Irving Park Early Learning Center

We originally had our daughter in a different daycare center where we noticed she was not at all happy, her demeanor and personality gave signs. After giving it a little time to see if it was something attributed to adjusting or the school itself, we were convinced a change was definitely required. This is when we decided to look into IPELC.
After a rough start at a different facility, we were naturally apprehensive. She started in the toddler room with Ms. Carmen, where the collective efforts Ms. Bardha (Director) and Ms. Carmen (teacher) enabled our daughter to quickly settle in and participate with the other children. The transformation in her demeanor was instantly felt and observed. I cannot speak highly enough of Ms. Bardha and Ms. Carmen, as well as the rest of the staff. Needless to say, our anxieties were instantly calmed. Our little girl still comes home and talks about them, which is indicative of the care she’s had. My wife is an educator (early childhood teacher) and she has been utterly impressed with the facility and staff from the beginning.
You can see how much the the staff genuinely cares about the children in the way they provide nurturing and foster a great learning environment. Our daughter has tremendously benefited from their teaching philosophy, which incorporates play; it makes learning fun and exciting. From the beginning through her transition to the Pre-​K class with Ms. Eluvia, who like Ms. Bardha & Ms. Carmen is just great, our daughter has had an extremely amazing time attending IPELC.
Our daughter has gone from not wanting to be in school to fussing about leaving school. She would rather stay in school after spending an entire day there. Ultimately, this has been the biggest proof point for us. She’s happy to be there and always enjoys her time at IPELC.
To sum it up – If you are looking for a great place for your child to attend under the care of an amazing teaching staff — look no further; IPELC is an AWESOME place. Some of the factors that influenced our decision included parent reviews and the facilities. The classrooms are well kept and clean, and everything is well sanitized. The school also has it’s own private playground for the children to enjoy safely without having to go elsewhere. They provide bicycles, tricycles, play houses, slides, etc for the children to play together. The icing on the cake was ultimately the staff — only two words to describe them: «ABSOLUTELY AMAZING». I could go on and on raving about them.

I can’t say enough great things about IPELC. My 2 ½ year-​old daughter and 4-​month-​old son went here and absolutely loved it. We were only there for a short time because we moved to the suburbs and ended up selling our house much more quickly than we had expected. If we had continued to live in the city, we would have stayed here through preschool, without a doubt. The staff is incredibly loving and nurturing. When I dropped off the kids every day, it felt as though I was simply bringing them to a relative’s house. It’s a neighborhood (non-​franchised) daycare, so it has a very homey, personal feeling. They have an academic-​focused, creative curriculum and I can tell my kids really thrived in their program. They were so happy every day they were there and often, my daughter didn’t want to leave at the end of the day! When it came time for us to say goodbye when we moved, we were (and still are) heartbroken. We miss the teachers and staff so much. I highly, highly recommend this wonderful, caring environment for the kiddos.

My daughter has been going to IPELC since March 2011 and we’ve never looked back in terms of where we thought she would get the best childcare. She started in the infant room (with Ms. Ericka) at just 12 weeks old and the teachers made me feel so comfortable leaving her there with them. It’s hard leaving your baby in someone else’s care, but the teachers would also update me on her day and we would work together on any transitions going on (i.e. sleeping in crib, eating baby food, switching to a sippy cup, etc.). They ended up teaching me so much as a first time mom!
She has since been in the Toddler, Two’s, and now Pre-​K rooms and my experience in every single room has been nothing but wonderful! I fall in love with all of the teachers in the rooms and become so attached to them and get sad when it’s time to move rooms! My daughter LOVES going to school and has since the very beginning. IPELC has a philopshy of learning through play and I feel that my daughter has benefited so much from it. Each room has times set aside for circle time, art, free play, outdoor time, etc. Ms. Susan (Toddlers), Ms. Carmen (Two’s), and Ms. Eluvia (Pre-​K) are all AMAZING teachers who care so much about all of the children. My daughter has come home from school so many times excited to tell me about what she learned that day and it makes me feel that not only is she under great childcare but she is learning new things there everyday.
In terms of the center itself, each room is kept extremely clean and the staff takes it very seriously to ensure everything is santized appropriately. There is also a fenced in, rubber surfaced playground that the children LOVE! There are bikes, slides, play houses, etc. and they have such a great time out there. The director of IPELC (Ms. Bardha) is also very kind, greets everyone when they walk in the door, and is extremely easy to talk to. I feel comfortable asking her any questions or raising any concerns i have and know that she will be willing to help me out.
IPELC is a wonderful place to send your child. I am currently expecting another baby in a few weeks and am excited to have him start at IPELC and have the same wonderful experience has my daughter has:-)

We started our son here in July. We came from a large daycare/​preschool center, part of a very big chain, in Indianapolis. When we moved to Chicago, with all that change, I expected it to be difficult on my 18 month old. He did have a couple weeks of adjustment, but as soon as he started at IPELC, he just blossomed. I can’t say enough about the teachers in the toddler room, especially Miss Susan, and it was clear as day the attachment my son developed immediately to her, and all of his teachers. The center has been very communicative, very good about helping with those lovely phases of biting and hitting that are the hallmark of that age, and really worked so much with him. His language development has been spectacular, I can tell how much they have worked with him and know that they definitely talk to the children all day long. There are structured activities, as well as free play time, allowing all the fine and gross motor skills to develop. They introduce textures and do tactile activities to expose the kids to science and different types of art, and allow the messiness that comes with all the great learning of little kids. The curriculum and plan for the weeks is very nice to have, and they even send pictures of the kids to your email. It’s adorable. We have really been very happy with the teachers, the center policies, the center director, everyone. Great experience!

Irving Park Early Learning Center has been such a blessing to my son! I love ths teachers and staff. They are all so helpful, caring, and kind people. I could’nt imagine my son at any other school. They helped with his transition to school, his learning, and growth. I dont know where I would be without the teachers and staff. I can’t say enough great things about Irving Park Early Learning Center

My wife and I enrolled our 3 month old son in the Irving Park Early Learning Center (IPELC) infant program after visiting several day cares on the north side of Chicago. One thing that made IPELC stand out was their perfect blend of caring for and stimulating the children in the program. Often we’d see programs that either did just one or the other or one too much more than the other. The program also had very strong leadership. As a graduate of an MBA program and with many years of management experience I’m a firm believer in strong leadership trickling down to others in an organization. The strong interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills my wife and I saw in IPELC’s leadership could be found throughout the center’s staff. Last, the program’s weekly tuition rate was slightly lower than many of the day care centers we visited. Given these day care centers were not as attractive to us as the IPELC — we feel we are getting a great value for the care and learning our son is receiving there. Our son seems to enjoy the program, we love interacting with the staff, and most important… I always feel comfortable when our son is away from us and at the program. My wife and I highly recommend getting a tour of IPELC.

My son has been attending Irving Park Early Learning Center since April 2011. He entered the program when he was 11 weeks old and started in the infant room. A few months ago, he moved up to the toddler room.
My son loves going to school. Every day — even when he hasn’t been having the best morning — he is happy when we get to the center, and he gets a huge smile on his face when he sees his teachers. When I arrive to pick him up, he is almost always having fun and enjoying himself.
Another thing that I like about the center is the fact that the lead teacher in my son’s room talks to me at drop-​off most mornings about what my son likes to do during the day, what they are working on with him, and how he is doing overall. I appreciate that she takes the time to do this, and that we are able to work on things — such as encouraging him to hold his own bottles or drink out of a sippy cup — as a team.
The final thing that I will mention is that I whenever I have had a question, an issue, or a request, it has been addressed. As a first time parent, there have been many times when I’ve been anxious about one thing or another — about illness, how my child is napping, etc. Whenever I have brought up an issue to the director or to the staff, it has been resolved to my satisfaction, and I appreciate this.

My husband and I had our child, an infant, enrolled in the day care program here but really should have kept looking for other options. I can’t speak for their toddler programs, so you’re on your own there.
We should have known something wasn’t right with this school when our child’s application and deposit payment for enrollment went missing. It should have tipped us off that they aren’t very organized at this day care facility.
At the time of our first tour of the facility, we were told by the director that she would like us to spend time with our child at the start of the day care program to get to know the teachers and help our child ease into the new surroundings. I made sure to clear my calendar for our first week of day care to spend time at the facility, but when I went in for our first day I ended up filling out a bunch of paperwork with my child in a tiny little office and being sent on our way. No orientation was given. No getting to know the teachers and the day to day operations of the infant classroom. Nothing.
They failed to properly interpret our child’s signs of being tired, hungry, bored, and/​or wet/​soiled. For example, we received bottles of untouched formula back when our child should have eaten everything we provided to them for the day. They didn’t pay attention to when we told them our child needed feedings or naps upon being dropped off in the morning. Almost every day for five weeks we would receive an extremely soiled outfit upon picking our child up from the facility. We were told our child cried too often throughout the day, and once I was even scolded for my child’s unhappiness by one of the teachers. We feel that our child’s temperament at the facility was brought upon by their own inability to properly interpret the needs of a child.
Our general feeling is that the teachers have good intentions, but are unable to care for an infant who requires more than a minimal amount of attention. It appeared to us that they tried to put all infants on the same schedule to make things run more smoothly in the classroom, when it actually created a more difficult situation for themselves and the children they cared for. We feel as though if they paid better attention to our child and our instructions, things would have been much more positive for all parties involved.
The director needs to improve upon the frequency of communication with parents about concerns she has with children enrolled in her school. One phone call is not enough.
After leaving this day care facility, we have placed our child in a new school where the quality of care goes above and beyond what we experienced at the Early Learning Center.

Avoid! Avoid! Avoid! We enrolled our three year old in this daycare. All is fine until you begin to raise concerns. The Director is the most unprofessional and rude person I’ve met. She outright tells you to leave and go elsewhere, instead of listening to parents’ concerns. She is rude to clients and teachers; her behavior is inappropriate, particularly when she’s in front of children. Some teachers have good intentions, but have no support! She wouldn’t even buy materials for the classrooms. Take your children elsewhere.