Peoria Avenue Preschool

What an absolute horror show this place is. Last time I went there, 2 days after another kids school got shot up, they had their front door wode open and no one to be found for over 10 minutes. I ended up showing myself to the back to get my kids because I was tired of waiting. On top of this, they had maybe 60 kids in one room???? Ranging from age 3 to like 10???? And the two teachers in there were doing nothing. Also with the wide open door; and no one at the front, coupled with the state of health the two teachers were in, someone could literally walk in, grab a kid and walk out with zero percent chance of being stopped. Me and my wife immediately contacted the state and applied to a new daycare. This place should be shut down.

I switched to Peoria Avenue Preschool when my son was a just over a year old. At his previous daycare, he kept getting bit almost weekly and would come home filthy. My little buddy loves it here. The staff and teachers are absolutely amazing. Thanks to all of their hard work, my kiddo is super smart and was fully potty trained by the age of 2 and a half! I can not say enough about this school. If you have any reservations about sending your babies here from previous reviews, don't. I am so glad I made the switch, you will be too.

I waited about two months before posting a review. My son was at this daycare for about two years. I loved it, I loved the staff. In his last couple months here though something changed. I am not sure what happened. All of a sudden my son was biting left and right, they weren’t following the protocol and I was getting calls to pick him up 3 or 4 out of the 5 days he was there a week. He started getting behavioral logs for the craziest things (taking marker caps off with his teeth, things like this), I was even called to pick him up because I guess he pulled the fire alarm? I forget the name of the girl who was at the front desk at the time of this incident but it was not Jackie nor Priscilla ( I adored these two) the other lady not so much, but anyways she said there was no warnings, he just had to go home. The teacher said she believed it was an accident because he likes to help turn the lights off for nap time. She was so kind about the situation where the front desk girl was just rude. I drove around and talked to about 5 preschools. 3 made me feel so welcomed and understood my concerns. It was so hard choosing between the 3 but I did finally switch him schools. My breaking point to switch schools was we were my sisters house and she had all the kids sit down for dinner and when my son was told to sit down for dinner he went into a full on panic attack crying and couldn’t breathe… that’s not my son… It has been two months since switching his schools, not once have I got a call to pick him up, not once have I signed a behavior report for biting, throwing stuff, etc. Instead I pick my boy up and get told how sweet and helpful my boy is. I truly loved this daycare, I can’t express it enough. I just personally think it was too many kids in a class with a teacher. His current preschool doesn’t do two teachers with x amount of kids. They completely separate classrooms. If I remember correctly it’s 7/8 kids to a teacher. If more kids come in they completely split it in half and go to two separate rooms because they said they’ve noticed too many kids/teachers really over stimulates the kids. I am not here to bash Peoria by any means, last I was there they were trying to make changes on how they run things. I hope it works out for them, students and parents. I am just here to remind moms/dads don’t think your kid is a “bad” kid in these situations, it just could be the environment. It was such a weight lifted off my shoulders these past few months. I couldn’t understand why my boy was so kind, helpful and sweet at home but a monster at school. Turns out, it was just the environment. Again, it’s not a bad school! It just wasn’t a place for my son anymore and I do think the way Peoria handled it could have been better. Just my personal opinion.

My child was enrolled in to this daycare for before and after school care. In the peoria area my child also attended sunrise preschool and although sunrise is not a bad place, peoria ave preschool was definitely the better option. In the morning they provided breakfast and after school they provided snack/meals. Both the director and assistant director are really good people. They are super welcoming and make you feel comfortable asking questions and communicating with them. They also are really good about letting you know what's going on throughout your child's day. They use an app to update parents about their child and any announcements or reminders they need to send out. We never had any issues with the teachers or staff. My child loved going there. Peoria ave preschool is one of the places I'm sad to have to leave due to us moving out of the area. If you're looking for childcare, coming from someone who has worked in childcare in the past as well as had my child enrolled in different child care locations , Peoria Avenue Preschool is definitely at the top of my recommendation.

The management team at this center truly does care about all the kids. It breaks my heart to see negative reviews, from people who “hear” things or perceive the staff as not caring. The two assistant directors who have stepped up while the director is away on maternity leave, have shown so much compassion and care for my kids. I am proud to leave a positive review for a center my kids love so much. Teachers are grossly underpaid, overworked & exhausted everywhere you go, you will find this at almost any center, try to spend a day in their shoes. While there are things that could be improved, I will choose to discuss that with my childrens teachers. Thank you all for everything you do for our littles💙