Sonnets Academy-Lincoln Park LLC

We loved this daycare and the teachers/caregivers there until they abruptly closed leaving hundreds of families with minimal-to-no time to find replacement care. The process to retrieve our belongings and deposits/tuitions costs is now managed by a collection firm so we have no idea if the families will be made whole, let alone the frustration and emotional distress put upon the staff, parents and most importantly the children. The owners/investors of Sonnets Academy were Michael Golden and Thaddeus Wong (co-founders of @properties); Golden’s wife, Kelly Golden; and Chicago landlord Michael Lerner, who all operated under Great Education Partners LLC. I personally will never do business with a child care organization (or anything else for that matter) that these individuals and their companies/groups represent.

We absolutely adored Sonnets for infant care. Our daughter Rory began at Sonnets in Lincoln Park when she was 6 months old. The teachers, especially lead teacher Miss JR, were all so comforting, warm, and welcoming during her first week. Whenever we brought our daughter to the door for drop off, she got happy and cuddled with the teacher. A couple things that make Sonnets for infant care unique: firstly they divide classrooms by age cohort so the babies are grouped by 3 months of age. It is such a huge benefit because the children are on similar nap and play schedules. Secondly, the infant classroom size itself is capped at 8, which makes it a quieter atmosphere. Sonnets is also great at sending updates during the day, so you know how your baby is faring. Overall, could not have had a better experience with Sonnets and we are so grateful to the teachers and staff for keeping up such wonderful work.

We are not local to this school but the drive is worth it. We toured over 30 schools and picked this one because of the wonderful director, the academic expectations and evaluations, and we were blown away by how engaged staff were with each child. Also the low student to teacher ratio. A year later, and our child has been thriving here. The academic organization and structure are top-notch, ensuring a love for learning. He comes home every day with something new he learned that wants to share. The gentle parenting style they employ creates a nurturing environment where he feels safe and supported. Frequent parent teacher communication and parent involvement has been fantastic, providing us with peace of mind knowing we're always in the loop. The variety of meals and snacks are fresh and nutritious. Our student loves his teachers and always talks about them. Highly recommend this institute to any parent seeking a truly enriching and caring environment for their child. Two of our close friends will be starting at Sonnets this year. We couldn’t be more pleased with our daycare choice.

We recently enrolled our 17 month old daughter in Sonnets Academy after receiving a recommendation for Sonnets from another mother. They offered the part time schedule that we were looking for and their admin staff was very prompt in responding to questions regarding the school and the program. As any mother would be I am sure, I was very nervous when my daughter started. She had one on one care for her whole life at this point and I was apprehensive. Ultimately within 2 weeks my daughter was arriving to class, sitting down with her friends and couldn't have cared less that mom was leaving. The staff make it look easy. They are always friendly, know you by name and happy to respond to texts and emails if you would like to check in on your child. They post pictures to a shared site and provide great daily feedback. The director Brianne is a gem! She is very professional and great to work with. My daughter goes to the zoo and the farm and is outside every day. They have a large indoor gym that the kids love and can play freely in. They provide all meals and snacks which are brought in from an organic kids catering company. I feel totally at ease having my daughter here and she is thriving!

I have both a toddler (almost 3) and a 5 month old at Sonnets Lincoln Park. My toddler started there at 3 months old (when it was American Kidz Academy). We love the school and it has been amazing for our toddler - she has learned so much and made great friends and is happy to go every day. We love the access to the zoo, nature boardwalk, farmer's market in the summer, playgrounds, etc. - we think it's great they go out on adventures every day (weather permitting) rather than staying in a school playground for outdoor time. The food is great, the director is great and all the teachers my girls have had are great! It's a real community and they do events on the weekends occasionally in the summer (like a music day in the park or an event at the Children's Museum - to which you get a free membership with enrollment) to foster that community. My 5mo also started at 3mo and is in the infant room. I am really happy with her teachers.They have been really helping my daughter learn to self soothe and it is helping my daughter get herself to sleep better at home. My daughter's teachers engage her every day with art projects, books and music and she is happy to see them in the morning and is always happy when I pick her up. I couldn't be happier with how she's doing. They also just started using an app to update us on the kids each day, so you can see each time they eat, poop, sleep and do an activity. They also post pictures. I think it's a great new thing they offer and I love having the updates pop up on my phone throughout the day. Overall, I would highly recommend Sonnets to any parent looking for daycare in Lincoln Park!