Kiddieland Educational Center of Excellence

I really like this daycare. Ive been there about 5months.
Pros: We were given a tour promptly and from the front desk to the teachers we really felt like they cared about our daughter and a community approach program.
Ive toured many daycares and the décor and facility alone reviled the average «cribs over here and toy shelves other there». There was an imagine station, book area, interactive thought simulating toy area, family style eating, indoor play cove, the kid bathrooms had multiple potties, it was clean and even a very well kept adult bathroom. The security is top notch with cameras rolling as soon as you pull up. Codes for everyone. You truly aren’t getting in if you dont have it.
The facility itself is very clean and well kept. They even have a huge outdoor playground filled with slides, swings, teeter totter, water fountains etc. Its like an attached colorful park. It is really a quite nice playground. Teachers have name tags and they as well as the director will meet with you within 24 hours if not that day when anything needs to be discussed. It is very community oriented in that they are always seeking parent input and having parent meetings.
My cons are that parking is extremely limited and off an alley. Not ideal but somehow it works and you dont wait extremely long for a spot to open up. It could be remedied a bit if the two daycare vans weren’t sucking up 2 spots.
They only take 15months and up. I have to take my infant somewhere else. Though I am told they may start taking infants this summer. …fingers crossed
The cost is a bit high. Its not the tuition of Little Gems but still a smidge high 55ish a day for 1 kid. In relation to the stellar program, breakfast and lunch & snack included, and great amenities its not that high. A parent recently put it «i have paid more elsewhere and gotten less for my money –and paid less and got less than stellar care». I agree with her. Its funny I paid less in downtown DC for my daughter to go full time than to go partime here. We paid 225 a week in DC. But I will say this: I would not send her anywhere else. They play with paint, playdough, and even make snow! They have relevant monthly cultural activities, and plenty of visitors and events. I visited multiple Chicago bright horizons and wasn’t nearly as impressed as I am with this place. My kid is not 2 years old yet and she sings multiple songs, says her abc’s, counts (sometimes in spanish) usees her manners, and has a vast vocabulary.
Finally sometimes I think the little explorers class could do with a 3^rd teacher all day. The kids have so much to see and do within the class that its hard to give the absolute individual attention with a large classroom. Toddlers can get rowdy if a keen eye isn’t kept on them.
But overall the teachers do a good job of keeping the kids nose clean, putting on pants if they are going out to play on the mulch, keeping up with belongings, tending to unruly hair, and teaching our little ones. They are loving and really have the kids aspire to their greatness. If your looking for a place to entrust your most precious — this is the place. I am quite comfortable and recommend you bring your kids here. Its pretty north (Irving park) and wish there were other locations throughout the city (we will be moving). But depending where we land I may commute just to keep her here. Its worth coming to check out!!!

As I mentioned in my first post, we’ve been a Kiddieland family since May of 2012. Just today, I witnessed my child run and leap into one of the teacher’s arms to give her a huge kiss as they cheered her having gone to the toilet. And it’s like that every day. The hugs, the cheers, the positive reinforcement. The teachers have always been caring and attentive with my kids, and all the kids I have witnessed. My kids have a great time, and I feel utterly comfortable that they’re in a safe and nurturing environment.
The only negative I can think of is that parking can get a little hectic in the mornings. But show me a daycare in the city where that isn’t the case. To another poster’s point that the teachers are young. I don’t even know what to say to that. Sure, most of them are in their 20s. I was teaching college courses in my early 20s. I’m not sure what age has anything to do with competence.

Another parent told me today about the negative comment left recently by somebody and I just have to respond. The reason the other parent mentioned it is we were shocked that this could be someone’s actual thoughts! Is it even possible that our kids go to the same school?! My daughter has been at Kiddieland for almost 10 months now, and I have had an AWESOME experience here! If the teachers were any more warm they would be actual family! My daughter actually asks for them by name when we are getting her ready for school in the morning, and everyone, even the kitchen staff, greets her with a hug and a smile in the morning. One time my daughter tripped over my foot when I was dropping her off and her teacher (who I will assume is the person the other parent was referring to) picked her up, and said «Oh it is ok mami!» It was very sweet and nurturing, obviously not the way the other parent made it seem. If «JT» has concerns my question would be have they reached out to the staff? I know that they have always made themselves available to me for «Coffeeville» (which is a time parents can come chat in the mornings) or anytime I catch them with questions they are always open to chat for a bit. They also spoke with me for almost a half hour in our recent parent teacher conference. There is an entire wall with the days activities, calendar of fun events and special days, a menu, etc. Also, each kid has a folder with information about his/​her day (nap lengths, how they were that day, etc.) When my daughter was out sick for a week recently, her teacher Mrs. Torres actually e-​mailed and called multiple times to check on her. Not exactly what you would call uncaring. When she first got sick and I came to pick her up that same teacher was rocking her and singing to her to make her feel better. I have NOT ONCE felt like my daughter was ever left to «fend for herself.» As a working parent, not having to worry about my child’s well-​being during the day is a HUGE weight off my shoulders. I have recommended this place to friends, family, and even strangers, as it is pretty difficult to find quality childcare in the city for a reasonable price!

I enrolled my child a few months ago and although the place looks nice to eyes, my biggest complaints are as follows:
1) I wish the teachers were a little bit more warm. No one really greets my child to the class, so it makes me wonder what the teachers do when my child cries. Do they comfort him or leave him in the situation to deal with all by himself?
2) Maybe this one related to my point 1. The teachers are very young, more like your weekend date night baby sitters. They do not look seasoned to have a warm touch to the kids. Somehow this doesn’t win credibility.
3) I wish they would stop calling my child «Pappi». At one point one of the kids pointed out to the teacher «I am not pappi». This doesn’t sound too professional for a good day care.
For now, the above are my observations. I have to say, I do not have a peace of mind on how my child is doing while we are gone working. That’s the whole point to send your child to day care where you have peace of mind. right? For now this center looks beautiful and clean but has not won my credibility for a nurturing and learning environment for my son. I will give it a few more weeks and evaluate the situation. I will provide another update.

We have been a Kiddieland family for two years now. The school is terrific. The curriculum is well balanced between educational material and play. Since this is a Reggio Emilia school a lot of the curriculum is driven by the students, which engages them and keeps their interest. The school is very clean, the classrooms are well organized, on-​site cooked meals are balanced and nutritious. The administration and the teachers keep the lines of communication open and are accessible and open to comments and suggestions. The outdoor playground is terrific (made from «green» materials) and provides the children with the opportunity to move around and burn off energy. The summer programs are well planned and packed full of fun activities — in the last two years my children have gone on a number of field trips (Exploratorium, Adler Planetarium, Mariano’s), have had the magic show, the petting zoo and the pony rides come to the school. I highly recommend this school.

First of all, I would like to say that this is a world-​class childcare center! I would like to comment based on three different areas: 1) As a parent 2) As a neighbor 3) As a teacher and Master’s degree-​holder in the field of early childhood education.
Kiddieland is a warm and nurturing environment that both of my children love. They have attended the facility since it has opened, and have flourished under the care of the teachers and staff. The teachers genuinely care for my kids and give them hugs often!
This year they have weekly classes in Mandarin. Last year they learned German and had weekly music classes as well. Unofficially they learned some Spanish and sign language. They are always creating beautiful artwork out of natural and recycled materials. Wow! The center stays away from mass-​marketed characters and plastic furniture as part of the Reggio Emilia philosophy. They have in-​house staff that cooks healthy lunches, as well as drop-​off as early as 6am and pick-​up as late as 7pm! They added an incredible outdoor playground this year, which even includes a garden! There are many opportunities for parents to get involved. In fact – it is highly encouraged.
The tuition rates are truly amazing! I am paying about a third of what I would be paying at a like-​minded center. Truly unbelievable!
As a neighbor, I am so pleased to have them in my community. I live right across the alley from the center. The outdoor space is truly beautiful. One reviewer mentioned seeing the kids cross Cicero. I have NEVER witnessed this. I have observed at all times of day, and have never seen this at all. My kids are safe there.
As an early childhood educator myself, I can honestly attest to the fact that this is an incredible childcare center. The Reggio Emilia philosophy might seem a bit odd, but it is really something worth looking in to. The classrooms offer reprieve from city life, and the curriculum encourages exploration, curiosity, and free-​expression. The director has a unique and exciting vision that I think you and your child will love!

My son has been attending Kiddieland since August of 2012. I have had nothing but a positive experience with the school, and each and every staff member. My son is a very energetic three year old, who at times can be hard to handle. The staff has worked with me and always focuses on positive reinforcement. I have read all of the reviews on Unilocal and the only one that was negative, I cannot believe any of what it says! I have never witnessed any behavior of that kind. My son loves to be there, and loves all of the teachers. All of the staff at Kiddieland are caring, warm and loving to all of the children there. I am so grateful that we are a part of the Kiddieland family. I could not be happier with the pre-​school experience that my son is receiving. Kiddieland is absolutely an asset to this community!

Overall this is a great daycare. The staff is friendly and do a great job of engaging the kids. The tuition is reasonable and the hours are convenient. During the summer the kids go on several field trips and enjoy special activities at the center. I receive monthly news letters and calendar. The center is always clean and spacious. I just hope the hire more staff especially during the summer when extra staff is needed to watch over the kids on field trips.

This daycare is really nice as far as appearances. Which is why I chose this daycare center and didn’t mind paying the $ 500 deposit per child. The director does not take checks, only ACH withdraws from a checking account. Which I did not have a problem with until I noticed my fees were never constant for whatever strange reason. When summer hit I was told by my sons teacher that I was required to pay an additional $ 150/​month for their summer program or else my child would be unable to attend daycare. So I agreed having no choice and signed the summer camp contract. I later found out if i didn’t sign up for the summer program that my child would be able to attend daycare, but not be able to participate in any activities scheduled for kids in the summer camp. One of the activities was a water day. For anyone that knows the set up of this daycare there is a parking lot in the alley. Well water day is where they yellow tape off that parking area allowing these small children to play in the alley basically with water. In the summer the kids go on walks, which at first I thought was nice, but days that reached 90 degrees and up these kids were expected to go on walks. I picked my son up one day and he was throwing up so I took him to the doctor. He was dehydrated. I told the director that my children were not allowed to go outside on days that it was 80 degrees and up and she insisted that kids need vitamin D and how important these walks were. Finally after a week or so she sent home letters saying they would no longer take the kids out on hot days. My aunt called me one day at work to tell me that a group of kids from kiddieland ece. were crossing Cicero and the teacher was far behind them while the rest of the kids were all ready crossing Cicero ave. My aunt and sister had been telling me for months that they were always seeing the kids being walked on Cicero ave. and how they would never bring their children to this daycare. I ignored them and was sort of angry and thought they were making it up. Well one day I went to drop off my toddler in the toddler room. All the toddlers (15 months-​2 years) were in the room and the teacher was not in the room. She was in the 4 year old room talking to another teacher. When she saw me she ran back to her classroom. I told the director and she said she wrote her up for that. Shortly after that I went to drop off my kids again to find the morning school kids alone in the gymnasium with no supervision. After another complaint the director finally hired a receptionist. Once my son moved to the 2 and 3 year old classroom was when I decided this daycare was not a safe place for my child. I started doing surprise drop ins because of it. I have caught 2 teachers on 2 separate occasions pushing a child while yelling at them. I was in the classroom while Ms. Bumbee grabbed a child by the arms shook her and yelled at her for touching the computer. I have heard teachers yelling at the children at the top of their lungs. I see non stop negative response from teachers and no positive reinforcement. I think someone might have mentioned something because they have calmed down the past week. But it was enough for me to take my child out of this daycare and fast. These are very young girls with no experience with children. They come to work dressed as if they are going out to a party and not ready to get their hands dirty with children. Last week I walked in on surprise to find the teacher pulling my son away from the books saying no one is allowed in the library. All the lights were off and all the kids were forced to stay on the carpet while the teachers cleaned. I understand this has to be the hardest job. But I really feel these children are not being stimulated. I never get artwork sent home unless its a holiday. This is strange for a director who claims her program to be Regio Emilia. Kiddieland also has a large turnover in teachers which is another red flag for me. I am so glad to be pulling him out of this daycare. The director has a good sales pitch as far as wanting to help the community with her center. But how is she helping the community by charging outrageous rates and not providing a safe haven for children? I think since this daycare is so new they are basing everything on trial and error and really have no clue on what they are doing. I think maybe 10 years down the road this daycare MIGHT improve. In the mean time, not everything that shimmers is gold!
12÷13÷2012− i witnessed abuse in this daycare today and have decided to pull my child out. I went to drop off my son in the 2 – 3 year old classroom. A child was in time out for running in the classroom. The teacher made the boy sit in a chair in the corner facing the wall. The boy refused to face the wall so the teacher restained him for 5 minutes facing the wall as the child was kicking and screaming. I left the classroom waited 15 minutes and went back in the room to find the child still in the corner.

I’ve known the director Zahari, for a few years now. My son originally went to her center when it was at her home. The new daycare is beautiful and the staff does a great job at keeping is clean (w/​o the dirty diaper smell that usally present.)
I have a few suggestions, but ultimately I do not feel that my child is in an unsafe environment. I think with time and experience the center could be wonderful once the logistics are figured out. Overall, I would highly suggest this center. I drive nearly 30 minutes out of my way just to take my son because there are few daycares on the north side that are up to par.