I don't know where I would be without Linda and the Chicago New Moms Group. It was such a necessary…read moresupport system during the most vulnerable time of my life. I learned how to be a mom in public with a newborn without judgement. I have a wonderful network of moms that I ask every question to, all of which are going through the exact same stages with their baby. It's the community that you need during a highly destabilizing time, and the group continues to make me feel right at home. Thank you Linda, and I would highly recommend this experience to any new mom!

So grateful I joined one of the sessions hosted by The Chicago New Moms Group. It helped with my…read moretransition to motherhood and helped introduce me to other local new moms. The group leader was knowledgable and very helpful. Highly recommend!

Leah Lemelin helped me trust my body more, feel calmer, and more present with what I was…read moreexperiencing. I felt more in command and confident throughout. I thought I wanted a doula just for the day of delivery but what I found was that the work we did together before delivery is what altered the whole experience. It was deeply supportive and prepared me in a way I didn't even know I needed or was possible. So, even if you are an experienced mom, you are having a traditional medical birth, having Leah as your doula will deepen your experience and give it back to you as truly yours in a profound way. I can't thank her enough for walking with me through it and guiding me into myself so I could remember my own agency and power and strength in it all.

Mary has been our lactation consultant for 1 year. She had been part of my support network since we…read moresaw her during an at-home visit when my daughter was 1 month old. I'd count her as one of the women that I've most leaned on as a first-time mother. She is a walking book of knowledge on everything child related. She is kind and passionate and always available. I'm not sure where we'd be without her. We are so grateful to have her in our lives.

This place is not safe for Jewish families and if they won't protect Jewish families, how can any…read morefamily be safe? When we encountered a clear, documented situation of bias and antisemitism with a teacher the leadership team refused to even acknowledge that they stand against antisemitism much less take any steps to address it. Despite my attempts to have a dialogue about it, I merely got the old "sorry you felt that way" and my money back.

They have a wonderful program here and help families better understand their children's needs.read more

This review is not for Big Blue but for a specific teacher. Gloria is a real life magical mermaid…read more She is an incredible teacher, advocate, and role model. I'm truly in awe of her ability to maintain enthusiasm, warmth, insight, and intention through lesson after lesson. She is working on another level. She packs so much into a 30 minute lesson - challenging her students to build skill, creating a sense of community, encouraging them to support each other. We've had a few teachers at Big Blue, all clearly well trained, and our child demonstrates more growth in one session with Gloria than a month with his other teachers. I've worked in schools and observed educators in various settings for many years. Gloria has the passion and charisma that I recognize from the best teachers I've known. Even when my child was not in her class, Gloria advocated for his learning experience, working with the staff to make sure he was in the right level for both his age and skill. Whatever you are paying her, quadruple it. We are lucky to have Gloria in our community. Generally our experiences with big blue staff have been positive. Staff are always friendly and helpful. Gloria, again, stands head and shoulders above the rest.

As a parent, I am extremely disappointed with our experience at this swim facility. My son, is on…read morethe spectrum, and I expected a level of patience, communication, and professionalism that has consistently been lacking. Communication has been one of the biggest issues. Makeup lessons are frequently changed, rescheduled, or handled differently than what was originally communicated, often with little notice or consistency. It is frustrating to constantly seek clarification instead of receiving reliable information from the facility. Another major concern is the lack of instructional consistency. My son has been switched between multiple instructors during a single 30-minute lesson, which is disruptive and reduces valuable instruction time. Staff also do not appear to consistently review student notes. My son is currently in Bold 2, yet during makeup lessons he is often taught Bold 1 material by instructors unfamiliar with his progress. As a result, he makes little to no progress during those lessons. This is why I request specific instructors when scheduling makeup lessons--not because I expect those requests to be guaranteed, but because I expect instructors to understand where students are in the program before teaching. Additionally, if you need to contact the facility by phone, it is extremely difficult to reach a live person. Calls are rarely answered, and return calls are infrequent, making it even harder to get questions answered or concerns addressed in a timely manner. I also believe management visibility could be improved. Until recently, I was not even aware that each location had a General Manager. I have sent several complaints and concerns to Julian, who has handled them professionally and resolved issues quickly, and I appreciate his efforts. However, I feel these responsibilities should not fall solely on him. Having a General Manager who is more present within the facility, actively engaging with staff and families rather than remaining primarily in the office, could help operations run more smoothly and ensure concerns are addressed more effectively. I spoke directly with the General Manager, Kate, regarding these concerns. Unfortunately, she never asked for my son's name, reviewed his account, or took notes about our experience. While I was told the issues would be discussed with staff, the conversation left me feeling unheard and gave little confidence that meaningful follow-up would occur. The facility itself has additional concerns. The air conditioning system was reportedly expected to be repaired over a month ago, yet it remains unresolved. This is concerning not only for my son, who suffers from severe allergies, but also for employees who spend hours working in the heat and humidity. I do want to recognize Gloria, Julian, and Ozzie for their kindness, patience, and professionalism. They consistently make my son feel welcome/seen and are a major reason we have continued attending. My hope is that management focuses on improving communication, staff training, instructional consistency, facility maintenance, and customer service. Families deserve a supportive environment, and concerns raised by parents should be documented and addressed rather than overlooked. P.S I had to edit this review smaller since there is a 5k character. There was much more and details that needed to be said

I love these people they help me get my kids back in 2006 they are so awesome. I want to thank…read moreMora, John and Abby they taught me so much they taught my kids so much they motivate me to get my kids back. I still keep in contact with them because I'll never forget what they have done for me and my family. This skills they have taught me worked and they are the reason I have my kids back and never lost them again. They are such caring people I love them and I will always be great full for Mary Tom and Leo

Yes, there was a Therapist there name Olivia, and as I remembered how little this association did…read morefor my mental care and the care of my children, I jumped up! Don't trust these people here is my experience. If you are seeking for true help in the return home of your children, don't go to these people. They will make you think, they know what's going on when realistically, they don't. Not only do they not know what's going on, but they don't care about you, your children, your family, your case at all! The issue with Olivia was she would "say," good things about me, in my face but wrote very little to my defense and favor. As a matter of fact, Olivia flat out lied to me about what her written report said. I was so in shock, that I had to read it with my own eyes to believe. This place has 0 actual knowledge about assisting in the return home of your children, even if the owner claims she had like 20+ worth of experience and dealing with dcfs cases. I heard of the woman like once! And I believe she is the one who actually approves the recommendations. Honestly I knew little about having an actual and true therapist until I met Suzanne Zoheri at Saint Anthony Hospital. I can tell you, Olivia is not no dang therapist. Her tittle and school loans may say so, but quite frankly she seemed to be just as stressed as myself or even more with all the running around she did. Olivia showed very little compassion. Like nearly all therapist, she said she would work around my schedule and blah blah. Bullshit. She was having an issues with me not being able to attend the same day weekly. Fridays were my day until Olivia decided to go back to school in the middle of my very sensitive and highly delicate case. If you are looking for a serious place that holds knowledge, compassion and care, Mary and Tom Leo, is not the place at all. All they care about is juicing the system and private insurances! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ ...... One of the most important recommendations I needed was one from a therapist. These people wasted my valuable time and effort, while contributing little to none in my care. Rather they would bad mouth me, point out my flaws, call me inconsistent, etc. Just so you guys know, therapy is a process and I don't understand how I was so shitty or sick, that these people helped me none at all. If they don't like you a s a patient, they won't fire you, and they sure as heck will waste your time, and you might as well surrender your kids from the beginning! Quite Frankly, Olivia was a nervous who personally needed a Shrink herself! Don't give these people you money.. I fought my case for 5 years and because if f my mistakes along a team of shitty professionals, the result was the same as if I had done nothing, being forced to surrender my kids. I hope people become aware of this place! And I hope they shut down before Mary Ann and Tom hit there$$$$$$$retiring goal. ..since that's all they actually do here! No help At all Here! Stay away from them.

What a wonderful organization and creative community! I…read morediscovered this organization at the Printer's Row Lit Fest, and a friend recommended it too, and I am thrilled to know about this place! I attended an information session today and everyone was so kind and welcoming. They also provided an incredible food spread. The space is very warm and inviting. Really positive atmosphere. It was a lovely two hour event, which included socializing, an ice breaker, a writing exercise, and a Q&A. They offer a wide variety of classes, workshops, fellowships, and free events too. Lots of ways to become involved and find your writing community. I look forward to participating more in the future.

As a new author eager to grow within Chicago's literary community, I volunteered with StoryStudio…read morein December to give back to a space I truly admired and to earn class credit through their Work/Study program. I believed I was joining a reputable, nurturing organization for writers. Unfortunately, what began as an act of goodwill became one of the most disappointing experiences I've had with any arts organization. Despite showing up, completing my shift, and following up multiple times in good faith, my volunteer credit was never honored until I had to chase it down months later. Worse, after being told I'd be contacted for future opportunities, I was met with total silence--no returned calls, no responses to emails. Then, seeing new volunteer positions advertised publicly while I was still waiting for even a basic reply was frankly demoralizing. To make matters worse, when I finally did receive a response, it included vague recollections and misplaced blame about my punctuality--something that had already been cleared and verified by their own staff as a harmless scheduling miscommunication caused by conflicting information from the studio itself. Instead of accountability or an apology, I received an impersonal brush-off and a polite "we're all staffed up." As a writer and volunteer who genuinely believed in StoryStudio's mission, I expected better--basic professionalism, follow-through, and respect for the people who donate their time to keep the organization running. What I encountered instead was disorganization, poor communication, and a disappointing disregard for volunteers who aren't part of the inner circle. For new writers looking for a supportive creative home, I'd urge caution. Writers deserve better than to be ghosted by the very spaces that claim to nurture them.

It's a good place to learn how to swim for the little ones .! I seen my kid improve a lot, in a…read morelittle time .! A lot of coaches too in this facility.! Great staff . I give 4 stars just because sometimes they spend time fixing googles , it can take them ( 5 minutes by doing that , looking at the time ( clock wise) too I se them a lot .! In every minute count for me .! Instead of checking the clock they should focus more on starting the class.

Not a great place unless you don't have other options. Both Gold Fish and Big Blue are designed to…read morekeep you in the program and paying money by having your kids make very slow improvements, but not really to teach them how to swim as quickly as possible. They get hung up on micro movements and use it as an excuse to stall progression. It's rediculous. Off the two we did like Gold Fish better. This issues is was particularly pronounced when we brought our daughter to swim lessons in another country. The approach was night and day. She learned more in two lessons there than she did in 20 lessons at Gold Fish. The teacher even pointed out that our daughter hadn't made much progress in one year since he had seen her last. Gold Fish is a racket. They will teach your kids to swim.... eventually. But you are much better off putting your kiddo in a different swim school or in another activity they enjoy. Note: we did share this concern directly with management last year. It resulted in our daughter magically being passed to the next level... which her instructors had stated she was ready for weeks prior, but the "tester" refused to pass her. We again spoke with the "tester" this time and expect to hear back from management, but like last time it won't change their business model or practices of keeping you in the program vs. teaching kids to swim efficiently.

My older son has just gradated from SOR after 4 fantastic years there. Although he was heavily into…read moremusic and taking lessons at his "real" school, SOR encouraged him in other directions (vocal and drumming) and of course, gave him the opportunity to take center stage at times, and to be part of a supportive ensemble at others. My younger son has just started this year, (has done 2 shows) and loves it. The SOR teachers are serious about their jobs. This is not a half-hearted or amateur attempt to teach kids to rock out; these guys know their stuff and set high standards and expectations for the kids. The kids in turn, step up and give some amazing performances.

The program is terrific, however, the office isn't super responsive. I tried to pause my son's…read morelessons for the he summer and never got a call back. Now they want to charge me for an additional 30 days. Disappointed.

I graduated from Players Workshop in Summer 2001…read more As a stage and film actor, I find the training provided at PW extremely useful and inspiring. Thank you, instructors Steve Roath and Jeff!

If making choices in life are a challenge in any aspect of life or career, this program is for you!…read morePlayers Workshop will help to fine tune your ability to access your internal creative core. Once you have started unlocking and breaking down your fears and barriers, your ability to give presentations, engage in conversation and perform in life are at a renewed and heightened level. This program is great for developing teamwork skills and being able to trust your inner self.

Chicago's Finest Tactics & CCL is an extremely professionally-operated organization that still…read moremanages to maintain a hospitable and friendly environment. Their responsiveness to my inquiries was unmatched by any other CCL sources to which I had reached out. Classes are conducted by CPD Range Instructors - masters in their craft. Not just excellent instructors, but an excellent GROUP of instructors. Their camaraderie and history of shared experiences pull the class together into a comfortable and relaxed setting. Veteran law enforcement officers, competent and knowledgeable in laws and regulations governing firearms, instruct with expertise and thoroughness, adding just the right touch of humor to make every student feel at ease regardless of their own personal level of firearms experience. All instructors were encouraging and hang in there with you from beginning to end! Their attentiveness to each individual's needs and experience level was absolutely awesome! The class was conducted with a "NO STUDENT LEFT BEHIND" objective. Can't say enough great things about this group, from Bonnie at the front desk to all of the instructors: Jack, Ephrain, Chris, Mario, Phil, et al - THANK YOU!

From the owner: Conceal Carry Classes,Awareness Classes,Violence Prevention in the Workplace Trainingread more