
Compare 766 daycare centers in Chicago. Average rating: 4.3/5 stars. See top 10 ranked daycares, compare by type, and find the right childcare for your family.
Chicago has 766 licensed daycares with 6,073 parent reviews averaging 4.3/5.297 are top-rated with 4.5+ stars — 51% of rated programs, well above average.The highest-rated options cluster around 60642 (avg 4.88 stars), while 60618 has the largest selection (27 programs).Start with our top-10 ranked list below or filter by philosophy.
Ranked using a weighted score that combines Google rating with the number of parent reviews — daycares with more reviews rank higher than those with a high rating but few reviews. Last updated: March 2026.
1001 N Milwaukee Ave, Ste C100, Chicago, IL · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 17 children
Caterpillar Care Corporation receives unanimous 5-star ratings from parents who praise the attentive, compassionate staff and engaging curriculum. Parents consistently highlight excellent daily communication through the Brightwheel app with frequent photo updates, and note their children showed enthusiasm for attending and made strong developmental progress. Families express deep gratitude for the quality care and peace of mind the center provided.
2335 North Orchard, Chicago, IL · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 60 children
Park West Cooperative Nursery School is a highly regarded play-based preschool in Chicago's Lincoln Park area with a strong cooperative community model where parents are actively involved. Parents consistently praise the experienced, compassionate teachers who prioritize individualized child development, meaningful relationships, and social-emotional learning. Children are reported to thrive academically and socially, with strong preparation for kindergarten.
5752 S Pulaski Rd, # 54, Chicago, IL · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 50 children
The Little Scholars Club receives perfect 5-star ratings from all parents, who praise the nurturing environment, dedicated staff (particularly the three Herrera sisters), and significant child development across academic, social, and emotional areas. Parents consistently highlight excellent communication via daily app updates, a warm family-like atmosphere, and teachers who go above and beyond. Multiple long-term families credit the center with providing strong foundational s
6203 W Montrose Ave, # 05, Chicago, IL · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 42 children
Promiseland Learning Center receives perfect 5/5 ratings across all reviews. Parents consistently praise the center for strong academic instruction, emotional development support, clean facilities, and dedicated staff led by director Astrid. Children show significant growth in academics, social skills, and language development.
4809 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 47 children
Concordia Day in Chicago receives universal 5-star reviews from parents who praise the caring staff, strong communication, and developmental support across all age groups from infants through preschool. Parents consistently highlight the welcoming community atmosphere, individualized attention to children, and the school's mission-driven approach to early childhood education.
1701 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 13 children
Caterpillar Care Corporation receives consistently excellent reviews from parents across its Chicago locations. Parents praise the nurturing environment, strong communication, quality staff, and age-appropriate curriculum that supports children's development and excitement about attending.
3250 West Foster Avenue, Chicago, IL · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 63 children
Luna Park Nursery School & Kindergarten in Chicago receives unanimous 5-star ratings from parents who praise the caring, knowledgeable staff and play-based, low-tech curriculum. Parents consistently highlight strong teacher-child relationships, responsive communication, affordability, and a welcoming community atmosphere. Children show enthusiasm for attending and demonstrate developmental progress across all age groups from infants to preschool.
5250 North Christiana Avenue, Chicago, IL · Church Daycare · Capacity: 20 children
Parents consistently praise North Park Church Preschool for its warm, play-based learning environment and exceptionally caring teachers, particularly Ms. Lyndsey and Ms. Jen. Children reportedly thrive socially, emotionally, and academically while enjoying creative activities, outdoor play, and a welcoming community. The facility offers affordable part-time programming in a bright, well-equipped classroom space within a church building.
1436 W Randolph St, Ste 100, Chicago, IL · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 62 children
Green Beginnings LLC is a highly-regarded center-based daycare in Chicago's West Loop with perfect 5-star ratings across all reviews. Parents consistently praise the warm, inviting environment, caring and attentive teachers, and engaged owners (Katie and Krissy) who are actively involved in daily operations. Children reportedly thrive academically and emotionally, with parents noting significant developmental growth and strong emotional connections to the facility.
3811 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 49 children
Kidz Creative Corner receives unanimous 5-star reviews from parents who praise the warm, nurturing environment and dedicated staff. Parents consistently report their children are happy, engaged, and excited to attend, with strong communication from teachers about development and progress. The center is noted for providing quality early education with age-appropriate activities across infant through pre-K classrooms.
Based on 584 daycares with Google ratings in Chicago
Top qualities mentioned across 6,073 reviews, analyzed by AI
Average ratings by facility type in Chicago, based on parent reviews
Chicago zip codes ranked by average daycare rating
| Zip Code | Daycares | Avg. Rating | Top Rated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60642 | 7 | 4.88 | 5 | |
| 60625 | 16 | 4.8 | 10 | |
| 60618 | 27 | 4.7 | 14 | |
| 60610 | 9 | 4.69 | 5 | |
| 60707 | 5 | 4.64 | 4 | |
| 60646 | 8 | 4.62 | 4 | |
| 60614 | 22 | 4.62 | 8 | |
| 60630 | 6 | 4.6 | 4 | |
| 60623 | 12 | 4.59 | 7 | |
| 60631 | 7 | 4.58 | 4 |
Capacity distribution of daycares in Chicago (10–503 children)
Small
up to 30 children
110
Medium
31–75 children
393
Large
76–150 children
202
Very Large
150+ children
61
Highest rated daycares in Chicago based on parent reviews
1001 N Milwaukee Ave, Ste C100, Chicago, IL
Caterpillar Care Corporation receives unanimous 5-star ratings from parents who praise the attentive, compassionate staff and engaging curriculum. Parents consistently highlight excellent daily communication through the Brightwheel app with frequent photo updates, and note their children showed enthusiasm for attending and made strong developmental progress. Families express deep gratitude for the quality care and peace of mind the center provided.
2335 North Orchard, Chicago, IL
Park West Cooperative Nursery School is a highly regarded play-based preschool in Chicago's Lincoln Park area with a strong cooperative community model where parents are actively involved. Parents consistently praise the experienced, compassionate teachers who prioritize individualized child development, meaningful relationships, and social-emotional learning. Children are reported to thrive academically and socially, with strong preparation for kindergarten.
5752 S Pulaski Rd, # 54, Chicago, IL
The Little Scholars Club receives perfect 5-star ratings from all parents, who praise the nurturing environment, dedicated staff (particularly the three Herrera sisters), and significant child development across academic, social, and emotional areas. Parents consistently highlight excellent communication via daily app updates, a warm family-like atmosphere, and teachers who go above and beyond. Multiple long-term families credit the center with providing strong foundational s
6203 W Montrose Ave, # 05, Chicago, IL
Promiseland Learning Center receives perfect 5/5 ratings across all reviews. Parents consistently praise the center for strong academic instruction, emotional development support, clean facilities, and dedicated staff led by director Astrid. Children show significant growth in academics, social skills, and language development.
4809 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL
Concordia Day in Chicago receives universal 5-star reviews from parents who praise the caring staff, strong communication, and developmental support across all age groups from infants through preschool. Parents consistently highlight the welcoming community atmosphere, individualized attention to children, and the school's mission-driven approach to early childhood education.
1701 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL
Caterpillar Care Corporation receives consistently excellent reviews from parents across its Chicago locations. Parents praise the nurturing environment, strong communication, quality staff, and age-appropriate curriculum that supports children's development and excitement about attending.
Navigating childcare options in Chicago involves exploring a diverse landscape of 766 facilities, ranging from large centers to intimate home-based care. Parents consistently highlight clean environments, safe settings, and attentive staff as the primary reasons for their satisfaction. For those seeking highly-rated options, the 60642 zip code stands out as a neighborhood with exceptional performance across its seven local facilities.
Based on Google reviews, daycares in Chicago have an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 across 584 rated facilities, with 51% scoring 4.5 stars or higher. Church Daycare facilities lead with an average of 4.7 stars. Our analysis covers 6,073 parent reviews. Parents in Chicago most frequently praise daycares for clean facility, safe environment, and caring and attentive staff.
When choosing a daycare in Chicago, consider visiting facilities in person, checking their licensing status, and asking about staff-to-child ratios, daily routines, and safety policies.
Showing 766 results
Creative Little Ones Academy receives highly polarized reviews, with strong praise from satisfied families who report caring staff and positive experiences, but serious concerns from other parents about staff conduct, inadequate supervision, hygiene issues, and poor communication.
Suite Little Feet School receives mixed reviews with strong praise from satisfied parents but serious concerns from others. Positive reviewers highlight the cleanliness, professionalism of director Mr. Parker and staff, and children's development and happiness. However, negative reviews report safety issues including physical incidents with children, inadequate supervision, unexplained billing practices, and concerns about staff professionalism.
One parent reports a highly negative experience involving alleged neglect, including significant weight loss and trauma, while another offers a brief positive comment. The feedback presents a stark contrast between a single satisfied customer and one who describes the facility as abusive and unsafe.
One parent describes the center as feeling like family, highlighting genuine care from teachers and strong communication regarding child safety and well-being. The reviewer notes that their children made educational progress and valued the center so highly that they traveled long distances to keep them enrolled despite moving away.
Feedback for Golden Gate Day Care Center is mixed, with one parent highlighting the small size and excellent staff, while another alleges severe physical abuse and lack of patience among the staff. The contrasting experiences range from praise for great programming to serious accusations of violence against children.
Feedback for Allison's Infant & Toddler Center is sharply divided, with one parent expressing satisfaction with their child's development, while others describe a toxic and unsafe environment characterized by staff misconduct and poor management. Serious allegations include physical aggression toward children, lack of communication regarding injuries, and unsanitary conditions such as a rat infestation.
One parent reports that the center closes an hour early, citing daylight savings time, while still charging late fees to parents who cannot leave work early. The reviewer describes this scheduling practice as ridiculous and inconsistent with the posted operating hours.
One parent highlights the center's long-term stability and attentive care, noting that staff members have remained consistent over many years. Conversely, another parent reports severe issues, including physical discipline, hostile staff behavior, invasive questioning of families, and refusal to provide refunds.
One parent describes the teachers as extremely kind and notes that their child has learned a lot since attending. No negative aspects are mentioned in this single review.
Lordanchild Christian Day Care receives mixed reviews. Satisfied parents praise the owner's caring nature, trustworthiness, and comfortable environment, with some families having attended for 5+ years. However, a few reviewers reported negative experiences and poor impressions without providing specific details.
One parent shares a positive childhood memory, but several recent reviews report serious concerns including alleged abuse, staff rudeness, and inadequate resources. These complaints highlight issues with communication, financial disputes, and insufficient food, art supplies, and bedding.
Parents consistently praise Reach For The Stars as an excellent daycare with caring, attentive staff and strong educational programming. The new regional director, Mr. DJ, is specifically highlighted as a positive change who has improved the facility and earned appreciation from both children and parents. Multiple parents report long-term enrollment and high satisfaction with their children's development and care.
Los Pequeños Angelitos receives mixed reviews with strong praise from satisfied long-term parents but serious concerns from others. Positive reviewers highlight caring teachers, bilingual education, clean facilities, and individualized learning support. However, negative reviews raise significant concerns about frequent requests for money, inadequate facility maintenance, and a serious allegation involving corporal punishment and a Department of Children investigation.
The Love Learning Center has received mixed reviews with significant concerns raised by multiple reviewers. While some parents praise friendly teachers and report their children enjoy attending, numerous reviews cite poor cleanliness, unprofessional and harsh behavior from owner Dr. Love, staff discipline issues including spanking, and concerns about state licensing compliance. The facility recently changed ownership and is no longer affiliated with The Love Center.
Precious Little One's Learning Center receives mixed reviews. Parents praise the educational quality, caring staff, and safe environment, with children showing consistent developmental progress. However, the center faces criticism for administrative disorganization, potential staffing shortages, and concerning enrollment practices.
Foresight Children Learning Center has highly polarized reviews with stark contrasts between positive and negative experiences. While some parents praised the caring staff and quick adaptation for their children, numerous reviews from both parents and former employees describe serious issues including poor communication, safety concerns, inconsistent management practices, and minimal educational focus. The facility appears to have significant operational and leadership problems that outweigh the positive experiences reported by a small number of families.
Learn & Grow Childcare receives mixed reviews with significant concerns outweighing positive feedback. While some parents praise the caring staff, developmental support, and COVID safety protocols, multiple reviews report overly strict illness policies, frequent send-homes with full payment required, safety concerns including injuries and lice infestations, and unprofessional staff communication.
This Chicago-based center offers childcare alongside broader community services including tutoring, employment assistance, and immigration support. Most reviews are highly positive, praising multilingual staff, quality food, and a welcoming environment for low-income and immigrant families. However, a few negative reviews cite staff conduct concerns and poor communication/responsiveness.
New Age Children's Preparatory Academy has highly polarized reviews. Positive reviewers praise the staff's personal attention and child safety. However, multiple recent reviews express serious concerns about a 5-month-old baby being injured at the facility, alleged lack of supervision, and claims that staff misrepresented or concealed details about the incident.
One parent reports a positive, issue-free six-year experience, while three others describe severe neglect, including unattended children, unsanitary conditions, and expired food. These critical accounts allege inadequate supervision, poor facility maintenance, and unprofessional management practices.
VIREVA Nursery School has highly polarized reviews. Some parents praise caring teachers, 24-hour service, multilingual instruction, and safe environments. However, multiple parents report serious concerns including alleged physical aggression toward children, unprofessional staff behavior, questionable billing practices and collection agency actions, and inadequate infant care.
Feedback is mixed, with some parents appreciating affordable pricing and flexible drop-off services, while others report severe safety concerns and abusive behavior by staff. One reviewer alleges the director hit a child with a stick and threatened violence, alongside claims of rude, unprofessional teachers who neglect supervision. Other positive notes highlight accommodation for working mothers and a generally friendly environment, contrasting sharply with the extreme allegations of danger and misconduct.
One parent reports that their nephew was mistreated on two separate occasions, citing a lack of professionalism and inadequate care standards. The reviewer emphasizes that the facility should improve how they handle the children's well-being.
Little Harvard Academy has highly polarized reviews with ratings ranging from 1 to 5 stars. Two parents praised the facility as a great place with caring staff, while five parents reported serious concerns about professionalism, staff conduct, facility conditions, and management.
Peace Infants & Toddler Center receives highly polarized reviews. Two parents praise the nurturing, educational environment and caring staff. However, five parents report serious concerns about the owner's unprofessional and controlling management style, including withholding medical records and food from infants, micromanaging families, and dismissing parental concerns.
One parent reports the owner is unprofessional and disorganized, citing confusing charges for photos and a lack of basic business standards. Another account alleges severe abuse, including yelling, hitting, and inappropriate touching by staff, while a third describes unsanitary conditions and a lack of communication regarding a child's health and diet.
One parent reports that the center successfully fosters independence, social skills, and early academic milestones through dedicated staff and close parent communication. However, other reviewers allege severe safety failures, including unmonitored children, serious physical injuries left untreated, and viral reports of child harm.
One parent highlights the center's success in fostering independence and academic skills like writing, while two other reviews allege severe safety failures, including unaddressed physical injuries and viral reports of child harm.
Page 19 of 26· 766 results