My son just completed his ninth year at Holy Cross (K - 8) and if I had to go back, I would…read moreABSOLUTELY choose Holy Cross again. School: There were realistic ups and downs which you will find at any school (and in LIFE!) I loved my kid's classmates and teachers. The other parents are supportive. The school (and the parish) has a working-class vibe to it (more working-class, less country club), which I am VERY comfortable with, because I come from a family of teachers, police officers, & firefighters. The student body is diverse (the outgoing 8th grade class was ~30% children of color). Scouting and band are our two favorite extracurriculars! Academics are the focus of this school. I am a public school teacher in Champaign, and I feel like a lot my time and energy is focused on behavior issues (which, unfortunately, leaves less time for teaching and learning). The kids at Holy Cross are still "squirrels" but they are not running the show. The Parish too... The biggest plus is that the whole family is now a part of a greater, Christ-centered community. We are a mixed-family: one protestant, 2 Catholics. We are known and loved, through our child, and through fun volunteer work for the school and the parish. It's actually changed my life for the better. When my kid was in Kindergarten I was a Catholic by name-only, and pretty-much living my life as an atheist. Without anybody hounding or harassing me, just by attending Mass and learning how to pray I've willingly come back into full communion with the church... and it's better than ANYTHING. (If you're on the fence, church is not about rules... it's about love and worship). Come on in! And make sure you volunteer for all the stuff... working together makes it feel like you're part of the family. : )

Bullying, racism, and even online harassment were often ignored, and it felt like little was done…read moreto protect students. While some teachers were great, others came across as unfair or disrespectful. The school clearly prioritizes the preschool and elementary grades over the middle school. Middle schoolers spend almost the entire day on Chromebooks but get old hand-me-down devices from the elementary students, who barely use them. There were also very few activities or privileges for middle schoolers, making us feel overlooked. The cafeteria was another issue. Finding hair in the food happened more than once, which was concerning. Overall, I hope the school starts taking student concerns, bullying, and fairness more seriously.

We truly can't say enough good things about this school. The education is exceptional, the…read morecurriculum is thoughtful and well-rounded--including generous time for lunch and recess--and the hallways are filled with stunning student artwork created over the years. Private school wasn't originally in our plans, and it's been a financial stretch, but watching our child grow and flourish here--thanks to the school's expert, compassionate leadership--has made every bit of it worthwhile.

The school did not treat my kid as I wanted it to. They don't know how to help kids in a…read moresituation. Every day my kid comes back crying.

This administration who run this school is horrible. There is little to no communication from…read morethem. I toured the facility. It is a VERY short tour there is not much to the building. I then and asked the "teacher" what the daily routine looks like. She didn't really have an answer. The first 3 hours the student gets to choose a subject, then lunch, and then the next 3 hours the student gets to choose another subject. Oh yeah, and they offer before and after school care. The playground (empty open field) is pretty good size. But there is nothing to do outside. My child attended this school against my wishes (mother made unilateral decision for our child's' education). I tried to get some info from the school regarding my sons' education. They literally provided nothing. The teacher actually told me, "we don't do that." I would like to believe that there are good Montessori schools out there. Montessori Habitat in Champaign, IL, however, is not one of them. Please treat your children right and keep them away from this horrible facility. Sincerely, Disappointed Dad

From the owner: The teachers at Montessori Habitat will guide and nurture your child's love of learning through…read morepurposeful, joyful, and often collaborative activities. Our school is located on two peaceful acres with butterfly gardens, vegetable gardens, and a berry patch. We serve children from age three through 8th grade.

If only I could give *more* stars. This is a great center. If you're expecting a baby, get on the…read morewaiting list now! I feel sorry for other parents in other towns when I hear about the lack of good child care because we have it here in CU. Highlights include: *The teachers are all great, but the shining stars are Nina and Michelle in the Infant I room, Julie in Toddler I, Laura in Toddler II and Yildiz in Preschool I. They really love kids and the kids love them. Nina and Michelle are especially great in dealing with new parents who need advice. *There's a parent's committee for people who like to be involved in decision-making. It meets once a month. * The rooms are clean, friendly, full of toys. * While housed in a church, the center is not religious. My family is agnostic, there are Jewish families, Muslim families, your random assortment of Christian denominations... * The rates are fair and include two meals, a snack and diapers for the babies. As your kid moves up, the prices drop slightly. * Field trips for the older kids. * Each class has some kind of event two times a year where the parents are invited in to see some kind of production... ice cream social in Preschool I, a "circus" in Toddler II. Just a great center. You can't go wrong here. A+. They are open M-F 7:30-5:30. They are closed for holidays. The center is closed the week between Christmas and New Year's (you don't pay for that week). The center also closes for 2 weeks in late July/early August for deep cleaning and to give the teachers a vacation (you don't pay for those 2 weeks). Many of the teachers will babysit kids during the 2 weeks, however.

We have been at FUMCCC for almost 4 years now and have nothing but positive things to say about it…read more One of the first things that impressed me when we toured back in 2014 was when we were walking through the hallway, the Director said hi and knew the names of all the kids passing her in the hallway. From then on - we have always felt that the teachers and office staff care SO much about the kids that go there. They also have very high marks on ensuring the kids have a clean and safe facility for daycare. Another perk - the kids have lots of large motor space. In the winter, there is a gym for the bigger kids and a large motor room with lots of toys for the smaller kids. When it's good weather, the big kids go to West Side Park and the smaller kids have a nice outdoor playground to play in. I could go on and on...go check it out! :)

I was a newly divorced mom when my 3 month old started at Little Hearts and Hands. My daughter…read morewould not take a bottle and I had tried everything I could think of. So I asked Terri and Macey and the wonderful girls in the Giraffe room for ideas and help. They all were so helpful everyday, Terri order every bottle she could think of to help my daughter. Macey helped with every feeding and Terri kept me updated daily letting me know how my daughter was doing. Finally, with all their help she took a bottle. I don't know how to thank them for all their loving and support.

I am writing to formally address a series of deeply troubling incidents that occurred at Little…read moreHearts and Hands, which have left me profoundly concerned about the safety of the children in your care and the professionalism of your staff, particularly the owner, Terri.I have generally had a positive experience with your facility, but recent events have been alarming. My daughter sustained a significant injury when a large, wooden fridge fell on her face in the gym, resulting in severe facial bruising and a likely concussion, as her head was forcefully slammed into the wooden floor. As a concerned parent, I sought to address this matter to ensure the safety of my child and others. However, when I raised these concerns with the manager, they were dismissed without adequate attention. I then contacted Terri, requesting access to video footage of the incident, only to be informed that the footage was "no longer available." Furthermore, the hazardous toy remained in the gym until I insisted it posed a risk to other children.Following this incident, the relationship with your staff felt strained, seemingly because I was assertive in prioritizing my child's safety. More recently, my other child was bitten twice by another child, with the second bite being significantly more severe. When I addressed this with the manager, expressing concerns about the potential for lifelong scarring, transmission of bloodborne pathogens, and psychological trauma, I was met with a dismissive response: "Well, it happens." The manager became defensive, failing to address the gravity of the situation.When I requested to speak with the director, Terri, I was told she would contact me. Instead, she confronted me in a public hallway at the daycare, in the presence of other parents, children, and my own children. During this encounter, Terri raised her voice, made baseless accusations about my character and personal life, including references to my divorce, and attempted to publicly humiliate me. Her aggressive behavior, including shouting defamatory remarks, was not only unprofessional but deeply distressing, especially as it occurred in front of my children. When attempting to disengage from the situation she followed me down the hall continuing to harass me in front of my children. I told her to stop speaking about the matter in front of my children and she yelled down the hall baseless & defaming accusations. Little Hearts and Hands claims to operate as a Christian-based organization, which makes this experience all the more shocking. As a parent and paying customer, I am appalled by this treatment and gravely concerned about the safety and well-being of the children in your care. If this is how a director addresses a concerned parent, I am left to question what may be happening behind closed doors. Consequently, I have withdrawn my children from your facility and will not be utilizing your services in the future.I strongly urge a thorough investigation into these matters, including the safety protocols at your facility, the handling of incident reports, and the conduct of your staff, particularly the owner. The dismissive attitude toward serious injuries, the lack of transparency regarding video footage, and the unprofessional behavior exhibited by leadership raise significant concerns about the integrity of your operations.

This is a truly Christian school that seeks to glorify God. It is for families seeking to invest…read morein their children spiritually and have them challenged academically and discipled in Christ. It is a "tribe", which means it is only as good as the families that invest in the school and other families. It does have a very traditional curriculum which the school is attempting to update, it does not have a lot of support for students with IEPs or learning differences.

DO NOT COME TO JUDAH. The first year here was amazing, but this year my child has been racially…read moreprofiled and bullied by administrators and children. My son was at the door doing door duty with another student and the kid got mad about not having a walkie-talkie, because you get the walkie during door duty, the other kid got mad that my kid got the walkie-talkie and tried to beat him up. My son reported this, and the people at door laughed it off. Do not come if you don't want your kid in fights, being racially profiled, and ignored!

WHO THE F*** USES YELP IN 2017?…read more TL;DR - this school is a Darude Sandstorm out of 10 Yo, its ya boy Dolla J in da house, hitting you up with an in depth analysis of this "whack" (as the cool kids say) school. I would have to say, in terms of how memey this school is on a scale from "all your base are belong to us" to "Donald Trump's hair", I would have to rate this school a Darude Sandstorm out of 10. It can be pretty funny, as for example the cross country team gets high on shrooms every year, but the school itself is kind of a mess, as it is 100 year old building (just like how Darude Sandstorm is a 100 year old meme) that owes $1,000,000 to the UNIVERSITY WE ARE A PART OF (yeah contrary to popular belief, we are not a part of the University). Now before you dismiss me as a maniac who wrote this review on drugs (which would be the logical thing to do, as I am wasting my time writing a not really funny review of a not really dank school when I should be doing homework), I am actually an undercover Centennial student who got their way into Uni with the first ever 100 on the SSAT, so this review is actually completed unbiased. So without further a due lets get started with faculty and facilities. Now the facilities in all honesty kind of suck, because we are in 1,000,000 dollars of debt and nobody wants to give us money, BUT WE HAVE 6 MICROWAVES SO ACTUALLY ARE FACILITIES ARE WONDERFUL. Since the building was built back in the wee ages of people thinking that World War 1 would be the last war, we don't get warm water in the showers unless you wait 5 minutes, which was almost an immediate turn off for me until I heard about the microwaves. In all honesty, don't come to this school if you are looking for the top of the line tools to use for the science fair, because we don't even have a working color printer half the time. The staff on the other had are actually very solid, so if you think the facilities are a shredded marijuana leaf, THE STAFF ARE LIKE TASTY CRACK COCAINE IN COMPARISON. The teachers are always there for you, even if you don't want them there, like a sex offender living in a neighbor hood, except they don't commit crimes and they are actually pretty nice (although are all sex offenders mean? idk but either way this wasn't a great analogy so please don't kill me if any teacher manages to read this). Whenever you have a question or having trouble in a class, the teachers will actually help you get through it unlike the strict asian parents I know you have (yes reader, I'm acknowledging you). They will always make the content you covering kind of fun (well most of them, I didn't say all), and when it isn't you can just pull out your computer and play some MINECRAFT like the horrible student you are. So on the whole, the facilities are crap, but the faculty use whatever crap there is effectively to teach you about Lamborghi--- I mean KNOWLEDGE. But what knowledge do they teach you (hint its not lamborghini's, although Tai Lopez would make a very good economics teacher here)? The KNOWLEDGE you learn can range from "how do microwaves work?" (actual quote from real science teacher who was asking un-ironically) to "Once you die, you are forced to relive life till the moment you reach Nirvana, at which point you transcend reality and no longer become human, but an intangible form of happiness (actual quote from math class). Since everybody who goes to this school is automatically classified as a smart prick who owns an Iphone X, you would think that there isn't much to learn, and for the most part you are half right. Half the time I bang my head on the desk in boredom as the teachers go on and on for 45 minutes about stuff you already know, and the other half I actually learn a thing or 2, which I then promptly forget (how do I still have a 4.0 GPA is the real question). Thankfully, the teachers make the same stuff we learned in 7th grade somewhat more interesting, but I often just pull out my laptop and play League of Legends like the degenerate I am. That being said, you do have to be careful and study sometimes, because this school is like an exponential function when it comes to difficulty. If you think you could be Forrest Gump in subbie year, then good luck turning into Megamind by senior year, because that's who you have to be in order to get into an Ivy League. Thankfully though, they don't teach you about SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS which automatically makes it better then the school I went to before hand. This is the perfect segway into our final category... Sports and other Extra Cirriculars (and a rant on health)! OH Shoot I have 52 characters left to write. Um, Health SUCKS, thatsit

I also went to Uni High, and thank god I did. The anti-intellectual social pressures of the public…read morehigh schools were killing me, whereas uni was this creative sanctuary. And the teachers are simply amazing--clearly dedicated to Uni and to the students, because they're way over-qualified and way under-paid, but they made such an important impact on my life. If you can get your kids in, do it!