The Gardner School of Chicago – West Loop

My son came here when he was 2 about to be 3. He’s a pretty bright kid. An early reader and accelerated learner. On his first day a floating teacher in his classroom remarked that he was way beyond the classroom curriculum. This kind of surprised me since Gardner is touted as being academically rigorous (in my opinion, it really REALLY isn’t). Despite seeing that he was ahead, his teachers did nothing to address it. Then we got a note that my son was acting up in class. Seeing the obvious connection between my son’s lack of stimulation and his behavior, I pointed it out to his teacher. She suggested that he be moved up to the next class. I brought this to the administrator and she said he wasn’t potty trained enough, so he couldn’t move up. Okay, fine. I asked about alternatives. She suggested purchasing curriculum specifically for him and having a teacher work with him individually for a few minutes a day. The curriculum was provided and one of his teachers was totally on board. One day she sat with him while he breezed through half of a workbook. But his other teacher (the lead teacher) was not so cooperative. Day after day I picked my son up and noticed that no progress had been made in his workbook. Every time I asked the lead teacher about it she had a new excuse for why she didn’t get to it. This despite the fact that, on some days, he was waking up early from his nap and she had previously said that she would work with him during that time.
I could tell my son was not enjoying his experience. He began to show signs of anxiety. Not sleeping well, stalling on potty training progress and coming home cranky/​angry/​exhausted/​upset. I finally just asked his lead teacher if I should do some work with him at home (since she seemed to never be able to make the time to work with him.) She retorted condescendingly, «I don’t believe in home work for kids his age.»
At that point I was pretty much done. I pulled my son out of Gardner just 2 and a half months after enrolling him. The school didn’t even seem to care. When I told the administrator my son was leaving she replied with a one-​sentence email about their payment policy. No request for feedback. No care or concern.
I did not like our Gardner experience. I didn’t like that the kids have to wear uniforms (why do 2 and 3 year olds need to be in a stuffy uniform?) And the emphasis on good classroom behavior was a bit too much. Yes, I understand the need for kids to sit in a circle, listen closely, be quiet, etc… but at the same time they are kids. 2 and 3 year old kids. Let them live a little bit. There was a bit too much structure for my taste, even the «free play» was monitored by teachers which kind of defeats the purpose. Also there were way too many extra curricular options. Again, these are young kids. Why do they need all these options for clubs and «enrichment.» This was particularly annoying to me because they had all these extra fancy clubs, but couldn’t even give my son a little time in the actual classroom. Plus there was very little focus on life skills — potty training, putting clothes on and off. That kind of stuff is important for 3 year olds to master, and there was little to no enforcement/​support at the school.
My son is on the waiting list for Kids Work Too — the school we were previously at before we put him in Gardner. We only placed him in Gardner on a neighbor’s suggestion because it’s 5 minutes from our house and the Kids Work commute was getting to be alot. I didn’t realize how lucky I was to have my son in Kids Work until he did his stint at Gardner. And I can’t wait for him to get back there.

Love this school — just wish it was more affordable. I left my firm (and big paycheck) to start a business so I can’t afford this school… YET!

We love our school! We couldnt be more happy. The teachers are great — the activities for them are fantastic. Our LO is always happy to arrive and happy when we arrive to pick him up.

Sooo happy with this place. I have a 3 year old and a 5.5 year old here. They have learned so much and they absolutely love going to school in the morning. Every day they look forward to going they have made great friends and love the teachers. I couldn’t be happier.

We’ve only had our 17-​month-​old daughter here for 4 weeks, so it’s hard to make a judgement in that time frame. So far, I like how things are going.
The beginning was rough. Our daughter cried and didn’t want to go in her room for the first couple of weeks. The daily reports we were getting indicated that she was having some difficult mornings. I’ll admit I was getting concerned toward the end of the second week. By the third week, she turned the corner. Now, she runs into the classroom laughing when we drop her off. She’s so eager to get in there an get started.
The facility is big. The biggest daycare I’ve seen so far. It’s bright, clean. The hallways are wide. Just seems so open and inviting. Lots of space for stroller parking. Technology used to track who’s coming and going. Big screen to watch your kid remotely from the spacious lobby. Computers in the classrooms for older kids.
The teachers and staff seem capable and caring. Whatever they learned from the other facilities they’ve opened across the country is paying off here in choosing the right staff and running a professional operation.
They’re nowhere near capacity at this point. It will be interesting to see them develop as attendance grows. We gambled on another expensive, local daycare when it was less than a year old, American Kidz Academy, and that was a huge mistake. I’m keeping my eyes open here.
Yes, it’s expensive. That’s perhaps my only ding at this point. I’ll sacrifice and pay for the right learning environment for my kids. The other place couldn’t deliver the value. I’m hoping this place will prove to be money well spent.