I went to take a tour, looking for potential daycare options for my 14 month old son and I wasn't…read morevery impressed with this facility. It was small... Very cluttered and had a foul smell. The staff wasn't very welcoming and not very knowledgeable of common questions. The children would cry and i seen at least 2 staff members carry them out by their arms.. The rugs were dirty- and to think children nap on those!! I would be afraid to leave my son there...

This place started off OK when we first took our daughter when she was 18 months. As she grew, the…read morecenter did not. What I realized was the owners care more about the money they receive versus truly caring about the children and how equipped their staff is. They are fine as long as you don't have any issues. For example, if you question them they don't have clear answers which is unacceptable. Most of their teaching staff (primarily for the 3 year old class) is not up to standards. Sure they may have certain certifications, but what does that really mean when the teachers aren't professional, are very disrespectful and don't listen to parent input. The staff is a direct reflection of the very unprofessional owner. They appear to care, but are actually jokes! As long as you don't question their motives and go along with the program, you might be OK. But when it comes to your child, you should never let anyone give you half information and spoon feed you what they want to. I have witnessed several children walking around with running noses, wiping their noses with the backs of their hands (or licking it) and the staff not responding until someone else says something. Be prepared for a lot of days taking off work to care for your sick child...you'll basically be paying them for your child to get sick. The other turnoff about this place is the 'mandatory' fundraiser fee. Sure, most schools have fundraisers, but at this place, if you don't participate, they automatically add the $100 fee to your child's account. Ridiculous! As a parent you should be able to choose what you want to participate in. And then these money leeches will call you if you don't pay up. The only reason I know this is, one year we paid the $100 fee and they hadn't updated their records. When the office staff called (and before I informed her we paid well in advance), she said they will start imposing a late fee on the $100! If you have any sense, you'd steer very clear of this place unless you don't have any other options - and even in that case, find yourself another option!

Up to Par with Montessori Schools…read more Miss Gladys was a former elementary school teacher, has her master's degree in education for children with special needs, has received some training in montessori philosophy, a guest speaker at educational conferences, bilingual speaking and is so involved in the world of children's education. She runs her daycare with all her heart and her head. The cirriculum is well organized and covers a wide expanse of subjects...her training is evident here. The yearbooks I received were also a very nice detail as well! I am also very grateful that my daughters spanish also improved at the daycare. Miss Gladys and other assistants are also binginual so my daughters never lost their spanish while attending here. Also, a music teacher, language teacher comes in once a week to teacher as well. Miss Gladys has a great network and they all coorperate in making the daycare very competitive and well rounded for the students/children. The home daycare itself is kept very organized and tidy. It looks clean and it is clean - From her computer lab to the kitchen, the place is well kept and sanitized. Financially, the pricing was quite affordable and her hours are just what my family needed. If you live near this area, I would strongly recommend you take a tour of the daycare. This daycare came recommended and I was so happy with the care my daughters received during their time there. The only small drawback is the parking situation. You can find parking, but the street street is narrow and there is parking on both sides of the street. I wish there was a better drop off spot or designted parking - that's why I gave the 4 star review vs. 5. My twin daughters attended this daycare from 2 yrs old to 3.5 years old.

We absolutely love this place and both of our boys remember this place with fond memories. Mrs…read more Moran is the real deal. She is a Masters degree prepared educator with a passion for developing children. She and her staff truly take care of your children on the whole level. We have recommended all of our friends and church members to her for their child care needs. My boys are now 17 and 13 and both excelled in their education which has a lot to do with their formation by Mrs. Moran

We love sending our son to Near the Pier. His teacher, Miss Sonja, has been wonderful. He lights up…read moreevery time he sees her. We also appreciate that it's not one of the mega chain daycares. Everything feels very personal and genuine. Highly recommended.

My boys has attended Near the Pier for 4 years now. They absolutely love the school and the staff…read more The teachers are a great encouragement and the academic program is great. The boys confidence are outstanding and I contribute a lot of that to this school and the teachers. The summer camp is amazing!! They attend summer fun trips every week and my boys are usually worn out by Pick Up time Extremely clean, and well managed by the director Ms Tonja, who I must say is the most supportive. Is so loving to her students my kids feel her love. Hands down wouldn't trust my kids anywhere else.

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!

My daughter started at Little People this past January (2024). She turned 2 in December, and of…read morecourse, I was horrified with the idea of it all. Once I met the CEO/Owner Ms. Tiwana, My daughter teachers Ms. Tequila and Ms. Carrie, as well as the additional staff, I felt right at home. My daughter instantly fell in love with not only the staff, I could tell by her physical response, she was comfortable in the environment. Since being apart of this wonderful establishment, my daughter's developmental abilities have improved tremendously from physically, verbally, socially and even emotionally. If you're considering enrolling your child, please don't second guess. It's absolutely worth it! Thanks for everything Little People Learning Center!

Little People Learning Center is now apart of my personal village. My 2 year old with speech…read moretherapy has improved since coming here for the past month. He enjoys the new friends he's made and also the staff. He goes eagerly every morning and has learned and rested upon pick up. The daycare even allows some speech therapy meetings here and there. I love this Daycare and recommend it to every mother and father looking for a safe, loving place for their child to go.

My Children have been coming here for a while now before I was scared due to it being a new…read moreenvironment for my children but as time passed I was able to build a good report with everyone they made Me and my children feel comfortable, they sent me pictures of my babies I was able to video call if I wanted. The staff is great the facility is clean and well manage. I recommend the daycare to anyone who is looking for reliable responsible caregivers

My baby was attending this daycare for two months going on three. some of the teachers that work…read moretheir are OK and some are just BABY SITTERS. my child's development didnt progress at all from being there, the stuff she knows came from me. i feel like my baby could've been walking if they did not have her sitting locked down all the time. it seem that my baby had to be locked down because they have MIX AGE GROUPS TOGETHER THAT SHOULD NOT BE TOGETHER. infants, mobile infants and toddlers all together. that don't make sense! My baby always had a nasty face and clothes were dirty like they threw the food on her for lunch , then she had on other kids diapers! i can go on and on just not a good place for a baby at all if you want to see your baby develop and meet milestones . NOT QUALITY CARE ! WOULD NOT RECOMMAND

My son just gradauted from this daycare and our experience was great. If you are looking for…read moresomething fancy, this is not it. If you are looking for a place where your child will be happy, will learn, will play and will grow - then this is a very good place. It is affordable, convenient to several neighborhoods and we had an overall great experience.

We LOVE this daycare, and most importantly, our son does! The teachers are really nice and…read moreknowledgeable. Our son is 9 month old now, and every time he gets there or leaves, he smiles to the teachers. One can tell that he feels very safe and comfortable and happy with them. They also give us very precious pieces of advice, which is great for us! The infant room is great, with plenty of toys, a lot of light, and room! My husband stops by here and then because he misses our son and he never witnessed anything like the people who gives bad ratings. Did I mention that the rate is more than great? We , all 3 of us, definitely recommend the place! Thanks a bunch to Ramona, Ramona, Mirella and Honi for doing such a great job!

My three year old son has been attending Concordia since November. He absolutely loves it!…read more Starting a new preschool during Covid times was nerve wracking for sure, but Concordia has plenty of excellent policies in place to make a safe and healthy environment. All of the employees we encounter on a day to day basis are friendly, caring, and efficient. Communication from the teachers and administrators is excellent. I'm thrilled that we found Concordia, and looking forward to seeing our son learn and grow with them!

We have been thrilled with our experience at Concordia these past three years. While the pandemic…read morehas made childcare much more difficult, the administration and staff at Concordia has been up to the challenge. Our first child has been at the school since they turned 13 months old (now 4 years old) and our second since infancy (now two). We've loved all of the teachers that our kids have had and appreciate the continuity (teacher turn over is very low compared to most centers). The kids stay active throughout the day and they have access to different outdoor playgrounds (different play lots for the younger versus older kiddos). There is also an annex room that can be used for indoor play during the colder months. The teachers set up the most wonderful art projects - I'm always amazed at their creativity and energy! The communication has been great with the teachers - we had trouble with our eldest napping at school but we worked with the teachers to try a few strategies we use at home and significantly improved the number of nap days (which makes for a nicer kid at the end of the day). The front staff is great as well - everyone is welcoming and will get to know your kiddo by name. The school has clear COVID-19 protocols (which I like) - they follow Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and CDC guidelines. If they didn't follow IDPH guidelines they could risk losing their license. The school is also very diverse and does a lot to support the community. I whole heartedly recommend Concordia - this recommendation comes from a parent of two children who attend, a person who worked at a private daycare for seven years, and a graduate of an elementary education program. I know I am sending my kids to a warm, supportive, structured and fun environment.