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I do not recommend this daycare. The infants were not interacting with each other or the teachers and it seemed that they were not being stimulated as much as they should. In addition, when we... More
I do not recommend this daycare. The infants were not interacting with each other or the teachers and it seemed that they were not being stimulated as much as they should. In addition, when we attempted to get our deposit back, we were met with resistence uncharacteristic of childcare givers.
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I don't typically like to write good reviews for places that I prefer to keep incognito, like our daycare or our pediatrician, or my hair dresser as I prefer that these places not get busy, but I am... More
I don't typically like to write good reviews for places that I prefer to keep incognito, like our daycare or our pediatrician, or my hair dresser as I prefer that these places not get busy, but I am making an exception. There were several reasons, why I originally chose this daycare:
1. 1:3 in the infant room and low ratios for the older children (this low ratio is unheard of for the majority of the other daycares I toured),
2. webcam (also unheard of for the other daycares I toured), and
3. location (near work so nice).
4. Allow you to come and go as you please. I often went during lunch to feed our baby and I could not believe that other daycares would only allow you to come during pickup and dropoff times.
Our child has been with the daycare for several years now and things have gone along pretty smoothly. I keep the webcam up and running in the corner of my computer at all times so I know exactly what is going on most of the day. When issues do arise (and trust me they do anywhere, but I know about them due to the webcam), I have no problem discussing it with the director and I have found her to be nothing but accommodating which really puts my concerns at ease. Granted, most of the issues that have come up are minor (i.e. pacifier being used outside of naptime) but they are important to me and director has always addressed it and made sure it was corrected within a day.
The teachers are loving and nurturing, which is nice. They often try to get us involved in their daily activities and take the time to tell me how my child did during the day so I don't feel like I missed out on anything.
Overall, I have been very pleased with the daycare and my child's development. My child loves all the caregivers and all the other kids and often talks about them outside of school. I am dreading the day that I have to take my child out of this great environment and into a public or private school as I feel I am so involved now in the day to day activities (with the webcam and daily updates), and once my child is in big kid school, I feel I will not be so involved.
Pros: Location, nurturing caregivers, low child/caregiver ratio
Cons: None
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My child was at this facility for 3 years. I have had all positive experiences. The staff is very nurturing, friendly, and compassionate. I hate that we has to leave because we were moving out of... More
My child was at this facility for 3 years. I have had all positive experiences. The staff is very nurturing, friendly, and compassionate. I hate that we has to leave because we were moving out of state. I watched my child grow and blossom!
Pros: Great downtown location
Cons: Cant think of any
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Friendly, inviting, and professional. This child care facility is of the highest quality. Very accomodating to parents needs (i.e. special diet concerns, breast feeding, etc.) Plus the security is... More
Friendly, inviting, and professional. This child care facility is of the highest quality. Very accomodating to parents needs (i.e. special diet concerns, breast feeding, etc.) Plus the security is very comforting (webcam for parents, key card entry). Everything in the school has a child focus. I would best describe the atmosphere as, friendly and professional. It's a place parents feel happy to leave their child.
Pros: Friendly staff, very accomodating to specific needs
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We have given this place numerous chances because we could not get into the other daycares in the area and then eventually did not want to transition our kids. However, we've just about had it at... More
We have given this place numerous chances because we could not get into the other daycares in the area and then eventually did not want to transition our kids. However, we've just about had it at this point, and want to make sure other parents dont make the mistake. Yes, there are some pros. Some, and I stress, some of the teachers are really good. But some of those good teachers left, and also, some were initially assigned to one room and then moved without any notice. It speaks to their disorganization. Other teachers were more like caretakers, who would feed and change the babies. But overall, after many issues with organization, payment (being over billed numerous times), poor communication between teachers and parents and director we decided to move our 2 kids from here. In the end, we realized that as a relatively new place run seemingly by one disorganized director who does not have the education necessary to run a childcare facility, we were not willing to stay. Whenever we had issues we'd try to talk to the teacher or director, and were always given a great answer. But then there was no follow through. Their documentation of the children's daily activities (feedings, changing, napping) was very sporadic, so we never really knew what happened there during the day. Yes there is a webcam, but its not that great. You only know where your baby is and don't know for sure if the baby is sleeping or not since the resolution is not great. There were times our older child stayed in a classroom with much younger children because the facility (and director) did not anticipate the transitions for all of the kids. They still are figuring out the process of transitioning kids from one room to another. It was sad really since our kids got attached and liked their friends. Other reviewers said that the bad reviews were from uptight parents, but I know many parents in my older kids class aren't happy but just don't want to move their kids either. Its a place with alot of problems. If you don't believe the negative reviews, think about it this way -- other daycares in the area have long waiting lists, but here there is none, and the rooms all are not filled to capacity. In fact, the infant room only has 5-6 infants and accomodates 12. That should say something. The last thing I'll say is that after we'd decided to leave, the director (not the teachers though) became increasingly rude and unprofessional. It got so bad that during our last phone conversation about a minor fee, she hung up on me. Please heed the advice of so many negative reviews of parents who have removed their kids from here.
Pros: some good teachers
Cons: lack of organization, no follow-through, rude director
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Poor
by
magda123
1 year ago
After just a month we decided to withdraw our daughter from this facility , but you have to give 60 days notice to get your large deposit back. Our baby was fed late on multiple occasions ? when we... More
After just a month we decided to withdraw our daughter from this facility , but you have to give 60 days notice to get your large deposit back. Our baby was fed late on multiple occasions ? when we asked why she was fed 1 hour and 45 minutes late they said they ?were busy?. We witnessed a hungry baby cry for half an hour before it was fed; babies are strapped to bouncy seats for much of the day and often fed in them, the ?teachers? change during the day so when you pick up your child the teacher can?t tell you about what happened in the morning. On multiple mornings we witnessed one teacher with more than 4 babies. We would tell the owner who would send in another teacher. One time the owner was not there and we had to go into another classroom and pull that teacher away to go to the infant room. One parent told us how he witnessed a fire drill occurring one day when the owner was not there that resulted in untethered toddlers wandering the sidewalk and wheels on the cribs used to transport the infants falling off. Despite the owner?s assurances, the teachers do not appear to be adequately educated, for example one teacher stated that our 6-month old should be walking. They are poorly organized and the facility often appears rather untidy and dingy. For example, we still get emails from the organization and we still have webcam access despite withdrawing our daughter some time ago. It often took multiple requests in order to get simple administrative matters taken care of, such as asking for monthly invoices. The owner can be very smooth and gives off a false aura of being in control, but she made us a lot of promises that she did not follow through on.
Pros: location
Cons: too many to list
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Nice location. Well organized, clean inviting environment for children with very committed kind and friendly staff. Strict policies, but most are in place to protect the children, which are clearly... More
Nice location. Well organized, clean inviting environment for children with very committed kind and friendly staff. Strict policies, but most are in place to protect the children, which are clearly the focus of the family owned managment that seems to be involved in every aspect of the business, which I find a positive factor.
Comfort and individual attention for each child's needs, interests and abilities are what we enjoyed most.
Good overall security is in place, parents key in a code that allows access and we are also able to view the center, children and staff via a web-based camera system. You can call in to your child's class at any time during the day and see how they are doing. Tours are scheduled in advance, so outsiders who drop by to "take a look" are not allowed inside, which I feel very good about! A Child's Space holds nice events for parents, staff and children to help reinforce a great sense of community. It would be great if they had more parking, during drop off and pick up, it gets really tight in that area.
I would definitely recommend A Child's Space.... It stands up to many of the best places that I have seen... quite well.
Make an appointment.... and judge for yourself.
Pros: Location, staff, interior environment
Cons: limited parking
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This is a great day care. We put our daughter in at three months and she has significantly developed physically and intellectually because of their constant attention and stimulation. We visited... More
This is a great day care. We put our daughter in at three months and she has significantly developed physically and intellectually because of their constant attention and stimulation. We visited two other daycares before this one, and yes we may have waited a few long minutes for them to open the door and even when they opened the door they didn't let us in, BUT that is to say they are cautious. Why would you want them to blindly open the door to strangers? Because it is a downtown area, you never know who's lurking around. We don't even open our door at home to strangers, so why would you want them to do it? The other two daycares blindly buzzed us in. In one, we had to fold up our stroller and it took us about 5 minutes to get to their office . They didn't come out to greet us or to see who they buzzed in. What's the point of the buzzer? That was strange and very risky. The staff at A Child's Space are super nurturing, caring and friendly. The parents always smile and greet each other. The activities are great as well. All this and they have webcam. You can totally watch your child all day long. We are planning to move out of the neighborhood in a few months, but we plan to keep our baby at A Child's Space because we love it and it's still close to work.
Pros: Friendly staff
Cons: Parking. But we are downtown, there's usually no free place to park.
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I'm very sad to report that this place has a very backwards attitude when it comes to breastfeeding- they actively discourage it. The assistant director told me that breastfeeding mothers are not... More
I'm very sad to report that this place has a very backwards attitude when it comes to breastfeeding- they actively discourage it. The assistant director told me that breastfeeding mothers are not allowed in the front room where people can see, because they might not understand. I was made to take my baby in a room by ourselves, which defeats the whole purpose of distracting my child with other children so I can leave once she starts to play. The assistant director told me that this is their policy, and when I asked why don't explain to people who don't understand that breastfeeding is helathy and not obscene, she said that they choose not to. When I informed the assistant director that her behavoir is actually against the law (see 740 ILCS 137/10) she claimed to have never said those things.
Please opt for somewhere that has one foot inside this century.
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I love A Child's Space! The atmosphere is very pleasant, and stimulating to the growth and development of children. The Director and her staff are truly dedicated to the best intrest of children.... More
I love A Child's Space! The atmosphere is very pleasant, and stimulating to the growth and development of children. The Director and her staff are truly dedicated to the best intrest of children. At this tender age a child's job is to play and they do that and more at a child space.
The various activities and trips have included: yoga, martial arts, music and movement, infant massage, trips to the Field Museum, a Navy Pier Boat Cruise, Kiddie Land, they even took all the children ages 2 1/2 and up out to brunch to teach them resturant manners.
If you are a city parent this is the place for your child to be. They will gain great experience in the world around them. The entire staff at A Child's Space truly love and enjoy the children in their care. I think the parents that have negitive comments are unrealistic in their expectations of a childcare center.
Pros: Location, Atmosphere, Reasonable Tuition
Cons: Spaces fill quickly, No actual parking only a 15min loading zone
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