A proud SMA parent? Yes, I am. Prior to registering my children, I researched various Catholic…read moreschools. However, I'm one that live life through my own experiences. Gratefully, I am so glad that I did. St. Mary of the Angels has been a pillar of support to my family through good and challenging times. The teachers, staff, and administration always foster a loving, warm environment. SMA is a village. Creatively, the SMA community is committed to total development of our children to live productive lives for tomorrow. I felt compelled to write about the school that has been an absolute blessing to my family. This year embarks my children second year. I am so thankful to God for leading us to this wonderful school. To parents seeking a curriculum that upholds quality and excellence without compromise, St.Mary of the Angels is the answer to your prayers.

My daughter switched to St. Mary of the Angels in 7th grade. What a great school! She takes Latin…read moreand the math program is excellent. She switched from a different Catholic school that taught Common Core. Math is so much easier for her now. The principal is kind and the support staff is helpful. I was worried that she would have a difficult time transitioning to a new school. Not so, the children welcomed her and brought her into their circle. She is much happier and more academically challenged at St. Mary. Plus, there is a great relationship between the school and the church. The children attend mass on Fridays. If you are looking for a school where your child will be academically challenged AND learn the Catholic faith this is the place to be.

Outstanding school. Warm, loving, energetic community of teachers, administrators, parents, and…read morestudents. Full day 3K, 4K and kindergarten with on-site after school care for working families. Lovely, safe, well-maintained campus. Amazing, talented, big-hearted teachers that give lots of individual attention to each student. Spirited and engaging athletic program. Beautiful faith formation with real attention paid to ethics and good behavior for all students. Academically and developmentally, St. Al's gives kids a big head start on high school and beyond -- we see it year after year in the graduates. Our family has been here seven years now, and the community has been amazing for us. Just an excellent school that gives back everything you put into it and so much more.

Who would think to write a review for a religious institution -- this Blogger! Having been an…read moreattendee of Saint Alphonsus since infancy, I believe I can be as honest as one in confessional. Structurally, the church itself is spacious, beautiful, and modern. As for the services, I enjoy listening to invited priests or deacons giving homilies that have personality due to their sharing of personal experiences. The congregation is a mixture of ages and nationalities; plus, the once a month children's mass is delightful and good for any soul to witness. Oh... and their annual German fest is always a barrel of fun! If you are seeking a parish to attend, open the doors to St. Alphonsus Church - where the casual and classy crowd worship with no judgments.

As a first time parent, I was nervous sending my little one to daycare. However, the teachers here…read morehave been incredibly supportive and attentive to my daughter. The kangaroo teachers have been above and beyond awesome in communicating any concerns and/or praises for my daughter. I would highly recommend any parent who needs to send their child to daycare to look at Children's Campus!

If you're looking for a daycare for your child/children, Children's Campus is one of my #1…read morerecommendations. The teachers and staff are so welcoming, communication is amazing regarding your little ones. They are very patient and supportive. Ms.Sylvia (The director) is very accommodating, she works with you and I love that ! Absolutely a great place to send your little ones !

!!ATTENTION ALL SKOKIE PARENTS!! Please keep your children away from this daycare by any means…read morenecessary! Look for other daycare alternatives. This place is a public safety hazard. In less than 2 months my son contracted 3 diseases/viruses: (1) HFM (Hand, Foot & Mouth), (2) Strep Throat and (3) recently RSV. They do a terrible job of properly communicating and reporting children with illnesses. I believe they underreport the number of illnesses that occur. They have zero standards for cleanliness and hygiene. Their standards are so low, they make a Motel 6 look like a Ritz-Carlton. Not to mention, the beds these poor children sleep on look like military field gurney stretchers dating back to the Gulf War. When I picked up my son during lunch hour there was a foul smell of spoiled rotten food. It smelled like a forgotten dumpster. I'd rather walkthrough the streets of Manhattan on garbage day and the streets of Tenderloin in San Francisco. They even forgot to change his clothes after lunchtime and gave him to me with food all over him. I had to clean and change him in the car before I put him in the car seat. It's next door to a very sketchy "CASH ONLY" salon & spa business.

We had a great experience sending our now 2-year-old son to Mosaic. He became very attached to his…read moreteachers (and they, him), he had blossoming friendships, and his language skills developed far quicker than with his nanny. In addition to the standard baseline requirements (safety, hygiene, friendliness), we were looking for a place that would offer diversity. Mosiac delivered in spades - staff and students came from varied cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. Erum, the Director, is amazing at communicating expectations to the parent community and responding to individual parent's needs. Thank you, Mosaic team, for making our life easier by knowing our son is well taken care of!

As our daughters wrap up their 6th and 2nd grade school years, I fondly think back to when my…read morehusband and I took our first tentative steps through the front doors of Chicago Waldorf School for a Thursday morning tour in the fall of 2013. We entered into a warm, inviting space and were greeted by friendly faces and a caring energy. What we heard and saw in those couple hours completely changed our view and understanding of what school should be. We came away with a sense of openness, excitement and newness. After experiencing one Waldorf tour and orientation, we knew at a deep level this was what "school" should look like and transferred our daughters mid-year from the school they were attending. The focus on experiential learning paired with the practice of meeting the child with a cirriculum that matches where they are developmentally is paramount to the Waldorf educational philosophy. The parent community is also a huge part of what we have grown to love about the school. It is a vibrant, energitic and fun group of people who call CWS home. My husband and I are incredibly grateful to be a part of it.

The Chicago Waldorf School....although I have much to say, I will leave this brief and to the…read morepoint. The school is poorly ran, they don't know how to accept change, they use people that willingly volunteer their limited free time until the person feels so used they never return to the "community". I happen to think that the philosophical base behind Waldorf education is way ahead of the curve; however, the people running the Chicago school are way behind. Maybe one day everything will click for them and the students can get the education they deserve without the distractions that have constantly plagued the school. - Alum

Most entitled parents I've ever seen. Does nothing but damage the businesses around it by having…read moreluxury cars blocking the whole road, both the limited parking for businesses and these people actually parking in the road blocking traffic in one direction. Ridiculous. Would be incredibly helpful if the schools traffic guards would do something about them lining up outside the school. This can't be that difficult.

We have been parents at this school since 2010 and have two BZ grads and one current lower school…read morestudent. Bottom line- this is a remarkable school. You will find top notch academics and your children will not only be very prepared to thrive in a rigorous high school but also have the social emotional skills, self advocacy and confidence to be a leader in their highschool setting and beyond. Our own kids are self starters, loyal friends, hard workers, engaged learners, and leaders and we attribute this to their schooling at Bernard Zell. The BZ early childhood program is spectacular. The thoughtfulness that has been put into the training of the staff and actual physical environment serves as a model of what an ideal developmentally appropriate pre-k program should be. Take a tour to see for yourself. I love the progressive flavor of this school. Our kids learn conceptual math, how to think analytically, how to be confident public speakers, how to work collaboratively with others and beyond -there is no route cookie cutter learning to be found. Other things we love about BZ: -This school has an awesome low to student teacher ratio and every single teacher my children have had has truly known their strengths and challenges and are invested in how to support them as individuals each year. -I love the growth mindset philosophy that you will see at every age level at BZ for making sure kids have "good struggles" and teaching them their brain is a muscle and while everything may not be easy at times that with dedication,persistence, practice and hard work (and accommodations from the teachers as needed) they can be successful. -We have loved that BZ has phenomenal resources for kids on every end of the continuum- kids who need a little extra enrichment will find it here and kids who need a little extra learning support will also find it at this school. - The school has a nice PE program ( the yearly rollerblading until in the school's gymnasium has been a definite highlight for my kids) . There is also a fantastic after school athletic program starting in 5 th grade which is included in tuition . Our kids chose to participate in soccer, basketball , volleyball and golf but there is also track, girls volleyball, and girls softball. Practices are typically offered 4 days per week ( but kids only have to commit to about 50 percent of those if involved in other extracurriculars.). The teams do surprisingly quite well competing with other local private schools , sportsmanship is emphasized, and it's a huge bonding experience for the kids ( the majority of students seem to participate in at least a sport even if they aren't stellar athletes ). For kids not interested in sports or who want to do some sports and some other activities, there are other cool offerings like robotic team ( one of my kids that and the annual competition was super fun to watch ) or lots of music extracurricular opportunities ( e.g jazz band, pit band for the school orchestra) - BZ has an extremely warm parental community. A long term teacher told us once that when your child goes to BZ, the whole family goes to BZ. That is spot on- there are so many ways to get involved here as parents and we feel we have made lifelong friends at this school. -We have loved affording our children a Jewish education. We aren't the most religious family and BZ has taken the pressure off of us to provide our kids with an excellent jewish education. My children who have already graduated are proud to be Jewish and have a strong Jewish identity. Sending our kids here was one of the best decisions we have ever made as parents. I highly recommend it !

Our two children attended this school. While we did meet some good people, both our children's…read moreexperiences at the school were quite negative. There is a small but influential group of parents who essentially run everything and if you or your children cannot break into that circle your children will likely suffer. Sports is the key focus at the school with parent socialization a close second. Parental cliques dictate whether your children will have friends and many of those parents are intimately involved in the administration, social events and are even teachers and aides. Unfortunately for our children we were not well connected and they suffered, our daughter in particular. If you are able to break into the fraternity-like parent social structure and your child is an excellent athlete, your children may thrive. But most people don't and you will have to try and find small niches of other parents who are similarly situated. Scholastics are sub-par so you will have to supplement your child's curriculum. Teacher turnover is high. They resort to hiring parents to teach on occasion. The focus here is not a Christian education but an institution dominated by self-serving parents who have managed to use the structure to their own children's advantage. Before enrolling, conduct your own research and try to speak with parents of students outside of those who run the school. Not worth the risk given the strong public system and other larger private schools in the area where your kids may have more options for friends and activities other than sports.

I have 2 children who currently attend SMG and will soon have a third! So far we have had a great…read moreexperience! I am in education myself and have high expectations for my children's education. We toured several schools before deciding on St. Mary's. I am confident with our decision and can see that our children are excelling academically and spiritually. SMG focuses on educating the whole child! I appreciate the values that the school instills in the children and the support that I have received from all levels (support staff, teachers, aides, and administration). I'm not sure why it is saying I am from San Fran. I do live in Downers Grove, IL!