The Gardner School of Chicago - Bucktown Facebook Googlemaps

   221 Reviews
1612 W. North Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
773-661-0151
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Recent Reviews:


Chicago, IL
His first teachers, Ms Cassidy and Ms Raven, set the foundation. They were patient, warm, and made drop-offs feel safe from day one — Naseeb went from clinging to us at the door to running into the classroom without looking back. His current teachers, Ms Teresa and Mr Noah, have taken it from there and then some. He comes home every day with new words, new songs, new facts, and stories about his friends. Watching him become this social, self-assured little person has been amazing. Beyond the classroom, the whole team is exceptional. Executive Director Ms Megan runs a tight ship and clearly sets the tone for the entire building, and Ms Gloria at the front office (admin) is a constant friendly face who knows our kid by name and always makes him feel special. Everyone here treats the kids like their own. If you’re looking for a place where your child will be loved, challenged, and truly known, this is it. We can’t thank the Gardner team enough for helping Naseeb become exactly who he is
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Chicago, IL
So many things we appreciated at TGS: the cleanliness, the curriculum, the other kids. But ultimately, it all comes down to the teachers. Ms. Cassidy and Ms. Raven were like family. It felt more like dropping our daughter off at a relative's house every morning than a daycare.
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Chicago, IL
Our experience at the Gardner School of Bucktown was overwhelmingly positive. First, we felt it was a very safe and secure environment for our son from the time he entered as a 8-month old and left as a near 5-year old. Second, the staff, especially during ages 0-3, were exceptional. They communicated great, showed sincere care, and encouraged our son's development. We feel that his emotional and academic development while there has positioned him well for success after Gardner. The only things holding us back from a 10 are: - The in-room experience in his 4th year was not as good as previous years. It was a high bar to clear, but we felt that the room lacked the clear curriculum and direction we had experienced previously. - We felt that some of the activities that parents were asked to financially sponsor were, in short, a little ridiculous. An example we saw was a request to specific parents (not ourselves) in the class to supply 36 custom decorated cupcakes for a school-wide party. It felt like an abuse of the generosity of parents.
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Chicago, IL
Teachers and feeling of safety. Seems as though all the staff know my children by name.
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Chicago, IL
The Gardner School of Chicago Bucktown has been such a special place for our family. From the very beginning, we felt the warmth, professionalism, and genuine care of the incredible team behind the school. The teachers and staff are truly amazing, thoughtful, loving, attentive, and deeply committed to each child’s growth. Our son learned so much during his time there, not only academically, but also socially and emotionally. The program is beautifully designed, engaging, and full of meaningful activities that helped him become more curious, confident, and independent. What makes this school even more special is the community. The families, teachers, and leadership create such a welcoming environment, it truly feels like a gem in Chicago. We are so grateful for the love, support, and foundation The Gardner School gave our son. We will always remember this chapter with so much appreciation. Highly recommend!
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Chicago, IL
Ms. Victoria and Ms. Alexis's class has such rich programming! We've been so impressed with how Eliot has developed while in their room and impressed by how much he's been exposed to this year. Thank you for all you do!
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Chicago, IL
We love how the infant teachers, Shilvon, Jack and Mia are so dialed in with the newborn developmental milestones for Owen. They are truly invested in his success.
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Chicago, IL
Our experience with Gardner has been much better at Bucktown than at the previous location we were at. The teachers are wonderful, calm, knowledgeable, and warm. They have let our baby practice eating/feeding skills with solids which we appreciate the support with and have been great about communication. They post pictures every day which is very important to us. The communication in the app is positive and kind. They never seem annoyed or bothered which is important. It's really important to parents that we get a sense that our child is liked by the staff and I get that feeling at Bucktown. We like the administrators communication and engagement in the school community as well.
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Chicago, IL
Teachers are great!
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Chicago, IL
We are immensely appreciative of the level of care and education Daisy has received. And it’s obvious she’s loved the experienced, as well!
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Chicago, IL
The activities our child is doing in his classes is incredible. As a toddler and a 2-year-old, he's had such amazing teachers with creative ways to reinforce building of key skills.
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Chicago, IL
We love the structure and the care Gardner provides to our son. He is always happy when he comes home from school, racing about his teachers and classmates. TGS teaches our child with new learnings and explores art and imagination, we only wish they had more outdoor time but understand the complexity that goes with it.
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Chicago, IL
Everyone is so friendly and most importantly, our 3 yr old loves his school.
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Chicago, IL
The responsiveness of the staff and I love the use of the app so I can see what my child is doing everyday
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Chicago, IL
Fantastic teachers, very well run school and beautiful facility / classrooms. We have loved our experience at Gardner so far and are looking forward to many more happy years there.
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Chicago, IL
Security, friendly staff, curriculum, and bright wheel updates although those are not always consistent it’s amazing to see pictures
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Chicago, IL
My son learns so much from the teachers and other kids in his class. There's a good balance of organized learning and open play time.
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Chicago, IL
Wonderful, caring teachers; helpful front-desk / admin staff; lots of enrichment activities for my son (infant, then toddler room) - he is learning sign language, learning how to clean up, use utensils, socialize, all incredibly valuable for our family.
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Chicago, IL
We've had some really exceptional teachers that go above and beyond to nurture our child. We have been at the school for over 3 years, our daughter has thrived. She loves going to school and has made some great friends. The Parent / Teacher conferences are very helpful in understanding the developmental goals for the class and where our child falls. We have been very happy with her progress.
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Chicago, IL
Excellent teachers who love our kids, low turnover from staff, and we have witnessed incredible growth from our kids.
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