The director of this daycare is about as mature as the children that attend it. She has no idea how to run a business or handle her employees. Quality teachers are chased away because she is not smart enough to discipline those that spread gossip and lies around the center. With her lack of judgment and leadership, she shouldn't be in charge of anyone...don't let her be in charge of the people that are watching your child every day. read more

My daughter attended this location of LGTH for a little over 2 years, starting when she was 2 years old until 4.5. I should have followed my gut from the beginning when I knew very early on this place wasn't what we wanted for our child (or anybody else's). Instead of going with my gut, I was hopeful things would change and convinced myself that maybe this is just the way daycares are...they aren't, and I am disappointed in myself for not following my gut. Hopefully this review helps you follow yours. The bad: - TURNOVER is SIGNIFICANT at all levels and in all classes. For any given class, on average, my daughter had at least 3 new lead teachers and numerous more support teachers. If you talk to the teachers, which we always did because we wanted a relationship with each of them knowing they were watching the love of our life, you will learn that they are extremely under paid and under appreciated. Of course there is turnover at this rate! LGTH requires the teachers to pay for their own supplies, does not promote within, and pays lower than other daycares with equal or less tuition. How is that possible that for the tuition this place charges, they can't allocate funds to supplies and instead expect their under paid teachers to front the cost? The operating model is terrible. - TUITION - expect it to go up every year and the reasons cited are "to remain competitive". No, nothing else will change as far as your curriculum or turnover rate, so how does this increase make you competitive? It is an absurd reasoning/logic, but because you are already locked in and the thought of transitioning your kid out is horrific, they win. - OPERATIONS - their sign in system is finicky, doesn't work a lot (which requires you to hand write check ins/outs), and has a user interface from 1999. They track your kids progress through handwritten paper. Again, with all the money we fork over for tuition, how do you not leverage the various apps that exist that can be used to monitor your kids day? Yearly reviews are "performed" but inconsistent depending on the individual providing the review. Some were in depth, others weren't. LGTH closed A LOT due to malfunctions in their heating and cooling system or electrical issues. And NO, they would not reimburse us for those days they could not operate. They had no issues jacking up their tuition rates each year, but did nothing to compensate us for the days because of their inability to maintain their building. Garbage. We did not experience this, but witnessed it with other children; even if your child turns a certain age, they may not move to the next level of class given availability. We witnessed some children being delayed 6 months. 6 months is an extremely long time during the quick development cycles children go through in their early life. To me this is an operational issue. How does the company not plan for this? - PHONE USE - teachers are on their phones. We didn't run into this in every class, but in enough classes. Some would try to hide it while others would do it in plain sight. They have a no phone policy, but no one governs it. When I have voiced my concern, I did not see a change. - QUALITY - Some teachers are good (but they typically leave quickly) and others are TERRIBLE. Your child and many others will always have snot running from their nose. My husband and I used to wipe other kids noses when we would drop off and pick up our daughter. Teachers have to notice it if we do and for some reason it wasn't a priority to take care of. Some teachers look absolutely exhausted and angry when we would pick up our daughter. I get it, I could never watch 12-15 toddlers for 10 hours straight, but that's why I don't do it and I am in a different profession. LGTH needs to stop hiring bodies and hire qualified passionate individuals. One of the recent lead teachers hired in our daughters 4-5 year old class, played card games with our kids vs. implementing / creating sensory tables. Sensory tables aligned to the lesson plan are what we were used to and is what we expected. Instead we would drop her off to learn about a game of uno. I expect way more. Additionally, discipline approach varies and is inconsistent across the board. When our daughter was in the 2 year old class, we picked her up with feces in her hair and on her show. When we voiced our concern, the response we got from the lead teacher at the time was "oh she must have put her hands in her poopy diaper during nap time"... ya think!??!? And that was hours before picking her up. So she literally walked around with feces on her and no one noticed or cared enough to clean her up. The good: - I have met some incredible other women and families through LGTH, some that have turned into best friends. In summary, LGTH is extremely expensive daycare where the quality does not match the price tag. You can tell the folks that own it care about making money and nothing else. read more

My daughter attends the Lakeview location and we love it! She is so happy and I attribute how quickly she has learned sign language and other skills to her teachers. The teachers care so much about the children and the lesson plans are so creative. I love that we get lesson plans for our infant each month and we can follow along at home and reinforce what she is being taught in the classroom. She is so attached to her teacher(s) and it's really comforting to know that she is so well cared for! read more

Finding a great daycare in Chicago isn't easy and getting in is even harder. A friend recommend checking out LGTH because they had such a great experience when his kids attended the original location. I was so thankful to get into LGTH. The new Lakeview facility is fantastic and even includes a large indoor play area for the older kids. My son has been there for 8 months (in one of the infant rooms) and we couldn't be happier. His lead teachers are fabulous (one has been there since the beginning and the other came a few months in to replace a teacher that was promoted). They truly love all of the kids and do a great job teaching them. Additionally, they communicate a lot with the parents: daily reports, happy to chat at pickup and drop off, weekly update emails, and monthly lesson plan emails. They even have a music program for the infants and my son absolutely loves it! As an eco & health conscious parent I love that they use cloth diapers, that they have lots of eco-friendly toys (wood or 'safer' plastic toys), and serve healthy meals to the older kids (and accommodate special diets/food allergies) For me there are really only two downsides: pickup and drop off on Ashland is a pain due to traffic and lack of free parking and it is pricey (but you get what you pay for!) All in all I would absolutely recommend this daycare to anyone that is looking. read more

Greedy business owners who only care about making money. There are some good teachers here, for sure, but as other reviewers noted, turnover is high. The employees are not paid well, and often leave for other places when they are able to land a better offer. They are continuing to charge us full tuition during the statewide "shelter in place" order. LGTH must have some fancy lawyers -- they were able to apply for an exemption, so they can keep their doors open as an "essential business" during the COVID-19 outbreak. Almost no one in the West Loop location is sending their kids there, but LGTH is charging us all full tuition because they are technically open. All in all, this is not a place that cares about kids. Yes, there are some great teachers here, and they do care. But a community and culture of care comes from the top down, and the people that run this place clearly only care about $$$. read more

Our granddaughter is enrolled here in the Tulip classroom and she loves it! The professional, caring teachers and staff have enriched her first year beyond measure. The smile on her face when she sees her teacher and classmates tells us she's happy. She's even communicating with us through sign language! The school has continued to diligently practice Covid-related safety measures which we are grateful for. I would highly recommend Little Green Tree House for its professional staff, positive learning environment and attention to healthy and world-conscious living. read more

We are new to the Little Green Tree House but I have nothing but good things to say so far! I have two sons at the school, one in the toddler room and one in pre-school (3s). My 3 year old can be a challenge and the transition from home-with-nanny to full-time school has been tough for him. The teachers and directors have been incredibly supportive during this transition. We are making great progress and that's due to the patience and support provided by LGTH. My 1.5 year old has had a very smooth transition and absolutely loves going to school each day! His teachers are fantastic and provide weekly email updates and pictures. He learns something new every day and is also enjoying the socialization and structure. We are grateful to have found LGTH for our first daycare/pre-school experience! read more

We have been waiting for over a year now on receiving a significant refund that Little Green Treehouse has agreed we are owed. The owner has refused to respond to letters directed to them as well as an inquiry by the Better Business Bureau. We tried to be patient because of year 2020 was, but we moved away and had to start a new daycare. After numerous follow-ups we are still provided no information when we will receive our refund. The teachers we had there were great, but they have all since left. read more

It's kinda sad how our Little Green Tree House adventure ended. Our daughter went there for a year and a half as a 2 and 3 year-old, and it went rather well the whole time, but even from the day we first visited (I remember we were super impressed that day!), we had heard it was managed quite commercially and money-driven rather than a passion project, and we had made the choice to be fine with it; but the last moments insisted on the compromise over care for kids there can sometimes be. The reasons we left were good and we were disappointed but not bitter at all about them. LGTH has been full at the 3-yo level, so they haven't been able to graduate 3-yo kids in 2-yo classes to that level since August. Initially it was presented as a temporary setback, but there was no date set to make it right, and we were worried that our daughter, as one of the oldest kids in her class, wouldn't get older kids as role models for a while. So we enquired and eventually found out that the actual plan was to let her 2-yo class (Pine) get older until all kids are 3 and it's a 3-yo class. This was an unpleasant surprised even more so because we had switched Lila from 2 to 3 days a week a couple of months before, asked if there would be space at the upper level back then, and the direction had committed that there would be. We shared our concerns about the lack of role models for an entire year until she'd turn 4; but the direction explained that they weren't concerned by that at all and would rather that she stays in Pine until then anyway. So, we set ourselves on a path to find a school with room at the 3-yo level. It was a disappointing way to end a relationship, but we were ok with it. It's great that LGTH has so many students at the 3-yo level; I wish the strategy had been more clearly communicated from the start, but that's ok, that met our communication expectations with LGTH, but I feel it also was a good reason for us to seek something else. What happened next though, is what we don't find acceptable, that prompted this review. As soon as we put our notice, we received warm wishes for happy continuation, but then Lila started to be clearly made to feel excluded every day at school during those 30 days, and she looked sadder and sadder by the day. For instance: all locker names were replaced with a pretty "Christmassy" one; all but Lila's, who now didn't have any. All students in the class were assigned a task they were responsible for (helping to clean up, being first in the line to go to the park, ...); all of them but Lila. The theme of her last week was the countries that the students' origins are from, which was a great idea because in the class there are Indian origins, German origins, ... We immigrated from France 4 years ago and Lila is a French citizen; you guessed it, she wasn't at all represented all week. This last event wasn't related to anything long term, it was literally the theme for that week only, this is what confirmed that the exclusion had been intentional. It's really silly because our relationship with the school was still great until the end. I can't see why they would make our daughter pay for something that was not even an adult-level problem... Even if there was one I would be angry that the kid would pay, but since there wasn't one, I'm also confused! On the plus side, we visited tons of other schools in the neighborhood, and LGTH has an indoor play space like nobody else does, which is extremely useful in the winter. Newport Children's Academy is likely going to take the throne with an indoor play space that should be bigger (half their second floor in the huge factory building they built the school in), but it's only planned to be done in February last I heard, so as it stands today, LGTH is way on top of anyone else. Also, most teachers are there driven by passion, and they care a lot about the kids; which matters a lot, because at the end of the day it is them that your kid will spend their time with. The downside though is that they're probably not greatly compensated, because the turnover is intense, so your mileage may vary, even over time in the same class. Also, beware, they do the thing where they close the school a lot in the year (a whole week at Christmas) but you still pay for it. They're far from being the only school to do that in the neighborhood, but there are also a bunch that manage without doing that. Think of asking schools how many days a year they're closed when you visit, and who pays for those days (we learned that the hard way). Overall, it's not at all a bad school, and most of the time was really good; but be aware that it can turn unexpectedly sour for reasons that can hurt the kid's well-being, which is really disappointing... read more

I'll preface my review with the fact that my son only attended for three days before we pulled him, and we only worked with one teacher. So our experience may not be indicative of the whole facility. I was sorely disappointed in the actual experience at LGTH compared to the expectations based on the tour we received and the tuition. The experience we had was that of a low-end daycare, certainly not worth $2400+ for an infant room. The infant teacher told me that the "curriculum" and theme months that we loved so much on the tour don't actually happen in that classroom because she's too busy and short handed. They didn't do any activities in the three days we were there (the teacher said she did tummy time and let my son roll on his back, but that's all. No sensory play or anything). I also witnessed several instances that weren't my style including letting a child "cry it out" for 15 min in his crib, not redirecting an older child who was making another cry by taking his sippy cup away from him, etc.) Again, this teacher may simply have her own style, but it was not one that meshed well with my expectations. (She also pulled a nail clipper out of a pencil jar to cut my son's nails in front of me, ew, no thanks. I can handle that.) The parent reporting and feedback is also lacking here. They have handwritten papers that they use to track arrival times, feedings, diapers, etc., but we weren't allowed to take our papers home with us one of the days because she didn't have carbon copies for us. I had no way of knowing what my son ate, napped, etc. His teacher also wouldn't tell me if he cried much throughout the day (nervous first time mom wanted to know how he was doing), she'd only share that he was "normal" for a new student. The check-in and check-out system at the front desk was down for all of our tours and the week we were attending as well (possibly coincidence), so they must only rely on the papers to know what kids are where - slightly unnerving in the event of an emergency. I also received updates throughout the day from his teacher via her personal text. It worked okay, but the apps that other daycares use are so much better and more professional. Less importantly, it's really dark in the inner classrooms. Almost no natural light. And the building's location on busy Ashland isn't ideal (but we knew that going into it obviously) Lastly the communication with the directors wasn't great, but I also realize that we were there for such a short time so maybe it's not a fair assessment. We just didn't hear much if anything from them, it all came from the teacher. All in all, I think my son was always safe and cared for in the time he was there, but certainly not worth the price. As a first time parent going back to work, I may be hyper aware of some things, but nothing about this place gave me comfort in our decision. Premium price for basic care. read more

don't really like writing reviews, but felt i needed to weigh in to help counterbalance amber's 1 star post. certainly bad experiences are possible and can happen anywhere. my observation is that these usually happen because of poor communication rather than due to some inherent problem. this really must have been the case with LGTH. in our experience - as in the experience of a pretty tight-knit group of parents from several classrooms - LGTH staff and admin are nothing short of excellent. they really go above and beyond in terms of the actual child care and in terms of the various logistics parents care about, such as thorough information about the day's activities, great meals, great e-mail communication, etc. we're about to put our second child into LGTH and let me tell ya - it's a big sigh of relief, because i know he'll be taken care of well. read more

My son, husband, and I are all extremely satisfied with this school. We were lucky to get in soon after it opened, so I feel that we've grown along with it. My son spent a year in one of the infant rooms and just transitioned to one of the toddler rooms. His teachers in the infant room were absolutely wonderful--I could see that they truly care about the children in their care, and I loved how happy my son was when I dropped him off every morning. I'm already feeling the same way about the toddler room. The facility is very clean and all the faculty and staff are super friendly and nice. I'm impressed by the fact that many of the faculty and staff know my son by name--not just his teachers. It seems like there is a good rapport among faculty and staff, and I haven't witnessed much turnover in lead and assistant teachers at all. (In fact, the only turnover I've seen is when a teacher has been promoted from an assistant to a lead.) I'm a little worried about the drop off/pickup situation if the express bus lanes on Ashland are ever created, but since I also have the option to walk, I'll make do. Tuition is pricey (but no more so than many of the other day cares in the area) but the quality of care and education my son receives is worth it. I can happily go to work every morning knowing that my child is in a safe and nurturing environment--and that is truly priceless. read more

Little Green is a wonderful day care option in the area! Our son has been enrolled for about a year and I have nothing but positive things to say. His two lead teachers,Veronica and Pamela, are amazing. They both are attentive, diligent and caring. From day one I have never felt uneasy about leaving my son with them. They utilize a private Instagram account to upload pictures throughout the day and have a weekly newsletter of all the happenings. We also get monthly art projects that tie to their lesson plan. I love the open communication I have with his teachers and my son has hit every developmental milestone (if not early). The most important thing is my son loves it, every morning he squeals and laughs when I ask him if he is ready for school! We are moving at the end of next month and his new day care has pretty big shoes to fill. read more

We've had a horrible experience with Little Green Treehouse and do not recommend sending your child there. First, the turnover in the staff is HORRIBLE. In the last 6 months, I've dealt with 4 different directors at the Lakeview location alone because the previous ones either were fired or quit (not sure because there's never any communication). We've since moved to a different daycare and the director knows my sons name, new skills he's developed and constantly asks about him- this NEVER happened at LGTH. Additionally, during the time we were there, I would say that the sign in system worked half of the time, meaning that there is NO security and anyone can come in and out of the building. For how much we paid in tuition, you would think this is something they could figure out. Lastly because you pay tuition (which is extremely high for the quality compared to other daycares in the area), a month ahead and they closed because of COVID, the company STILL owes us a month of tuition that we never used because we ended up leaving before they opened back up. I have been in communication with staff members (not the owners because they refuse to engage with parents) for the last 5-6 months regarding when I can expect my refund and essentially the owners will not give their staff members appropriate information (aka they probably will never be refunding parents). The least they could do is actually reach out to parents with ANY information, but I guess that's too much to ask from a business. Overall, there are way better daycares in the area so don't waste your time with LGTH. read more

I absolutely love LGTH! I visited countless daycare facilities when pregnant with my son and immediately fell in love with LGTH. Once my maternity leave was over and I had to leave my son in the care of others, I was terrified that my first impression or instincts may be wrong. Let me tell you - they were not!! My son's teachers are amazing caregivers! I never doubt that my son is being cared for and loved immensely in my absence. His teachers are so respectful of my feeding and sleeping schedules and care details. The teachers also love all the kids so much. I have no doubt that my son is in a great place - in fact, I often feel as though he is better there than if he was home with me because they do so many fun activities with the children and encourage so much growth and socialization with them. My family is relocating out of state next month and we are so sad to leave LGTH. His teachers love our guy so much they even cried! Also- from an administrative perspective, the facility is run very well! read more

We had such an amazing experience at Little Green Treehouse!!!! We were there from 12 weeks to 2 years. Every morning our daughter was greeted with so much love! I felt all staff and teachers were truly emotionally invested in all the children. It made dropping her off each day much easier when she would run to give her teachers a hug. I was so impressed with the creatively themed weekly lesson plans and all the educational activities they planned for our daughter. The teacher's were constantly coming up with new and interesting experiences for the kids. She learned so much every week! I was very sad to leave this school, but we moved out-of-state. I would highly recommend Little Green Treehouse!!!! read more

Cannot say enough wonderful things about Little Green Treehouse!! The staff is so kind and we can tell they all genuinely care about the kids. His teachers have been amazing and the facility is lovely. We are relocating back home to Texas and I wish we could bring LGTH with us. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a quality daycare in Lakeview! read more

My son could not be happier here and I love dropping him off each day. He is super excited to see his teacher and I can tell she loves him as much as I do. As a parent it is important to see your child respond positively not only to school but their teachers who care for them as well. My son is in one of the toddler rooms and his teacher is amazing. She sends weekly emails to let us know how the children are doing and what sort of things they learned throughout the week. I can tell my son has learned a lot because his language skills are improving and he is learning how to behave better. The teacher always has suggestions on how to help him further and is always very good at giving advice. And not to mention the fact that I love all the Eco friendly toys and cloth diapers that help the environment out. I also like the fact that his teacher has been there since the school opened and I highly recommend this place. read more