Great teachers and an incredibly kind, welcoming staff. From the moment you walk in, you can feel…read morethat the school truly cares about the students and their success. The teachers are patient, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in helping every child learn and grow. The staff is always friendly, helpful, and makes both parents and students feel comfortable. What stands out the most is how excited my kids are to go to school every single day. They come home happy, talking about what they learned, and looking forward to the next day. That alone says a lot about the positive environment the school has created. It is clear that the school focuses not only on academics but also on building confidence, character, and a love of learning. We are very grateful to be part of such a supportive and caring school community. I highly recommend this school to any family looking for a place where their children will feel valued, encouraged, and excited to learn.

If you are thinking of sending your child to Goddard Deerfield, please read this review and…read moreconsider other options. About us: Hard working blue collar parents of 2 kids and one more on the way in July 2022. Our daughter attended Goddard Deerfield for over 1 year and we initially enrolled our son to start in August of 2022. Problems: The owners of this location, Jane and Genia, consider your child a walking dollar sign and nothing else. They will put the economics of getting every dollar out of you rather than creating a safe environment for your child or respecting any of your parental concerns. The situation and response: Goddard's AC system had broken during a 90+ degree week. Goddard has no extra classrooms so their response was to have the children in the classroom at that temperature for 30-40 mins at a time. We decided to not send our daughter to school until the AC situation was fixed due to extreme heat and ventilation issues that could lead to spread of COVID (my wife is currently pregnant with a high risk pregnancy). The AC repair took over 9 days and no surprise, there was a COVID case in the classroom during this time. This left our daughter out of school where we had to pay for additional childcare for 2 weeks. We reached out to the owners for a credit of our tuition for the time and that is when Jane's true colors showed. Over a phone call a screaming and angry Jane claimed: -"AC breaking is an Act of God and that they had to pay $5,000 to repair it so they are not liable." -"It builds character for children to be in that heat because life isn't always perfect" -When I told her again that my wife was pregnant and our own doctor said this an unneeded risk. Jane claimed "COVID is overblown and it's just an excuse now. My sister in law had COVID during her pregnancy and was fine, so your wife shouldn't be worried" We were so shocked by this response. After that last bizarre call, my wife had a 1-1 in person conversation where Jane took ownership of the things she said but the damage had been done. We knew our daughter would not be safe in their hands and that ownership would potentially target our children. Even worse ownership behavior: Our daughter stopped attending Goddard in June and our son was enrolled for upcoming August start - we asked what the process is for terminating enrollment and how we would receive our refund of enrollment fees and they took that as an opportunity to immediately cancel his enrollment, keep the enrollment fees, and take money from another family to fill his spot. Not only did they not return the money, they cancelled his enrollment and filled his spot in a breach of their own enrollment document/parent handbook. We now have to consult a legal expert to recoup our fees. I am a small business owner myself and would never ever target or leave a negative review unless it was 100% necessary to warn others. There are other schools in the area that will look after your child, look elsewhere. During the last few months of dealing with Goddard I felt like a failure of a parent to have not seen the other red flags and cannot believe I allowed my child to be in the care of Goddard Deerfield. The worst part of it all is that this is all I know about, what about all the other things that may have happened while my daughter attended school here that owners with this character may have put their own business in front of my child or any child? If you think maybe this is a one off situation and your child could be okay, Google search "Goddard Deerfield Indeed reviews" to see how their own teachers review the school. It is very evident that this is a common theme. Reach out to me if you have concerns as I have documentation of all of this.

We feel so fortunate to have found the little blue school! We moved from out of state and were…read moreseeking a warm, inclusive community for our family. Our oldest has thrived at RNS and loves engaging in daily outdoor play and environmental explorations. The teachers are deeply invested in the social and emotional development of each child. Learning is hands-on, inquiry-based, and so joy filled. Our oldest counts the number of sleeps left to return to school on weekends and vacations, and our youngest can't wait to join next year. We are very grateful to be a part of such a nurturing and grounded community.

We have absolutely loved the last three years at Ravinia Nursery School. My son has made so many…read morefriends and I know he will be amply prepared for starting kindergarten next fall. My younger son just started and is already doing great! The teachers are incredible - warm, engaging, and so committed to providing a quality preschool education. I can't say enough about how positive our experience has been.

Highly recommend Bright Horizons. We started my son here in the Young Preschool class when he was…read more2.5 and we had just moved to Glenview from the city. He's now moved all the way up to the Kindergarten Prep class over the past few years and I also have a younger son in their Young Preschool class who started in the infant room when he was 3 months old. Everything a parent cares about in a daycare they achieve. I am impressed with the curriculum and how much both my boys are learning. Their teachers all have been teaching there for many years, which was great compared to the high turnover we saw at daycares in the city. The facilities are new, clean, and safe with different playgrounds based on age and a large indoor gym. They have also handled COVID very well and very clearly adhere to all daycare regulations (both pre-COVID and during COVID). They communicate daily through the app and teachers/directors are very easy to get in contact with via phone or email. We've been at this daycare for 2.5 years and have been impressed with both the organization and communication from this school. I'm very happy we made the decision to send our kids here!

As first time parents, we evaluated multiple day care centers to find the best fit for our son. We…read morequickly realized Bright Horizons had a wonderful curriculum for all ages and felt the Northbrook location was the best fit for our family. After watching our son develop from 12 weeks to just over a year now, we couldn't have made a better decision. The teachers are so loving and caring for the children while also challenging them with new activities daily. Even though our son has only been in the infant room, the entire center's staff feel like family. Our son loves attending school each day, he lights up every morning when the car door opens in the Bright Horizons parking lot.

We have had such a great experience with the Gardner school so far! Ms Allison is approachable,…read morekind, and transparent. My almost 4 year old loves going to school. His teachers ms. Kassy and ms Jess are very knowledgeable and caring. He has invited them for dinner multiple times haha! We have seen so much growth in our son in the few months that he's been there. Thank you to all the staff at the Gardner school :)

Had a terrible experience with the Gardner school…read more Pay attention if you want to enroll in this school as it has three major risks: 1. Lack of skilled teachers. 2. Really short of staff, only within a few days, we've seen a class with 1 teacher taking care of 16 students, also the director had to take care of the class and clean the kitchen by herself, therefore, refusing to talk to parents. 3. Manager in this school is very impatient and not friendly/professional upon issues. We'd been there only a few days until my daughter was bitten by a random kid full of blood on the face (still with scare after 3 months). Faculties were buck passing saying this happen in 2 secs without any possibility to stop that. Later we realized my daughter was bitten at two separate spots, which can't be done in 2 secs, at least they are lying and shirking off their negligence of duty. Nevertheless, we tried to work with the Director of the school trying to resolve/reduce risk in the future, the Director was very impatient not only documenting inaccurate incident reports but also refusing to make any accommodations. We requested multiple times for updating the report but only got "I will work to fulfill your request" yet never did it nor responding emails for 2+ months now. As we've hoped this school can improve itself in the future, but it's been a terrible experience for us.

I can't say enough good things about NCNS! My son started mid-year last year when a spot opened up…read morein the 2's and he really flourished. He comes home excited everyday in the 3's this year too. He's making friends, learning to share and is especially animated when he talks about the 'job' he has each week. Last week he was the Meteorologist and next he's in charge of the Mystery Box. NCNS really sees the value of creating a community for the families of the students, not just the students. We've met some really wonderful people at events put on by the school!

We moved to Northbrook in the middle of Covid with not much of an idea where to send our daughter,…read moreas safety precautions meant we couldn't visit and we didn't know many people. When we reached out for information, Gail was so welcoming and the experience with the play-based curriculum is everything we wanted. Our daughter has absolutely thrived since starting as a 2-year-old-- her language, imaginative play, and sense of responsibility have grown so much-- and Lunch Bunch classes give her an opportunity to experience other fun classes- like Yoga-- and spend a bit more time at school every day. She's made so many friends and we've had a ton of opportunities to meet socially with families and parents, as well. We're excited for our son to start in the young 2's class next year, and our daughter to move into Pre-K! Cannot recommend NCNS enough!

I can't say enough good things about Helping Hands Preschool. The teachers are experienced experts…read morein the area of child development, and are supported by a robust staff of specialists that provide added instruction in fine motor skills, speech, and social-emotional development. The curriculum is top of the line, and because it is a District 109 school, the students are able to be directly prepared for the expectations of kindergarten using the same learning standards. At Helping Hands you get all the benefits of being part of the District, such as teacher communication tools, parenting resources and workshops, and more. Definitely the best choice in the area for preschool!

From the owner: District 109 Early Learners, Deerfield's premier preschool, serves a blend of typically developing…read morepreschoolers and preschoolers with special needs. The focus of Early Learners is to prepare children to succeed in the District 109 kindergarten curriculum by offering instructional support and activities in pre-academic, social-emotional, motor and language development.

My daughter has been there for 3 years and we love it. She's starting kindergarten next year so…read morewe'll be saying goodbye but highly recommend them.

I think Ms. Paula is nepotistic. I got replaced by her daughter at my job. During Lisa's time…read moreeverything was for children, but with the new management is all about making it comfortable for themselves. The best teachers are Mr. Leverick and Mrs. O'Day. They are the best teachers in this school towards both students and other teachers. The parents and kids are lucky to have teachers like them.

When we moved to Northbrook in mid-2022, we left an amazing daycare in the city and were…read moreheartbroken to move our daughter out of the care of the people who had helped us raise her for almost two years. We came to Guidepost on a referral from friends who attended and it has been nothing short of a truly wonderful experience. We did not come here as Montessori-fanatics, but quickly realized what wonders it was doing for our child. Her growth, sense of independence, and creativity have flourished here. All of her teachers have been loving, attentive, and communicative. Abbey and Christine, the school leadership, are always reachable and open to discussions when I have questions/feedback. We love sending our daughter here because she know she is safe, loved, and engaged in her learning. We would absolutely recommend Guidepost Deerbrook to any family looking for a home for their child!

We've been with the Guidepost for a couple of months and it's been an outstanding experience!…read moreTeachers and staff are friendly and resourceful, and communication is prompt and clear. I compared over 10 daycares thoroughly prior to sending him here and I'm very happy with my decision. I love that my little one does a variety of creative and fun activities daily with Montessori philosophy as a foundation. I feel sincere care and love from the teachers and staff here, and I appreciate the teachers taking the time to do a parent-teacher conference to share detailed feedback on the child. It helps parents understand where we can better support him to enjoy his day and grow. I also like that the school puts lots of effort into building a community. The monthly gatherings/ events for families and kids, sending out weekly newsletters, and having a FB family communication page... they go above and beyond! I highly recommend Guidepost to my family and friends!

My daughter is in the parent tot program, Gilgool, and we love it. Her teachers, Ms Cherene and Ms…read moreSheryl, are the best. Such a loving and nurturing environment that really encourages social emotional development and a strong feeling of community.