Small, Quiet church adjacent to its school. Open layout, nice seating. Everyone was very friendly…read more Lots of parking and easy access.

My daughter attended pre-school the past 2 years & the organization is phenomenal. The school…read moreoffers a variety of programs and the teachers are exceptional. We've had an excellent experience here and am so thankful to the entire organization.

Our son goes to Kids Academy for pre-school and we are loving our experience here. There are set…read moreboundaries and expectations for kids, the communication home is great, the facility is clean, the price is great, and my son LOVES it. He's learning letters, having fun with new friends and his teacher, and comes home everyday excited to tell us about what he did at school that day. I'd recommend Kids Academy to anyone in the area!

I have to preface this by saying, we have older children who were in daycare, so we know how great…read moresome facilities and management can be. Unfortunately, this is not one of them from what we have experienced. Before we signed our child up for care, the owner Azar seemed welcoming at their open house, made us feel comfortable, and convinced us she had an "open door policy". The facilities aren't the greatest (i.e., the entrance to the infant room is in a partition for a bigger room - the "gym", so it's flimsy, and the daycare is connected to a church), but we were willing to overlook that because of a personal recommendation, and the positive reviews online. There was a smooth phase with this daycare that was very short lived. Over time, little things - such as basic necessities for our infant, now toddler (i.e., no shoes or hat on when it's freezing outside, coming home in filthy clothes though he has extra clothes there, coming home in other kids' clothes, even giving water to our baby before asking if it was okay) - would be missed. He also would come home with unexplained scratches or marks. We would bring up these issues to the director Kellie, and her response would be defensive and dismissive, saying, "staff would have noticed", and there is never any accountability when these things clearly happened at the daycare. More often than not, a response would not be given, and our inquiries would be completely ignored. They seemed like they forgot about our child after he was enrolled there for a little while. The director Kellie suggested a meeting to try to work together and address our concerns. We were open to it. The meeting was supposed to just be between us parents and the director. When we showed up, the owner Azar was there, likely to ambush us. The meeting initially seemed to go fairly well until the owner interjected and started going on a tangent, talking about how they have "been open for 31 years and have a good reputation". It was a total deflection of what the matter was at hand; concerns regarding care for our child. She talked about how HER children went to the daycare and are now doing well (side note: they are now adults and of course she has her own children's best interest as their mother). The owner and the director did not like that we were questioning a mark and scratch on our child's face that we saw at pickup time (so it definitely didn't happen at home). Instead of trying to look into the matter and come to a resolution, they lacked professionalism, empathy, and let their emotions get the best of them. They were more concerned about their feelings being affected by us questioning what happened to our child, not what was really important; the well-being of our child. As adults, this is not something to model to the children in their care. They did not give us a chance to provide input; Azar kept interrupting us, raising her voice, talking about herself and how proud she was of the staff at the center. Azar basically said, we are not allowed to be frustrated, and if we can't move past the things they did wrong, maybe we should consider if Kids Academy is the place for our child. She was condescending and gave an ultimatum, not an attempt to understand where we were coming from. She harps on and on about their "reputation" (but just because a place has been open for 31 years, does not mean it is without shortcomings or is run well). We respectfully ended the meeting, since she was disrespectfully talking over us and was not interested in hearing what we had to say. She had her own agenda. If the owner feels okay raising her voice at the parents of a child in her care, I question the level of morale there. From what we have observed, Azar is not a constant presence at the center and is clearly disengaged to what goes on there. She just deflects and talks about how long they have been open and their "reputation". Our experience of this daycare is that parents' input, feedback, and concerns are not important to management, and parents are not allowed to question the well-being of your child. This is truly appalling, since our child is very young and not yet able to speak for himself. The facilities are also questionable: the doorknob to the infant room fell off and instead of replacing it immediately, they tied a piece of fabric to open and close it for an extended period of time. We also found out the owner made the hallways of this building a "museum" of some sort, so when they have events for this "museum", they move the divider out of the way, and the infant room is used. I highly recommend to pay a little more in tuition for child care elsewhere (like we did), and you'll likely find a place with better facilities, where you're valued, can collaborate well with and truly feel like you can trust the staff.

Poko Loko Glenview is just a delightful place for little children. Upon walking in, you almost feel…read morelike you are being transported into a Mr. Rogers episode! There's color everywhere, a train track suspended from the ceiling, a piano, and many smiling faces. My daughter attended the Jr. KG class for only a month or so and really loved her teachers! They focus on various themes and split their day up nicely between learning and playing! Although we know learning does take place while playing. Haha! They have an attached outdoor playground, which is nice! Breakfast is provided if your child gets there by 8. Lunch and snacks are also provided. It is a nut free facility. Cubbies are clearly labeled if a child has an allergy! It is organized perfectly! Poko Loko definitely has a family vibe!

We moved from LA to Chicago and chose Poko Loko due to the great reviews and convenient location…read more Our son is 3.5 years old and has had some speech delay due to bilateral ear infections and although we were approved for all services by the state of California, he didn't receive any of them due to COVID. Since we moved to Chicago we have been doing our very best and paying out of pocket for him to get speech and occupational therapy. After just 2 months at Poko Loko and 3 separate instances of being called to pick up our son early due to screaming and hitting another child (he's 3 years old) we were patronizingly told by the owner Bonnie "in 52 years of experience I've only had to ask 2 other children to leave. You have until Fall." Statements like that aren't helpful, they make me feel bad about my son, and they are unprofessional. I seriously doubt that my son is the only difficult child they've had, and if so, then their experience is worthless, because they are unwilling to help or even give him time to settle in from a major transition like moving across the country. Before we were asked to leave the center, the manager and owner made no effort to guide us (52 years of experience right?), come up with an action plan, and offered no insight on local resources to help our son. They wanted us out. This review primarily addresses the Owner and manager. The teachers tried. The moral of the story is that they are simply looking for a frictionless tuition check while making little effort to actually help the parents and children. All while charging top dollar rates. I am very disappointed in the unprofessionalism and the downright rude way in which we were asked to leave the center. I made it known that the next time a child needs some help, offering more support and guidance using their years of experience might help the parents and kid more than a simple goodbye.

My son is a student at this school and he loves it. It is a school for "gifted" children and while…read moreI hate that label it is what it is. The school goes from pre K-8th grade which is a great thing since the kids will be in one school until high school. It is a private school so it does cost quite a bit but it really is an exceptional school. Whether or not it's worth the money I can't really say. Personally, I would cringe at the price tag if Einstein himself were teaching my child. They just built a new building this year and it is amazing. So much better than the old building they were in. Lots of room and the capability to have more students, classes and teachers. Some pros: The facility is wonderful, the teachers are great and really care about the kids. Reading and math are based on ability, not on grade. So, if your 5-6 year old is reading like a nine-year old, they will be put in with those readers. The school isn't even "grade" based. there is no "1st grade", etc. It is level based. They have a GREAT fine arts program. Extensive art, music and drama programs that you won't find in a public school. Some cons: There is a bit of an elitist attitude there at times but I think it comes more from parents than the staff. There is a bit of communication problem with the school and the parents. There just doesn't seem to be a cohesive way for parents to get the information they need. If you're considering sending your child here, definitely sign up for a visit and a shadow day. Personally, as long as we can afford it, my son will be going to this school.

I recently graduated from SAA, and looking back just a couple years, I have to say that SAA has…read morechanged me a lot. I feel more confident and motivated, and I have made some amazing friends. One of the things about SAA that makes it unique is that the fact that you will do as well as the work you put in. As long as you take advantage of the local resources and have some self motivation to do well, it isn't hard to master the schoolwork and beyond. The teachers are willing to help if you are willing to ask, even when it comes down to academics beyond the classroom. For example, when I needed help for my High School application, or improving my SAT scores, my teachers were glad to lend me a hand. Also, I have to give props to the excelled math program that SAA offers. Where I initially did not enjoy math as a subject at all, SAA motivated me to improve my math ability. I eventually became part of the Math Team and found a passion for mathematics. SAA was a great choice for me, and I got a lot out of my experience.

Not the school preview but the grounds surrounding the school are previewed- great park for…read moreneighborhood kids who want like to play sports - has a basketball court - large enough for soccer football and has a baseball diamond

This is a great school! This is the first year our child is going in person and is loving it so…read morefar. We're so impressed with the teachers, administration and the community.

I have found the teachers and the administration to be very responsive and all-around just…read morewonderful. I am hoping that the current principal stays with the school at least until my daughter graduates. ;) Because of the pandemic, I was very concerned about my daughter's progress. With the extra help that she has been receiving, she is doing extremely well and is almost completely caught up with the rest of her class. I can't say enough positive things.

I have extensive experience with both private and public schools at the elementary school level as…read morea student, parent and teacher. That being said my opinion about Edison Park Elementary is that it is slightly better than average. My opinion is based not only on academics, but safety, teachers, front office staff and extra curricular activities. Academics are very good. The safety, in my opinion, is terrible. Anyone can get into the building at anytime quite easily. I was in law enforcement for 10 years so I believe I'm qualified to assess the building's security. Teachers and extra curricular activities are very good as well. This brings me to the front office. Horrible. I have dealt with this individual on several occasions over the past four years and observed this person's interactions with others so I could rule out whether it was just a personality conflict between the two of us. It is not. The person at the front desk is rude and often ignores people who are standing right in front of her! She always makes you feel like a bother. She emanates negative energy and rarely smiles or says things like please or thank you. Overall the school is in my opinion slightly better than average and will hopefully improve on the negatives mentioned above. I give Edison Park Elementary 7 tassels out of 10.

Was walking by the school with my friends during recess. A kid kicked the ball, and it bounced…read morebehind us. A woman that worked there said, and I quote "appreciate it, God forbid that you stop the ball." First of all, this is a teacher and parent who's job is to monitor recess either if she was paid to do so or volunteered, to get the balls when they go in the street, which is exactly what happened. Just thought it was very rude.

We love SJS! The school and Parish are very active and upbeat. They are always improving things…read moreso our kids have the best possible education and environment. They just got new windows in part of the school and updated the courtyard with brand new play equipment, turf, decking and benches. There's also a brand new STEAM lab for the older kids. I don't know much about the "big kid" classes since my son is in PK, but I've heard great things and have met a few WONDERFUL teachers of the higher grades. The class sizes are smaller (there are two 3 year old PK and two 4 year old PK's instead of one giant class for each). PK follows the Big Day curriculum and keeps very active. Since my son has started PK4 he has learned so much! We also love that there is after care both before and after school. We don't use the before school care but we do use Extended Care for after school, which makes life easier for working parents. I also love that the teachers all have their own blogs and post pictures and information about what the kids do all day.

As a student the food is horrible the roof is rotting and smells disgusting a teachers room smells…read morelike cigarettes and another smells like garbage they act like we are adults and force us to wear lanyards and the pipes are leaking which is dirty water they are poor it's not up to code I wish I was somewhere else

I go to this place it's very poor quality don't go and the gym is very outdated and the outside…read morehoops are double rim which is bad they need to get single rim

Best school so far,we moved from city to Skokie last year and my son use to go to Middleton…read moreelementary as he moved in 6th grade he is going to middle school at and my daughter is still at Middleton elementary as she is in 2nd hrOliver McCracken Middle School yesterday was the first day of school and he already loved it, hopefully It will be a great year for my son

My kids went to Middleton and Oakview many years ago and I still have friends whose children go…read morethere...I think it is a top-notched school. Teachers are concerned about each child as a person not just a student to cram things in their brain but how they feel and how they learn is important!