We are moving to Crystal Lake in May and I need to find a great preschool for my daughter to start in the fall. She will be 4. Any suggestsions would be extremely helpful. Thank you!
Thank you everyone!! I found that many schools were on spring break last week, but I am going to set up meetings with a few of them! My oldest will be going to Indian Prairie and I will need a preschool that is pretty close to there so that I can get them both there on time!
Thanks again for all of the help!
I would strongly suggest the Barlina House in Crystal Lake. It is part of the park district. My son has been going there since July and he loves it. The teachers are excellent! My son loves it and has learned a great deal. And the prices are very reasonable. Hope this helps.
C.
My daughter attends Learning Tree Preschool on Woodstock street and loves it. I recommend you sit in on classes at each school you are thinking about and see which one feels best to you.
I believe there is a real good montessori preschool in Crystal Lake. We live in Algonquin and are in d158 and go to Huntley Park Ditstrict Preschool. You will love this area it is all about families out here! Welcome!!!
Little Ark, through Immuanuel Lutheran school. The two teachers have been working together for years and years, get along great, very stable preschool, very loving towards the children and they seem to genuinely love their jobs. Another great one is through the YMCA. My daughter went to that one and it was a great experience. Again, the teachers work very well together, they have a swim lesson weekly which is nice, and a nice program for learning the phonics in which they give the familes a musical CD which is to played at home and at school and is fun. They also have sessions for the parents to ensure continuity. You can't lose with either of these great schools. Welcome to Crystal Lake. It is a great place to raise kids. We moved here six years ago and are very happy! H.
Hi S.,
I am part of a great moms group in the area called Mom-2-Mom. I have used Light of Christ preschool in Algonquin and loved it as have at least 4 other moms in the group. Another school I have heard good reviews from some of our members is Purple Moose in CL. Your best bet is to visit a couple of schools and go with your gut feeling. If you would like information on our group, check us out at mom2momclub.com.
Have a great day!
C.
We loved Barlina Preschool, all 3 of mine went there. They are affiliated with the CL Park District. The staff, the program, and the policies are great. Every staff member knew my kids' names, even if they weren't our teacher. Parents are welcome to come in and observe or help out any time. They are very welcoming and my kids were always anxious to go each day.
Although it's not the only reasons to pick a school, I found the proximity to your house very important. When your oldest child is at elementary school, you will be doing lots of running around, and having the different schools close by is a life saver. (Last year mine were at 3 different schools).
I think all the schools in town are very good. I've never heard anything really bad about any of them. You are fortunate to be coming to a great town full of young families like yours. I hope you love it here. I don't think you'll go wrong with any school you choose.
This question was asked a while back, maybe you could search this site and get some more input. Good luck.
I had my 6yr old attend Prince of Peace - My Father's World Preschool last year and she loved it. I currently have my 2 yr old in their new 2yr old program. They just were accredited and are only one of four Preschools that are accreditted in the area. I do attend church there as well, but aside from that the preschool is awesome. Mrs. Grimm is great she is the preschool director their number is
932 McHenry Avenue, Crystal Lake, IL, 60014
###-###-####
Contact Carol Grimm
http://www.prince-of-peace.org/MFW/index.htm
My son went to Purple Moose for a few months and we liked it there. Small classes, lots of individual attention...there was an aide there specifically to help my son because of his delays. The director is very approachable and the kids have a great time.
Now he is in the early childhood program through the school district for some developmental delays and it is phenomenal. If you think your child may have any kind of delay, I would for sure call the school district and ask about their preschool screening dates. If they find that they are behind where they "should" be for their age they may qualify.
I have also heard good things about Thunderbird. Initially when I was looking into preschools in the area myself the big "buzz" is about the park district preschool but I talked with someone on here and found out that they aren't quite as good as they are cracked up to be. I think there are older threads on here on the same subject.
Hi S.
My daughter goes to MCC-McHenry County College. There are 3, 4, and 5 yr old programs there. This year she is 3 and goes on Tues/Thurs. from 9-12. Next year she will be in the 4 yr. program. So she will go M-W-F from 9-12. It is way more affordable than the other schools around and they provide snack. They also either go outside everyday or go to the gym. A lot of other schools do not have gyms. The teachers are great. The school is locked and you get a code to enter and exit. There is usually 4 teachers in each classroom. Go and observe you will love it!
I would suggest The Learning Tree. I know the owners are great people, & the teachers have been fantstic! My girls have attended the Elgin east & west locations, both great! My eldest step daughter is now 14, my middle daughter is 9 & will go back for summer camp & my youngest, 2, attends full-time. Their commitment to have happy & confident kids really shows. They create an excellent basic learning foundation kids require to learn for the rest of their lives. Hope this helps & good luck!
