Description: Welcome to University Children’s Center located in the heart of downtown Chicago! We are very excited to meet with you and your family.
UCC uses an educational program which provides unlimited opportunities for the development of the whole child. We offer a unique curriculum for every age level, centered around developmentally appropriate and fun activities that encourage children to develop physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. The center provides priority care for children of Northwestern University faculty, staff and students, Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation employees, The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and The American Association of Advertising Agencies. University Children's Center is also proud to accept families from the surrounding community.
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Disappointing doesnt even begin to describe our experience with CCLC. I can't believe how long we held out, waiting for promised change.
There were a few good teachers, but the best ones kept leaving. Perhaps they got sick of unplanned unpaid vacation days when they could move kids to minimize staff needed to meet state minimum ratios. My child was often upset at pickup. I was told she was happy until she moved classrooms - 90 minutes ago!!! And the teacher could never answer q's I had since she was only there in the end. Some teachers were so questionable. One clearly wanted to be a nanny - even had an active profile on a nanny website. Teachers public facebook pages had very offensive language and pictures with very questionable judgement. But then again a director belonged to a FB group for rough, wild sex.
The curriculum seemed to get in the way of learning. I asked teachers to work on some basic toddler skills (blocks and pointing to body parts) but I was told that they were too busy with their curriculum.
I dropped by less and less frequently as every time I stopped by, I was so sad. Children were constantly waiting. For food. At the door to go to the indoor playground. Sitting in buggies for 30 mins waiting for a teacher to get back from a break to go for a walk. No songs or stories. Teachers talked to each other and every now and then would tell the kids L will be back soon from her break. When I pointed out to the director on my way out that it might make more sense to load up the kids after the teachers were available I was told I was too critical.
In the evening when I picked up my child I would see a teacher move a child to the closing classroom and leave a crying child on the floor who would then cry for 15-20 mins. Kids were delivered with dirty diapers or needing a bottle. Mornings were just as bad. For the high tuition, you would think that times when parents are dropping off and picking up kids would be a priority. If things are bad when they expect parents, what happens in the middle of the day?
Everything is always the parents fault. Child hungry? Its because you pickup late. (Not because snack wasnt served.) Kids are all overtired and cranky and not allowed to nap on an individual schedule (despite it being an IL requirement). Even in the infant room with a flexible nap schedule, teachers were still too overwhelmed to put my child down for a nap at the correct times.
Rules were constantly made up. If you requested something, the answer was its against the rules. Even if it wasn't.
I dropped off my daughter several mornings and left crying. No one ever stopped me to ask if there was something wrong or anything they could do. Or followed-up to see if I had any concerns. It was like I was invisible.
When I tried to discuss concerns about my child I was told I was mistaken and it was just her being a toddler. My concerns were constantly blown off. Imaging considering that a parent's concerns are valid!
Final straw: told Friday kiddo and all classmates moving Monday to new room with 1 of their teachers and 6 new kids. Doubling class size but not teachers. No advance warning. No input. No continuity. No respect for the teachers or families.
I tried to contact the corporate center with no luck while my child was there despite several calls and e-mails. I finally got in touch with the regional director after my child had moved on. One would think that a center would want to reach out to a parent who clearly was very upset when leaving to try to improve the program. Nope. When I finally managed to get in touch with her, oh man. She is mean mean mean!!!
I expected better though I came to assume many things were standard in childcare centers and would be the same at other centers. They aren't. Other places are better. Way better. We are so much happier and my child is thriving in her new program.
Do yourself and your child a favor: start elsewhere and save yourself the hassle.