Since my daughter has started at Kindercare, I have seen a positive outcome in her. Traci and Amy…read moreand the rest of the teachers are great there and have continued to maintain a great environment for the kids. Fatemeh H.

We have been at Riverwoods Montessori for 3 years! Our kids love their teachers, friends, and…read more"work!" The teachers love our kids and we have been amazed at the skills our kids have acquired. As an early childhood educator myself, I struggled with the idea of putting my children in a childcare center, but Riverwoods Montessori is far beyond what you find anywhere else! I have looked at many different options for our kids, and nothing has come close to the experience we have had there. This Fall, our third child will begin his infant program at Riverwoods and it is the only place I can imagine trusting with my baby! We highly recommend their programs!

Like other yelp reviewers have found, when a child deviates from the director's vision of a model…read moreMontessori student, the child is expelled with little warning and only days to find new care. In our particular case at the Riverwoods, IL location, with only one parent teacher conference months before stressing a few correctable problems, were the director's tone was very optimistic, it was a surprise to later hear that our child is no longer welcomed. When we were told of the expulsion, the director's response, which felt more like a lecture, was very cold. We were given 7 business days, that also happened to be during a major holiday week were schools are closed and providers are unavailable/limited, to find a new care provider. The director's handling of our situation was irresponsible and disrespectful. Perhaps, if she would have suggested and worked with us to create and document a mutual plan, provide progress reports and establish a clear channel for communication, we would have had a different outcome, (or at least a better understanding and respect for how they acted.) Happily, we found wonderful care for our child who is thriving and well adjusted. I would never recommend this provider and ask other parents to reconsider placing their child under the supervision of this director.

My daughter has been going to children's land for 6 months now and I've loved our experience so…read morefar. The teachers genuinely love the kids and are super responsive through the Brightwheel app. My daughter has several allergies and they've taken that really seriously which we appreciate. They are also sooo flexible which I feel like is unheard of for a daycare. Overall, 10/10 recommend!

I can not say enough good things about this daycare facility. Although it may be more pricey, it is…read moredefinitely shown with the type of teaching, developing, food, and staff. Oxana who runs the operations of the facility is genuinely so helpful and kind. My child has been here from new born, to 3 yo & will continue through pre-school. Each teacher has been so communicative, attentive, and supportive. I also absolutely LOVE the diversity of cultures. My child has surpassed every milestone with the help of this facility, and her safety is something that I never have to question which brings so much peace. 10/10 recommendation!

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.

My two children (ages 2 years and 4.5 years) have been attending Alta Vista since February 2016 and…read moreit's been a wonderful experience for all of us. My son is in the toddler community and he's learned to do so much for himself and with others! The directress is wonderful and the assistants are great; one of his first words was the teachers name! I'm also proud to say that he is 100% toilet trained and that wouldn't have been possible without the constant help (and changes!) from the guide and assistants. My daughter started out as one of the youngest in her class and she was slow to warm up but with the help of the directress, the assistant, and the environment, she emerged as one of the leaders in her room. I'm so proud of everything she has learned but mostly of how she has developed as a child-she's kind, helpful, eager to learn. She's been learning about word building and everyday she comes home having mastered something new like a song or something she's been working on like sound boxes. I love hearing about the new lessons she receives and her directress is not only knowledgeable but kind and encouraging. The school community is probably one of the most special communities I've ever been a part of. There are often parent events that focus on teaching parents about aspects of the Montessori method, theory, and environment and I always leave these events feeling uplifted and encouraged about the education my children are receiving. All in all, this has been a wonderful school and a beautiful experience for us all!

As I was hired for the infant teacher position back in November 2021, Sophia controlled what I…read morecould say to parents, only contact through emails which also get sent to her and she would then email me with what I'm "allowed" to say to the parents. Even if it is not what's going on inside the classroom. I was forced to keep sick infants (101.7) fever because she feared the parents would leave after already being closed due to covid prior and parents complained. It was over bearing to the point I left, along with other staff in the room. I got yelled at for sending children home "not sick" to standards of theirs yet.... the child's pcr test came back positive! But because the child never had a fever, they no longer trusted my judgement on who is sick and who is not... reguardless of the fact the child was IN FACT positive. As soon as I gave my 2 week notice, being told i need to give them more than 2 weeks i can not leave in 2 weeks..... later that day I was "fired" and reported to DCFS of child abuse of which, was over ruled and now DCFS is looking into their quality care. This school is all about the highest standards and fitting in and staff drama constantly... their assistants are constantly quiting. Infant room staff has been so unstable that they've gone through 3 teachers just this school year. If you care about your child's well being please, steer clear!

Be aware!!!! My son was abuse in this place!!! Putting children in time outs, in the dark, for long…read moreperiods of time is a type of abuse and it can cause irreversible psychological damage to any child's life, fortunately for my son I took him out of this place before they could cost him more stress in his life. Please don't take this review lightly; I am a parent and also a psychology student. My child was penalized for not being able to fall asleep and was put in time outs, in the dark, behind a door many occasions until I found one day what was happening. I know this because one day I got to this place earlier than usual during nap time and I find my son shaking behind the door. He was apologizing to me for not being able to fall asleep!! When I talked to the teacher she told me that he was supposed to fall asleep and fail to do it, and therefore she had to put him in time out so the other children could sleep. I brought this to the attention of the director of the program and she told me that this wasn't going to happen again. After this occasion I went back in a few occasions to make sure that my son wasn't in time out again, and to my surprised it was always another child who was in time out, in the dark, behind the door. I also witnessed some of the staff yelling at the children when they fail to follow instructions correctly. I found out later that my son had being also abuse in the same manner when one day, while at home, he described to me how his ears were hurting every time the teacher screamed to him to close to his face. Also, I wanted you to warn any parent that this school does not practice the real Montessori philosophy. They watch TV cartoons during what is supposed to be learning time. As parents we have the obligation to protect our children, please inform yourself before you choose this place.

What a great school! The teachers are warm and caring and are genuinely interested in the children…read more I love the infant room and feel like the babies are well cared for. This school has several Montessori teachers and they are all knowledgable and experienced. Wonderful environment for learning!

This is definitely the best daycare in the area! I feel really lucky to have my child attending the…read morecenter. The staff has always treated my child well. She tells me every day how much she likes being there and how much she likes her classmates. We go over what she learned or got to do. I'm so impressed with their curriculum and the events they plan for the kids. Anytime I've had a question, the owner has been able to help me. Everyone treats my family so nice. I couldn't be happier with Magic Island. Thank you so much!

I LOVE this day care!!!!! My daughter fell in love with all…read moreof the stuff and kids sense day one. It's being a great experience for us. She has a lot of attention and being taking care of. I will recommend to any of my friends that magic Island day care it's being nothing but a great place for little one to be!!!!! Giving all five stars

We enrolled our toddler this past summer and will continue throughout the 2021-2022 school year…read more The program provides him with the social interaction and developmental stimulation he needs! The teachers are patient, very kind, professional and very hands on with the children. I feel comfortable leaving him there every day. We receive updates throughout the day (whether good or bad!) and I can tell my son is enjoying his time throughout the day and learning at least one thing each day! Thank you to the staff for all you do.