Daycare in or Around Lincoln Square

We have enrolled our son at Irving Park Early Learning Center (IPELC) (on Montrose, just west of Sacramento). We love the care he has received there. We started looking when I was 7 mo pregnant, not realizing what the wait lists would be like and were very discouraged. I know that IPELC also has a waitlist but I don't think it is as long as some of those others you listed. In addition, they are currently working on building out a space across the street and plan to open a new infant and toddler room sometime soon. My son started at IPELC when he was 3 months old and is now 8 months and loves it there. If you have any questions about it, feel free to email me at ____@____.com.

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Hi S.. I'm about 4 months along and also looking in this area--sadly, not much! We're doing the appointments in March to get onto waitlists (guessing we'll be on many of the same ones!) and here are some other places on our list:
Skokie--Cradles, Cribs and Crayons; Shining Star; Kindercare
nearer us--Hollywood Park, Lincoln Square Daycare
Evanstons--Childtime learning Center

Feel free to email me--we could keep each other posted! We're focusing on part-time care (which we're finding is not often available) three days a week for 6 weeks of age (depending on when I have to return to teaching days). I'm a college professor downtown and this is our first, also; I'd be happy to keep you update with what we find in terms of places and rates, etc. From what my friends tell me in Chicago, it's best to get on as many lists as you can--it's one of the worst cities in the country for infant care in terms of availability. (My Chicago friends with babies are sadly South Side, Far West, or stay-home moms.)

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HI S., like you I started looking at daycare around 5 mo. pregnant (in the Lincoln Square/Ravenswood area), and they were FULL, just like you said. We were forced to get a nanny. It is very expensive, but in the city, its just hard to get in to a child care center.

I would suggest looking for a nanny share, and don't worry, I think you could get one about a 1 or 2 months before you ready to head back to work.

Good luck.

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Hi,
My name is D. Grace, I am a mom of two beautiful children. A 2&1/2 year old daughter and an 8 week old son. I am a DePaul graduate with an early childhood development degree and a music background. I was a nanny for five years in Chicago for two wonderful families. I have many references and I worked for the nanny agency Teacher Care. I have a very spacious condo in Albany Park. I write lesson plans for all my families, plus monthly reports on the delvelopment of each individual child. I would like to make my home like a daycare or school setting with only one or two children. All of the daycare places that you listed are amazing, but I can offer more one-on-one care for your child. I have a vast amount of experience with infants. I love doing art projects, dance and music with children. If you are still wait-listed and are interested please feel free to give me a call.
My number is ###-###-####. I can fax or mail you my resume with references. Thanks, D.

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