Anyone sent their children to Elmhurst Academy or Wilson Montessori? (credit, school)

[Kimchimama]

Originally Posted by nikitakolata

I haven't, but I will now! I swear, I did about 10 different google searches for infant care in Elmhurst and for whatever reason Kensington didn't come up. Thanks!

Good, glad I could help...finally had to delurk to post! I found and searched these boards when we were moving to find daycares, and didn't see much. Not like in the city where you can look on NPN and get a ton of reviews and recs.

We liked the KinderCare a lot too but the facility is a bit dated and small. Price-wise, Kensington was comparable and much closer to our location.

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by Kimchimama

Good, glad I could help...finally had to delurk to post! I found and searched these boards when we were moving to find daycares, and didn't see much. Not like in the city where you can look on NPN and get a ton of reviews and recs.

We liked the KinderCare a lot too but the facility is a bit dated and small. Price-wise, Kensington was comparable and much closer to our location.

Good to know. I don't have a real beef with KinderCare, I just hate where they are located ;I really hate the intersection of 64 and 83. I try to avoid that intersection when I can, so volunteering to drive there twice a day sounds bad to me. If Kensington is about the same price, then that would seal it for me. Also, we could walk to Elmhurst Academy from our house, which definitely appeals to me. I don't need the car now for commuting and I guess I'm just not to eager to add it in if I don't need to.

Actually, I just now put together that my sister and brother in law toured the Kensington in St. Charles. They liked it a lot but found a less expensive option. But, given how much they liked it I think we'd probably like it too.

[Lookout Kid]

I've known people with kids at other Kensington School locations (I believe the original location is in La Grange... On Kensignton, of course), and have also heard good things. I do know that it will be a bit pricier than Kinder Care, though!

[holl1ngsworth]

Kensington School locations: Kensington School

[Kimchimama]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I've known people with kids at other Kensington School locations (I believe the original location is in La Grange... On Kensignton, of course), and have also heard good things. I do know that it will be a bit pricier than Kinder Care, though!

Yeah, we tried to get in at the Western Springs Kensington but the infant room was a year wait. And the LaGrange Kensington is 2-yr olds and older only. So that took LaGrange off the list for us, which sucked because we really liked LaGrange.

[bengx2]

Originally Posted by 3Series

More options...

Hire a nanny.

Quit your job and stay home and raise your child.

Have your husband quit and stay home.

Do a nanny share with a neighbor.

Ask family if they would help for payment.

3Series - I am a stay at home mom, your suggestions are not helpful. Just because I have a bachelors degree doesn't mean I'm capable of teaching my child at home. My degree is in finance not early education. How can I teach my child to handle social situations and to make friends if I have her at home with me? This is not about payment, it's about where I feel is best to send my child. Just because my husband and I can afford Avery Coonley's $20,000 tuition doesn't mean it's the best fit for my child... I'm looking for a good Kindergarten, not a nanny.

[bengx2]

Originally Posted by 3Series

Trust me, what you want and what your child wants to do are totally different. They WANT to go outside even if its 15 degrees. They have a much higher tolerance....

my daughter hasn't asked me to go outside this past winter ... don't pretend to know or even think that all children want the same thing. it was even too cold for her to open the door to let our dog outside. sorry ... maybe your kid would, but mine doesn't. 15 degrees is ridiculous. we went skiing in park city, utah and it was 30 degrees and she was fully bundled in ski gear and was saying it was cold ... so sorry.

[KEEKof4]

New or Old, big lot or small lot, busy st or quiet st... those are things that make a parent feel better but truly have no impact on the child.

You will know you have made the right choice in daycare after you start, that is when your child will tell/show you how they feel. My babies don't cry when I drop them off, they are not anxious to leave. They have fun and my oldest tells me how much she loves her teacher (she just turned 3).

The only questions I wished I asked before having started at my first daycare center are:
- do you serve breakfast (this is big, because all they served was a morning snack, I drop off early, she needed breakfast)
- what is your drop-off pick up time
- do you administer medicine with a Dr's note

[nikitakolata]

I figured I'd update this thread...

We ended up enrolling our daughter at Elmhurst Academy. She's been going for about 6 weeks now. So far, she really seems to like it. She gets a huge smile on her face when she sees her teacher and her friends each morning when I drop her off. I'm also very impressed with just how calm and peaceful the place feels. I find it impressive that they engage even infants in art activities and our daughter appears to love them (she is always very focused in on the projects in the pictures they take). I have no way of replicating that kind of stuff at home with her given her age and how messy the activities would be. So, I'm glad she can do that stuff there for now. Though, I admit, I cannot wait until she's old enough to do art projects at home.

Unfortunately, we could only get her in there for 3 days a week. So, we're also using a home-based daycare for the other two days. The home based place is just not the same. It's loud and chaotic and I can tell our daughter does not like it as much. Luckily, it is only temporary as she'll be at the Elmhurst Academy full time in the next "term."

The owner of the home daycare is extremely nice and I know she takes good care of our daughter when she's there, but she has kids of all ages in one room and not as much help so things are a little crazy. I will admit, when I first saw the cost difference between the home care and the academy I wondered if we were being crazy to use Elmhurst Academy (it's $1000/month less!). But, I guess I just don't feel as good when I drop her off there.

[nikitakolata]

So, I feel I need to update this thread again. As I previously posted, we decided to enroll our daughter at Elmhurst Academy. We though it was great, and it was great, until it wasn't.

After about a year and a half, I was told by several other parents with kids at EA to check our billing because they had been over charged. I finally checked, and lo and behold, we were charged for an extra month which was $1,854. Not a small amount of money. I reached out to EA and was not getting much response. After 5 emails and 2 voice mails I got a message that "our account had been credited." However, several days later there was still no credit on my credit card account. I decided I would just dispute the charge with my credit card company.

After I filed my dispute I sent an email to the owner, Colleen Odegaard. I told her what I knew, which was that every parent I had talked to has had a billing issue. Every single one. I said that this points to a systemic problem and her refusal to address it was at best unethical and possibly illegal. Well, she didn't take too kindly to that. (Although, in reality, I think she's much more upset that I was talking to other parents and they were catching on to her "accounting errors.")

At this point Mrs. Odegaard, requested a meeting with my husband and I. We went into the meeting expecting an apology and expecting to get on the same page with the billing issues. We wanted to be taken off of the automatic payment program. Instead, we were told that good parents would not continue to bring their child to a place they considered unethical. We tried to explain that neither of us thought the teachers were unethical and we had no problems with the teachers, other students or curriculum. But, Mrs. Odegaard said that they were one and the same and we could not separate the two. She also said that there are two rules about complaining at a school: 1. Don't complain or 2. You complain on your child's last day. She also implied that they would take out these issues on our daughter. She said "Whenever the staff look at your child..." and tapered off there, allowing us to draw our own conclusions, I guess.

Ultimately, Mrs. Odegaard refused to let us leave the meeting without un-enrolling our daughter at EA. This was not what we wanted because it left us with no child care. She promised us refunds, but so far nothing has materialized on that front.

To say we are disappointed is a huge understatement. We're furious that Mrs. Odegaard is able to get away with this because there are limited child care options in Elmhurst. This is especially true if your child is under 2. What she's doing is unfair on many levels.

So, if you must bring your children to EA, know that you will likely experience many "accounting errors." Know that you must be very careful in handling them if you want your child to stay enrolled there. Also, be aware that while Colleen Odegaard holds herself out to be an administrator or director of EA, she is in fact the owner. You cannot avoid her if you are enrolled at EA and by being enrolled there you are putting money directly into her pocket (probably more money than you intended, to boot).

So, after this experience, my advice is to stay away. Stay far, far away.