This place has a wonderful play area and a lot of space…read more However, I found out that the care givers/teachers were not very happy working here. The administrators also play a lot of politics with parents. I had to move my daughter out of this facility as they do not take care of colored children properly. That was my experience between 2012-2013. They can do much better if the management can take the prejudice out of their mind !!

Both of my daughters go to One Hope United - Wilmette, and we love it! Everyone is friendly,…read morecaring, and very knowledgeable about young children and their needs. The center has great communication and has many activities to promote a feeling of community. Teachers chat with you daily about activities and always take the time to answer any questions you might have. My oldest is excited every morning to go to the center and my infant daughter always smiles, laughs, and walks right to the teachers the moment we get into her classroom, so I know she enjoys it, too. I agree with the earlier review about the outdoor play area. The center has a great setup for outdoor play for all different ages, and the children are able to enjoy the outdoors frequently in all seasons. My oldest will be leaving the center to go to kindergarten soon, and she frequently talks about how she is going to miss it so much. I highly recommend One Hope United - Wilmette!

All 3 of our children have been at this day care. Our oldest child started with Ms. Washington a…read morelittle before turning 2 and transitioned into pre-school at 4. The care, attention, and intention Ms. Washington puts into the children is why we have trusted her with our kids for the past 5 years. She goes above and beyond for families and children. She doesn't just run a daycare -- she gives children the foundational tools and skills to be successful once they transition into pre-school. Forever grateful for all that she has done and continues to do for our family!

This email is long overdue…read more My daughter was enrolled at this daycare for nearly 2 years. My husband and I learned so much about the daycare provider, Ms. Washington. We decided to remove my daughter from her care expeditiously. We considered Nik-Nak's daycare to begin with because the commute from our home and jobs was convenient. Also, after an intensive daycare search and daycare tours we found this daycare to be the best fit for my daughter starting at 6 months old at the time. However, as time progressed we noticed Ms. Washington had almost 8 children in her care. As a result, my daughter was not being provided with quality care. Ms. Washington's communication and professionalism lacked. She disliked having healthy conversations with parents and would always disregard our questions or concerns. It's not what you say, but how you say it. And, she truly STRUGGLED having conversations with us about OUR child! As a Mother, educator, tutor, and DPT student I have never encountered a malignant person like this daycare provider in my life!!! Ms. Washington was always strident towards my husband and I. It was very personal and intentional. When I spoke to some of the enrolled children's parents they also expressed the same concerns, but shared they just ignored the behaviors. It was hard for me to ignore such unacceptable behaviors. Ms. Washington always stated, "I have been doing this for 18 years and never experienced parents ask this many questions." My child's well-being, growth development and safety is so imperative to me and it always will be! This was a prime example as to why their was such a disconnection with her and my child. In the mornings at drop off, Ms. Washington would never speak to my child. She barely spoke to me or my husband. It was forced and always insolent. Greetings ALWAYS sets the tone for social interactions. For someone who has been doing this for "18 years" she needs an internal reality check. The very first impression a child and parent should receive are open arms, positive energy and happiness. We NEVER experienced this. Anytime we had an uncomfortable conversation, Ms. Washington would write a letter and give it to us at pick up. EVERY TIME. Again, writing LONG letters to express her thoughts about my families concerns because she refused to talk. The food here was terrible. When she gave us the menu plan I couldn't believe she was serving pork and beans, and hot dogs because she's TOO CHEAP to cook a healthy meal. For 6 months I provided my daughters food because the food she provided was distasteful. One of the first strikes towards removing my child from this daycare was when my husband went to pick my daughter up, and she was laying in an empty child's pool crying. Ms. Washington was talking to another parent. My husband was furious. When we called and asked her about the situation she responded, "what did you want me to do?" and then got upset because she knew she was wrong. After all, we never received an apology. We also noticed that my child started to regress in her learning development. I noticed Ms. Washington became inactive and unmotivated when it came to teaching and development skills. This is even after I had numerous conversations with her about how imperative it was that she has a curriculum foundation. She failed in this area. The last straw was her disregarding my child's feelings. Her attitude was always extremely discourteous. I questioned her about unusual scratches I noticed on my child, and she begin to tell me how she had videos of my child and her friend having a toddler altercation. She stated, "I have videos. I recorded videos of your child." she never, ever shared the videos with me. The audacity of a daycare provider recording videos of children and not trying to problem solve and teach them right from wrong. This was sickening to my stomach. What are her future plans with the videos? I was fed up. I sent her an email notifying her my daughter would not be returning. Lastly, she is ALWAYS on the phone during pick ups and drop offs. She changed her daycare hours NUMEROUS of times. Stating all the daycares she was familiar with were changing there hours too. OR most of her parents work from home. Excuse me? My husband and I work full time jobs and she wanted us to pick up our child early than we were suppose to. I would have to leave meetings early to pick up my child. She said, "children never stay the entire day." Ridiculous! I contacted multiple daycare providers and they ALL said, she just doesn't want to work. Literally! She created and made up hours convenient to her life! What's worse, she talked about parents BUSINESS all the time. She is nosey, and unprofessional. I knew so much about parents personal life because she always talked about it. Just awful. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS DAYCARE TO ANYONE!

My friend had her son returned to her with 10 bite marks all over his body and nobody knew what…read morehappened to Poor Ezequiel. They wouldn't even allow her to see the security footage. I think that places like this should not be opened. As a mother, the safety of my children and other children are very important.

Amazing center. A very safe and clean environment. I have had nothing but a positive experience…read morehere.

I would not recommend this daycare. They frequently add unnecessary fees with little to no notice,…read moreand the rates are already high compared to other providers in the area. Despite the cost, they do not offer field trips or many enriching experiences for the children. If you need to change your child's schedule--even for legitimate reasons--they may retaliate or act unprofessionally, despite it being your child and your decision. The out-of-pocket costs for families on CCAP are especially unreasonable considering the lack of flexibility and limited services offered. Parents deserve transparency, respect, and support--not unexpected fees and controlling policies. Please do your research before enrolling.

We had the most beautiful experience at Heavenly Paradise. Our children attended between toddler…read moreand preschool age. Erum was very kind and treated our children as their own. The children genuinely care about the children. The food was delicious, and I was happy that we found them. I could go to work knowing that our children were in safe and nurturing hands. I highly recommend them.

Yes! This daycare has great pickup and drop off hours! Just like any other establishment in the…read moreChicagoland area. Please don't be fooled by the 5 star reviews, Terry is "friends" with Pedro who is an owner, this establishment is a money hungry, unprofessional circus. My daughter went there for years and had no issues, my son who needed assistance developmentally was bullied and "expelled." I was called often to pick up my child because they didn't have enough teachers. I was actually told by the director I had to pick him up because they didn't want to over work the teachers. A teacher sent me home a bag of sh*t because she was too lazy to clean up after an accident my son had. The great couple "owners" were no where to be found. Check the student teacher ratio when your child is dropped off and ask to see credentials. Ask to meet the owners. They also have a dog named Bruno they keep on premises (owner's dog) yet they didn't have enough teachers to care for the kids. But don't worry you'll never see the owners because they hide themselves behind their office doors with their Christian religious fascade. For a few more dollars you can have quality care that follow the rules of the state. Within a week my son was switched over to a place that makes them wash their hands before school (didn't know that was state regulation since kidslife never followed this even when my daughter attended), teaches them a curriculum, and has a stable foundation of teachers. If you don't believe me, ask about the turn over rate with teachers, ask about the dog, hand washing, and the fact that there is no homework/structure for the kids. If you are looking for a babysitting service this is your place...but if you are seeking quality care with true professionals please don't take the advice of Pedro and his yelp friends with their phony reviews and take a moment to find a facility that safely and confidently addresses all of your child's needs. For 650 a month find REAL care! My son was kicked out once I reported the center to dcfs coincidently when my son mentioned that he saw a mouse there, that is after HE told me about Bruno the dog. Steer clear of this circus and save yourself a headache. P.S. Jacky (the hidden reviews) is the school director. Pedro is the owner (review has since been moved to not recommended reviews on bottom of page). So not only do they suck! They bully their staff into giving themselves 5 star reviews. Why don't you focus on delivering 5 star service versus faking it! P.S.S. I am considering removing my review as the owner Pedro has edited his comment three times and I'm tired of getting email notifications about it. Guilty conscience much? I am also considering raising the rating bc I am impressed with how much he is trying to make my opinion irrelevant by glorifying his business online. Since this updated review, he's updated his comments 4 times on my review which I would consider the most interaction from the owner I've ever had since apparently meeting in person was not an option.

This place is by far the best daycare I've ever been associated with. I have two boys, 7 and 3yrs…read moreold. After placing my oldest in 4 different daycares, KidsLife was my miracle, literally an answer to my prayers. I love them and am grateful for them. Id recommend them to anyone! Very professional with great policy and procedures in place while still having a cozy family oriented feels.

My daughter loves going to the "yellow house", as she lovingly refers to it. We are part time, per…read moreher preschool schedule. Lisa, the owner, and her assistants are always a pleasure to talk with. The kids and parents we have interacted with seem very content.

I brought my 12-month-old son to Small Beginnings Daycare to see if he would take to the owner, Ms…read more Griffin, and the atmosphere. I even contacted three references furnished by Ms. Griffin. Contacts used the same buzz phrases (i.e. "parents at Small Beginnings are like-minded", "kids receive nutritional meals", "children never wanted to leave"), which made me wonder, but we moved on nonetheless. Awful experience! My son did not receive treatment like it was "mom and dad". I don't mind paying some of the highest rates in Chicago for day care (even home day care), but this facility is not worth 50% of the price. I would not leave my baby/toddler here. The assistants are very nice women, but the owner is another story and I do not recommend hiring her. Ms. Griffin prides herself on administering a high caliber service for parents "who want the best for their kids", but she did not follow simple instructions on caring for our child; complained about diaper changes; and was very combative when addressed with concerns and requests for better service. I had verbalized and written notes regarding our son having meals solely from home. A couple of times I picked him up in the evening and the owner approached me with our meals in-hand announcing, "He ate my food today." However, the deal breaker was when our son repeatedly came home from Small Beginnings with diaper rashes (that would clear up on the weekends with our due diligence, but reappear once returning to Griffin's home). I verbalized, wrote, and texted instructions on the usage of diaper ointment and frequent diaper changes for our son - for a total of four times - before I directly approached Ms. Griffin with the problem. Ms. Griffin rebutted and debated on how the medicine in A&D diaper ointment was harmful to my son; his diet was an issue, etc. Ms. Griffin even bellowed, "Don't you come into MY house making accusations! This is a place of BUSINESS!" I had to remind Ms. Griffin that we were paying for her business and that her business was taking care of our son. Concerns were about our son; therefore, we had a right to "come into her house" and address inadequacies. After taking our son to his pediatrician, the doctor removed almond milk from his diet (which Ms. Griffin suggested we use instead of whole milk), and mentioned that the rash likely resulted from long exposure to wet diapers. After I explained the pediatrician's diagnosis (who has been in practice for over 30 years with Loyola) to Ms. Griffin, she insisted that our doctor was incorrect and that our son was abnormal. Once more, my son NEVER developed diaper rashes at home with his family. The rashes that grew while in Griffin's care would be eradicated after a weekend at home. When I pointed out the oddity of our results versus Ms. Griffin's results, she responded, "Maybe not so strange ... Maybe all the rubbing and so much medicated A&D." We never instructed this woman to "rub" our child's skin. I could just picture her facetiously scrubbing my son's bottom until she hurt him. I did explain to Ms. Griffin that she needed to apply ointment liberally. Additionally, how does our solution at home instigate the problem at her home? After sharing our situation with a lovely Caribbean woman who provides care for the son of a Fortune 500 Company CEO, in her beautiful Jamaican accent she belted, "What!? You're supposed to grease their bottoms!" I visited reputable day care centers and they listed A&D (among other ointments) for infants and preventative care supplies within their contracts! One of the directors even questioned, "Has she ever thought that your son may simply have sensitive skin and there's nothing else to it?" We finally decided to terminate services with Ms. Griffin after our son came home with a rash that was so horrific that the color of his skin was purple! Other cautions and highlights: I mentioned to Ms. Griffin that for her expensive weekly rate (which rivals some of the top day care centers in Chicagoland with waiting lists), we expected excellence. Ms. Griffin sneered to my comment, "$xxx a week ain't a drop in the bucket to pay my water bill." On one occasion I left Ms. Griffin's house on my way to work, but was prompted to stop for milk and return - only to arrive outside of Ms. Griffin's door and hear her slandering me and my son to another parent. This is the kind of unprofessional and immature behavior (and hypocritical of the Christian philosophy that Ms. Griffin claims to practice) to expect. Do not be fooled by the neighborhood or duped into thinking you're leaving your child with Mrs. Huxtable. The Small Beginnings owner is straight up Mz. Jenkins' style! PS - There is a review below that is not recommended: it's from the owner!

I'm glad to have my daughter here. She came in at 2 going on 3 months and is now 11 months and she…read morejust loves it there. She's always playing with the other kids when we come to get her and she always seems so happy. She learned to crawl there by watching other babies and learned to love books. They have an open door policy which is great because we love to see her whenever we can. I will say there have been some instances where my daughter came home with dry food on her face and hair and all over her clothes and one instance where her diaper was not put on properly and she peed herself. Which obviously made us angry and every time we address it with Ms. Katrina, the director, it gets addressed and does not happen again. We don't look to create issues but when something doesn't look right in the care of our daughter, my husband and I address it and they put our concerns to ease without issues. Do I recommend this daycare? Yes. I feel so comfortable knowing my daughter is there enjoying herself with all the toys, books, and baby couches and she has a lot of space to crawl which she loves. Since those issues, nothing like that has happened again. My daughter has come home with a clean face and hair and clothes and she doesn't cry when we drop her off and she always looks to be enjoying herself while there. It's very secure in the federal building and even the daycare does drills like the rest of the building. It's going to be sad when my daughter has to leave at 15 months.

My child has gone to CCC since he was 15 weeks old (now almost 4 years old), and they have taken…read morewonderful care of him!! Love Jan and Ivy at this location, they are so sweet. There are actually 3 locations, this one is for the kids up to 15 months, and then they go to 78 West Van Buren, where you can park for drop off for both. I think many people think this is only for federal employees but anyone can use this daycare, and it has the best prices for great care. It is accredited and they take wonderful care of the children. My son had food allergies, which made me so nervous about the daycare situation, but they were so wonderful about it. There has never been an issue. Just wanted to share my positive experience with CCC.

All 4 of my boys have gone here/still attending here. I love all of the teachers and the…read moreadministrative staff they are all so nice and caring. This daycare is clean and they are organized. I would definitely recommend to anyone with small children.

*specific location being reviewed: Elmwood Park*…read more Wonderful childcare center! Picket Fence owner, Ms. Toni, genuinely cares about the children enrolled at her facility; she even addresses /knows each child by name! Kind teachers/staff all around. The children enjoyed being there /being involved w/ classroom activities...happy, smiling children =always a good sign(: I was also impressed by the fact that numerous Picket Fence teachers have been at this Elmwood Park location since it opened, which I believe (if I can remember correctly) was 1994! Now that's dedication!