ribbon cutting ceremony on the 25th. It's a remarkable achievement and one that I am very excited to be part of. Our daughter is one of the 30+ pioneers embarking on an amazing journey of learning, leadership and community. I highly encourage you to visit and welcome Beacon to the area!