Your Advise on Preschools

Hi! We live in Algonquin and my daughter started off the schoolyear at Childworks Preschool in LITH. It was horrible, we ended up changing schools midyear due to my daughter being abused daily by her teacher's grandson and the school doing nothing, including informing me when my duaghter had been hit so hard and so many times that bruises were left. This child hit, bit, kicked, pinched, etc. many of the children without any action or even a "stop it" from the teachers. Since my daughter left Childworks preschool, a violation was found by DCFS due to their lack of action.
Since Feb 1, my daughter has attended Purple Moose in Crystal Lake off of Mc Henry Ave. It is a wonderful school. I was very hestitant about the drive but it is well worth it. The teachers are awesome, the director is so warm and caring, the classrooms are small, they constantly have extra activites going on (field trips, St Paddy's presentation, Mother's Day celebration, etc), they encourage learning in everything and their students excell in kindergarden. Even an Easter egg for show and tell was used as a learning tool. I cannot say enough about how wonderful Purple Moose Preschool is. This week was my daughter's school conference, they give me a complete overview of your child's development. I also received a full school portfolio of my duaghter, including samples of her work (writing her name, grouping items), ideas of where the child should be developmentally, and photos of my duaghter during school and field trips. The things that made me realize I had made the right choice was that my daughter loves it! Check out the school, the director is very open to prespective parents and their children touring and visiting the school.

I love Algonquin Preschool. It is a private school but they are YMCA accredited and were NAEYC accredited for their curriculum. My daughter has attended for the past 2 years and my son will attend for the next 2. The teachers are great and not only are the kids learning basic skills they need to be ready for Kindergarten, they are also having fun and going on field trips to Hemmens theater or bowling or the pumpkin patch.

I researched the daylights out of preschools and this one fit our family. I am an Early Childhood Major and have looked into many day care centers and their programs for my schooling and this one is the most parent-oriented. You know what's happening form the beginning and the communication is top notch.

Hi Doreon,
My son attends Thunderbird Preschool:
http://www.thunderbirdpreschool.com
625 Rudat Court
Crystal Lake, IL 60014-7458
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They have been in business for 44 years and are located just off of McHenry Ave. I have worked as a Professional Nanny for 20 years and have seen a lot of preschools, so I am fairly picky. I had first heard about Thunderbird when I was working for a family in Crystal Lake and we were not happy with the preschool one of their sons was in at the time. He was switched to Thunderbird on recommendations from friends and neighbors. I feel in love with it. I was thrilled that we now have the opportunity to send our own son there and he has loved his first year there and will be returning for his senior year in the fall.

I have also heard good things about Purple Moose and Barlina House, both are in Crystal Lake. The family I currently work for have just enrolled their children at Purple Moose for summer camp and this next school year. They had been attending Crystal Lake Montessori, and we were not really excited about that school, especially for the cost.
Just a fair warning, the better preschools tend to fill up fast and already have waiting lists at this point. Good Luck with your search for the right school. I know it's an important step!
Sincerely, D.

Sonshine Christian Preschool is the best!! It is held at St. Peters Lutheran Church. It is located on Galligan Road near Gilberts in Dundee. Very close to some parts of Algonquin. Many of the children are from Huntley, Algonquin, and Gilberts.
I love the school because they teach D300 and D158 readiness so your child will be ready for kindergarten where ever she'll be going. The teachers are fantastic. Very patient, L., and compassionate with excellent communication. My son attended 4 y/o preschool and has consistantly tested in upper 1/4 of his kindergarten class all year. My daughter is currently in 3 y/o and will go there for 4 y/o in the fall. The school is also very resonable as far as tuition and class size.
Let me know if you have any further questions.