The Goddard School of Chicago (Roscoe Village), Chicago | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

We registered our son a year in advance. They require a deposit, a few hundred dollars, and first month’s tuition, a few thousand dollars. Many daycares only required a deposit. In other words, you’ve got to pay thousands of dollars upfront for Goddard Roscoe Village, instead of hundreds of dollars as with other daycares.

Still, we really liked the daycare, and I felt at ease with the Director who showed me around and answered all of my questions. It seemed like everyone was on top of things, and everything was very organized. We made a plan to check back in after our baby was born.

When I scheduled a second tour, almost a year later, I learned the Director was leaving. Looking at the website later, I learned that the entire administration was leaving. For a while, no director and no assistant directors were listed on the website. I can’t remember distinctly, but it seemed as if other teachers had left as well.

When I arrived for the second tour, everything seemed disorganized. I got the impression that they didn’t know I was scheduled for a tour that day. I got an email later, indicating that they expected me to come for a tour on a different day. The office manager walked me around in any case. In the first infant room, I noticed a teacher rolling a crib on wheels back and forth too intensely. The baby in the crib was crying, and the rolling just seemed to make things worse. In the second infant room, the teachers were sitting in the rocking chairs hanging out, while a couple of babies sat by themselves. The office manager looked a little uneasy and said that one of the teachers must be on their break and visiting the other teacher.

In the end, we decided not to send our son to this daycare. We didn’t feel comfortable with the current teachers, and we didn’t know anything about the new administrators. From what we can tell from the website, it seems like there was no administration for a while. The daycare felt disorganized, and we were worried about what I had seen during my tour. We feel like we’ve dodged a bullet, and for prospective families, we recommend touring multiple times.

Also, it’s worth noting that plenty of daycares do not require thousands of dollars upfront. A daycare can change drastically between when you put down the deposit and when your child starts attending. It’s not worth risking thousands of dollars.

If I could give more stars, I would. The staff here has been incredibly supportive from day 1. I enrolled my son as an infant and he’s now in the pre toddler room. As a resident physician who works 60+ hours a week (and my husband the same) we needed a facility with flexible hours. My schedule is highly variable and they have always been supportive of us dropping my son off and picking up at varying times depending on our schedule. He’s formed an attachment to his caregivers and seems genuinely happy when he gets dropped off. Communication is fantastic as well. Everyone knows my name from the owner to all of the classroom assistants. When I had a small issue, they responded promptly with a fix for it. It’s re assuring to know that my son is in good hands and being cared for well so I can focus while at work. I wholeheartedly recommend this facility and its staff to anyone looking for quality childcare.

As new parents preparing to enroll our son to daycare, we believe The Goddard School was the best fit! After visiting so many different daycares in the midst of the Covid-19 (some where frightening) we noticed a huge difference in the cleanliness, the curriculum, and the staff! We immediately felt a sense of belonging, the attentive care, and a sign of relief. Our son has developed at a fast growing pace in the last 6 months & has shown tremendous improvement in social skills & learning how to express himself becoming more independent. The teachers are very passionate, communication is amazing & attend to the children with much care! The Goddard School is one of the best daycare services we have experienced & will recommend to any parent looking for a place of learning and comfort for their children. Thank you The Goddard School!