We have been sending our daughter here since she was 17 months and we have loved it so far. I…read morestayed at home with my daughter for the first year and a half because quite frankly I wasnt able to trust someone else to care for her. So it was a big step for me to send her to daycare/school. However, it was quite relieving to see how much my daughter loves the school and how much care and love the teachers show the kids.

I am so thrilled that we found Devonshire Montessori, our son has been in their program since the…read morefall and he is absolutely thriving. He loves school - he walks in every morning happy and confident, proudly shows off his art at home and has learned so many practical life skills. He is always talking and singing about his teachers & friends when he's at home, and it's clear that his teachers really care about him. At Devonshire his innate desire to help and contribute is nurtured and that shines through so clearly at home. It's tough to leave your kid everyday as a parent, but I never worry if he's doing ok at school because it is SO clear how happy, secure, and connected he is at Devonshire.

Our experience at Devonshire Montessori School has been nothing short of exceptional…read more Both of my children have needed outside intervention services, and as a parent, that can feel overwhelming when navigating school partnerships. From the very beginning, the director and teachers have gone above and beyond to make sure our family feels supported--not just welcomed, but truly understood. The director has been incredibly proactive and compassionate, taking time to meet, communicate, and problem-solve with us. What has meant the most is how collaborative the school has been with our children's interventionists. The teachers have welcomed outside providers, implemented recommended strategies, and consistently followed through with accommodations to help my children succeed in the classroom environment. Instead of viewing extra supports as a challenge, they've treated them as an opportunity to better understand and support my children as individuals. The staff regularly communicates updates, shares observations, and works as a team to ensure consistency between school and outside services. That level of dedication is rare and deeply appreciated. Because of this partnership, we've seen tremendous growth--academically, socially, and emotionally. My children feel safe, supported, and capable. As a parent, I feel heard and valued. Their commitment to collaboration, inclusion, and individualized care truly sets them apart.

My son just finished a "summer camp" with them and had a great experience. The staff was very…read morepatient and caring with him and we really appreciated it. Would recommend.

We started our son at the Kindercare in Elmhurst in Nov 2023 and have been so pleased with our…read morechoice. The teachers, staff and management have been so kind and welcoming, and the relationships they form with each child are truly remarkable. It's such a comfort dropping him off each day knowing that he'll be well cared for and have so much fun. Thank you, KCE!

Update: April 20, 2015 My children are now 7 and 3-1/2 years…read moreold and I and they love the school as much as ever. Currently, the school announced that they do plan on expanding the school. Update: August 16, 2014 My 6 yr old daughter & 2-1/2 yr old son attend. The school and parent community is still incredible and my only wish is that they expand their elementary program to middle school. Original review: It may not seem like much from the outside, but this school is a hidden gem. I honestly believe that there is no better learning or childcare environment than Gateway Montessori School. My daughter is 3 years old and has been attending Gateway since she was about 10 months old (Infant Program). When my wife and I were interviewing daycares, nannys, etc. for our daughter, we asked ourselves 3 important questions: 1. Can you we trust the Institution and Providers? 2. Will our child be Loved & Respected? 3. Will our child be learning and developing to her full potential? Can you we trust the Institution and Providers... ? Both my wife and I have complete trust in the school's Directress, Shelley Torres (and teachers). Once you meet her, you will understand. She teaches the 1-3 year old class and has the composure and patience that few have (and that is necessary for this age group). She has a long history as a Montessori teacher (AMI) and upholds to the standards that make a true Montessori school a great education. Gateway is a small school with small classes so you know all the teachers and assistants. The school hosts teacher presentations (as well as guest-lectures) and classroom observations. These are great opportunities for parents to see how teachers work with children, understand the classroom environment & materials, and talk with teachers. We leave our daughter at Gateway everyday knowing that she is in the best care outside of family. Will our child be Loved & Respected...? I see everyday not only how loving and respectful the teachers are to the children, but how my loving and respectful my daughter is to others. The teachers exemplify the qualities that I value in a caring & quality school. Among other things, they help the children become independent, guide them with reasoning (rather than control), support them emotionally, and encourage them to support their classmates with love and respect. I think my daughter has developed a true sense of empathy and understanding through working in the classrooms. Will our child be learning and developing to her full potential...? Number One, I want my daughter to be Happy (and she is). Number two, I want my daughter to Learn (and she does). Not only do the children build on their knowledge, but they learn about independence and practical life. They are drinking from cups in the infant class, baking bread in the 1-3 yr classroom, and learning about the trinomial equation in the 3-6 yr classroom. My (limited) experience with Montessori... My wife and I had never heard of Montessori education prior to attending a Gateway lecture. After meeting the director, learning more about Montessori, and seeing the school we were completely sold. Whether you are already familiar with Montessori education or not, you should see Gateway. As my wife and I have learned, this is no ordinary school.

My son just started his third year at Gateway Montessori and both he and I couldn't be happier…read moreabout it. This hidden gem of a school has enriched my child's life immensely and witnessing how he has been progressing with hands-on math, science, geography and culture as well as reading and writing has been brilliant. Did you know the second smallest country in North America is Belize? I didn't until my four year old informed me of it and then pointed on a map to where it was located. Shelly, the headmistress, is wonderful and has a way with children that is astoundingly calm, nurturing and loving. All of the teachers have been incredible as well, so much so, that during summer break my son woke up one morning and out of nowhere asked if he could write his teacher a letter. The letter was "Dear Tracy, I love you." The TL;DR of this review would be the same but changed to "Dear Gateway, I love you."

This daycare started enrolling students and taking non refundable deposits before they even had a…read morelicensing inspection date. They told us the start date was early fall, when they failed to meet the licensing requirements they pushed the anticipated start date to April 2024. This business took advantage of the trusted guidepost name and the trust of their customers with no accountability on their end.

This was our first experience with school/daycare, and our children absolutely love it! We feel…read morevery confident with the care that they are receiving there.

We currently have our son at MGP, and it's been an extraordinary experience. This is the school's…read moresecond location (they have a really reputable gifted program in the city we'd heard about and we were excited they opened one up in Hinsdale). As we're approaching the end of the school year, I wanted to share some of my thoughts from the year. He's consistently happy and really enjoys attending the full day program, and as parents, we're thrilled by all the artwork (using this term artwork liberally here) he brings home and the constant communication from the school (they use the Brightwheel app) in the form of photos (several very cute photos every day) and updates (when he eats, how much, diapering times / updates, nap, etc.) The teachers are always happy and smiling at dropoffs and pickups (and so is our son), and we've been very happy with both the quality and consistency of the teachers and the staff. Our little one has developed a bunch over time, as well. He's about to turn two, and has picked up some words and good habits from school - Mandarin (Chinese), Spanish, English, and some basic sign language as well. This has helped him communicate with us better at home as well. I think the school has invested heavily in high quality Montessori toys. Everything is new, and our little one has really enjoyed the diversity of math / language / picture / tactile learning toys. We didn't know what to expect in terms of improvement independence and concentration, and don't know how much of this is the school vs. normal "development," but our little one has definitely picked up and had an opportunity to work on both his independence and concentration skills at school. He can hold his attention span much longer than I would've expected for a kid of this age. He also has his group of "friends," which is hilarious for an almost two year old. I heard that "parallel play" persists through year three of a child's life, but he's always observing and tagging along with his group of friends and it's super cute. I think where this school really shines would be the multilingual component and the overall quality of the staff and teachers. There's a dedicated Spanish speaking teacher and two dedicated Chinese speaking teachers who only speak to the kids in those languages. The staff and teachers have a great balance of competence and compassion. They are excellent communicators (we hear from the school multiple times a week) and there's a lot of extracurricular programming (events to involve parents and grandparents) that we've really enjoyed. The Chinese New Year event was very special where they brought in a lion dancer and the kids put on a show with the guidance of the teachers. We've built a bit of a parents community as well - very strong sense of community among the parents. We all seem to be very busy on the professional front while being like-minded in how we love and invest in our children.

We've been having such a wonderful experience with our son at Montessori Gifted Prep - Hinsdale!…read moreThe Montessori approach truly made a difference--my son was encouraged to learn at his own pace, explore independently, and develop a genuine love for learning. From day one, he felt supported and cared for by the teachers, who created a warm and nurturing environment. The activities were thoughtfully designed and engaging, helping him grow in confidence, independence, and curiosity. One of the most delightful surprises is that our son now can sing songs in three languages--English, Spanish, and Chinese. Most importantly, he looked forward to school every day and built so many happy memories. We're incredibly grateful for this positive experience and highly recommend MGP to any family!

My son graduated from this school, and my daughter stayed till 4th grade. We loved this school. The…read moreonly complaint I would have is there wasn't that many extra-curricular activities. As far as one-on-one teacher working with students, this has been one of the best schools I've seen.

First, the preschool program is the only thing going for the school. It's clean, safe for them…read more List of issues the principal is a coward, no accountability. My daughter was inappropriately touched by an employee and nothing happened. Students caught unsupervised trying to have sex, literally 2.5 bathrooms and rarely working properly, teachers are always being terminated or quitting. Parents either nice or leeches. The good families are transferring. Mismanagement of money, students don't have enough books, and this is just the good stuff. Stay clear. Improvement, new leadership.

My 2 yrs son has been going to Swift for 6 months. The facility is very clean, my son is happy when…read moreI drop him off, I get progress reports that I can view online with pictures, and he likes his teacher and classmates. The teachers and staff are kind, welcoming, loving, and helpful. They've provided suggestions on issues or concerns I've had. Overall we are very happy with our decision :)

Swift Child Care has cared for my son for over 3 years. We started when he was 14 months old and…read morenow he's 4 years old. It is a family ran business and they run the facility with a lot of love and care for the children. Although, I am not a member of the Varda family, I always felt like my son and I were a part of a family in the facility. The teachers are all friendly and know a lot about child care and early education. I really enjoyed how they focused on teaching the children to be kind to one another and behave with good manners. They have a very nice music program that my son participated in the the 2 year old class and in preschool. Miss France and Miss Ban were very kind and understanding to my son and family during his hard time transitioning into the preschool classroom. Miss Edna, Laura, and Joanna are very professional and really advocates of early childhood development and care. They even have a cook (Meme) on staff to prepare home cooked meals and snacks with love for the children. They even have a summer camp program which gives parents that must work all year long a piece of mind that there is somewhere that is clean, safe, and caring for their children to be at from 7 am to 6 pm. This is definitely a good childcare center. I have and will recommend Swift Child Care to others with daycare needs in the Skokie/Evanston area.