Wicker Park Kid'z Learning Center - Chicago, Illinois

Eileen L.

A very well-run family-owned daycare that provides the comforting "family" aspect that the larger, sterile-feeling daycare centers did not provide use when we were touring daycares. After touring daycares, the workers at this center also seemed the happiest, even after a full day of providing childcare--this still holds true to this day, where the workers are happy to see my child at drop off and excited to tell me about my child's day at pickup. I feel they truly take care of our child as one of their own, rather than merely as a student in a classroom.

We started sending our child here when she was just shy of 4 months, and she is now almost 1 year old. During drop offs she throws herself into the arms of the teachers, and during pick up she sometimes doesn't want to leave the teachers' arms when they hand her off to me. WPK made the transition from maternity leave to daycare very smooth and was flexible in starting daycare part time and then working our way to full time. Before WPK, our child did not have a set bottle/nap schedule, but WPK helped us solidify a schedule within 1-2 weeks, which made my life so much easier and predictable. They were also invaluably helpful in teaching our child how to start solids, and served as a wealth of wisdom for all our first time parent concerns. The smaller size of the daycare also means that all kids of different ages get to know each other, which I found beneficial in getting our child exposed to children in different age groups.

I don't have other daycares to compare WPK to, but feel their activities with the kids are great in terms of social and personal development. Our child is hitting her milestones (siting, crawling, walking, etc) early and I have no doubt it is due to WPK.

In terms of any serious widespread daycare diseases, WPK does a good job notifying the parents and quarantining/sending any infected children home asap. This has only occurred 2 times during the 9 months we have been there (our child caught it once).

They may not be the best at updating the parent app to tell you what time(s) the child sleeps/eats, but I don't consider that to be important, since I'd rather the caregivers prioritize their time focused on the kids versus updating the app. They also always let us know at pickup if our child's was off-schedule for the day.

Highly recommend WPK if they have availability for your child, they are truly a neighborhood gem!

Archana S.

We have had a toddler at WPK for the last 6 months and the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. From supporting us through potty training, the quick responses to texts, how flexible they are, the over the top holiday celebrations, and most importantly how much kindness and love they show our kiddo - I couldn’t be more grateful to have found WPK. The only minor drawback is that they follow the cps holiday schedule which can be a little hard to navigate with finding backup care, but all daycares have closures. 10/10 would recommend.

Isabelle V.

Our now 19mo toddler has been attending since 3mo part time then full time from 9 months. We only have great things to say about Wicker Park Kid’z Learning Center.
We love the smaller size daycare and kids from all ages get to interact and learn from each other even if they are also separated for other activities.
Ms Mandy, Ms Arely, Ms Daisy, Ms Angie and Ms Adriana are the best with our toddler. They are very attentive, generous, kind and were flexible with me bringing breastmilk.
Our toddler is thriving and loves it here so much he runs to the daycare entrance everyday. He even has best friends at 19mo!
Most of the families are local so we often come across them and their kids at the park or the market.

Jennifer A.

Our two daughters have both gone to WPK since they were 3 months old (now 19m and 3y). Simply put, Mandy runs a fabulous daycare. We have developed personal relationship with with all the ladies that take care of our kiddos and get daily updates from them at pickup. They handle the littles with tenderness and care and teach the older kiddos as well as any preK. We have never had a moment of worry or hesitation leaving our little ladies with WPK. Can't recommend them enough 🙂

Jennifer J.

We initially chose WPK for our daughter due because it was a block away from our apartment and a reasonable price, but soon learned that we had made the best choice in the neighborhood for our daughter's care.

Mandy, Daisy, Arely, Emily, Gaby, and and all of the ladies in the older kid rooms have always treated our daughter with great tenderness and patience. They regale us with stories of all that she learns each day and are proud of her accomplishments. Mandy also helps give us guidance for dealing with her problem behaviors (tantrums, biting), which is really nice because we are new parents. It is apparent that they not only love our daughter, but they care for our entire family as if we were their own.

The quality of the education is similarly top notch. Our 22 month old knows all her colors and shapes, can recite the ABCs and count to 10, and sings an array of songs (itsy bitsy spider, rain rain go away, etc). The kids in the infant room go for walks to Eckhart Park when it is nice out, read books together, paint, and have opportunities for free play.

WPK uses the KidReports app and provides updates throughout the day on bottles, food, diapers, activities, with photos and videos. Mandy also responds promptly by text or phone, even after hours.

Mandy has instituted all of the covid-related public health measures required by the City and state with fidelity. There have been no outbreaks of covid at WPK and our daughter has brought home very few colds/coughs, no doubt due to all their dedication to regular cleaning and disinfection of the center.

I can't say enough about WPK, other than the proof is in the pudding. Even though we have left the area and moved up to Avondale, we will continue to drive to/from WPK and enroll our second daughter there once my maternity leave is done.

Maureen D.

We can't say enough good things about WPK. Our daughter (now 2.5) loves going to school, doing her "projects" and says all the teachers are her friends. We love the easy communication and the teachers are all so enthusiastic. They try to sprinkle in fun things whenever they can which is more complicated now in the post-covid world and is much appreciated. We are sending our second daughter there in a few weeks and know they will do a great job with the transition and working with us to settle in on her schedule.

Brittany F.

I cannot say enough good things about Ms. Mandy and the team here! We moved to the suburbs so we had to leave;( All the teachers are extremely kind and patient with the kids. My son loved going there (3 mo-2.5 years). They did tons of activities with the kids and did extra special things too, like buying gifts for birthdays and holidays-so unnecessary, but they truly love giving. They were also extremely flexible with schedule changes and very responsive with communication. We came from a large center and this smaller family run business is so much easier to work with and feels much more personal. They also decorate BIG for the holidays (a ton of work for them), but the kids love it. The prices were also better than the larger places, but I would have probably even paid MORE than the large center because the care was so great (and I'm picky).

Thank you all for the exhausting work you do caring for little ones during these important first years. We will miss you terribly!!

Caroline C.

Two thumbs up for Wicker Park Kid'z! They are loving and organized childcare professionals. My son blossomed quickly under their care, and they were respectful of our specific needs, including shifting part-time to full-time care and cloth diapering too. Miss Mandy and her team are simply the best.