Preschools & Child Care Centers
Arie Crown Hebrew Day School and Preschool
Baker Demonstration School
Illinois DCFS and Provisional ISACS (Independent School Association of Central States)
Toddlers: 8:15am to 10:15am or 11:00am to 1:00pm
Pre-K: 8:30am to 11:15am or 12:30pm to 3:05pm
Kindergarten: 8:30am to 2:00pm
Love to Learn. Cherish the Journey. Embrace the World.
Baker Demonstration School nurtures each child to become a creative, confident and reflective learner, strong in mind, body and heart. Baker students think independently, engage collaboratively, make connections across disciplines, realize their talents and apply their learning beyond school. Baker's inclusive community celebrates individual, family and cultural differences.
Baker serves an ever-changing world through research-based curriculum that promotes academic excellence through active inquiry, exploration and continual innovation by our entire learning community.
British Infant School
Cherry Preschool
Cradles, Cribs & Crayons
Devonshire Preschool
District 68 Early Childhood Center
Illinois State Board of Education
Preschool classes for 3 to 5 years. Before and after-school care for Kindergarten through grade 5. Transportation from schools available.
Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm
Call 847.673.1141 to arrange screening appointment
Four classrooms: two Pre-K classes and one preschool class
Promote learning through play, readiness skill practice, art, music, literature, movement.
Developmentally appropriate curriculum organized by themes and units of study
Lunch available
East Prairie School District 73 Bright Beginnings Preschool
Illinois State Board of Education
3 to 5 years
Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 11:00am or 12:30pm to 3:00pm
East Prairie School
"Our focus is on young children who may be at risk to academic failure in the future. We believe in starting young to prepare children for their education. Our main focus is on students who have little or no English."
Play based curriculum which provides many language-building activities.
Elizabeth Meyer Preschool
Illinois State Board of Education
3 to 5 years
Monday through Friday: Half-day from 8:45am to 11:15am or 12:00pm to 2:30pm
Monday/Wednesday/Friday and Tuesday/Thursday: Full-day from 8:45am to 2:30pm
Optional lunch program available for morning or afternoon students
On-site extended school day program available through Skokie Park District
Located in the Elizabeth Meyer School, a Pre-K to Kindergarten building that is part of School District 73½
"To provide developmentally appropriate experiences that allow a child to bring meaning to his/her world through active exploration of the environment."
State of Illinois, early childhood certified teachers offer a five day a week program for 3, 4, and 5 year olds to assist in a smoother school transition for both child and parent. Activities focus on the whole child to promote the growth of social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language skills. Individual and group identity is fostered through multi-age and culturally diverse experiences.
Preference is given to in-district students.
Gan Chabad
Gan Ketan Montessori Preschool
Gan Yeladim Early Childhood Program
Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School
Little People's Montessori School
Little Vikes Preschool
Morning and afternoon sessions typically meet on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Hours vary due to High School schedule
• To help children develop a positive self-image.
• To allow children to explore through art, music, movement, language, science and dramatic play.
• To develop problem solving skills.
• To provide language development though hearing and using language.
• To encourage freedom of expression.
• To encourage children to be curious, ask questions, and discover by seeing and doing.
• To encourage socialization among groups of children.
• To develop a positive attitude.
• To let the child become familiar with adults other than parents.
• To teach children to share.
• To build a foundation for school.
• To provide an environment of new experiences.
• To encourage and support independence, self-help skills, and personal initiative.
• To respect the rights and cultures of ourselves and others.
Mayer Kaplan Jewish Community Center
Illinois DCFS and NAEYC
6 weeks to 5 years
$250 non-refundable, non-transferable deposit
Pool, baby gym, toddler playground, pre-school playground
JCC Early Childhood Services’ philosophy and curriculum, the Learning with Love Experience, is based on a combination of several components that include cutting-edge brain research, developmentally appropriate practice, multiple intelligences theory, emergent curriculum, educational inspiration from Reggio Emilia, Italy, and the integration of secular and Jewish learning. The JCC Learning with Love Experience prepares children for their next formal educational step and helps children achieve their full potential by focusing on the necessary development of social, perceptual, motor, language, pre-math, and pre-writing skills.
The Learning with Love Experience:
- Prepares your child for a lifetime of learning
- Nurtures each child’s unique learning style, interests, and abilities
- Creates a safe place for fun and positive social experiences
- Teaches Jewish values, concepts, and traditions
Reggio, child-initiated, creative curriculum
Parent Guide available
Mosaic Early Childhood Center
State of Illinois and Village of Skokie
Six weeks to 12 years
Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 6:00pm
Six classrooms with bathroom in each: six weeks to 14 months, 15 to 23-months, 2 to 3-year-old, 3 to 4-year-old, 4 to 5-year-old, 6 to 12-year-old.
Before and after school program with transportation.
Cook own food.
Close to Skokie Swift and outdoor park.
"The center provides a warm, loving, growing, and stimulating atmosphere for children. The primary goals are to make a child’s first experience with school an enjoyable one, and to act on behalf of the needs and interests of the children by providing many developmental and educational resources."
Creative, developmentally appropriate curriculum for all ages
Director has 23 years of experience in child care.
Government and employer subsidies accepted.
Dedicated to diversity.
Toilet training available.
Niles West Little Cubbies Preschool
Oakton Community College Early Childhood Education Center
Illinois DCFS and NAEYC
3 to 5 years
Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 6:00pm Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30am to 11:30am Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday from 12:30pm to 3:30pm Tuesday and
Thursday from 9:30am to 12:30pm
Summer part time sessions 9:00am to noon
College closed on Fridays during summer
$50 non-refundable registration fee $60 annual materials fee
Two classrooms with enclosed playground attached to center
Two full-time teachers to 20 children in part-day programs
Two full-time teachers and one assistant to 18 children in full-day program
"We provide a stimulating, individualized curriculum to encourage curiosity and to enhance a love of learning in children. Our professional staff guide children’s learning through a child-centered curriculum in which there is a balance between child-initiated and teacher-initiated activities. The curriculum is developed by providing a safe environment, well-equipped activity areas, and daily routines that are sensitive to the interests and developmental levels of very young children."
An educational program. "We facilitate the children’s learning through the various activities planned throughout the day. Children are encouraged to pursue their own interests by making choices from a variety of developmentally appropriate activities and materials, and are allowed to progress at their own pace. The activities encourage children to explore, interact, and express themselves as they are introduced to concepts in math, science, technology, music, movement, social studies, language, creative arts, health, and nutrition."
Children participate in the daily preparation and serving of lunches and/or snacks, and there is a rest period after lunch in the Full Day Program.
The curriculum includes anti-bias techniques and materials designed to help children learn to value and to comfortably interact in an inclusive and intergenerational environment, discouraging discrimination and stereotyping.
Roycemore School
Independent Schools Association of the Central States
National Association of Independent Schools
Three- and four-year-old junior kindergarten
Kindergarten through high school
7:30am until 6:00pm
See the school's website for details
Inspiring excellence, celebrating individuality
Seymour J. Abrams Cheder Lubavitch Preschool
Shining Star Learning Center
Skokie Montessori School
Skokie Solomon Schechter Day School
3 years through 8th grade
Pre-K: Monday through Friday 8:30am to 12:30pm
Kindergarten: Monday through Friday 8:15am to 3:15pm
Applications available for download from school website. Rolling Admissions through March 15.
Full-size gymnasium, well-equipped playgrounds and playing fields, library, music and art rooms.
State of the art computer lab and smart boards.
Solomon Schechter Day School of Metropolitan Chicago, a Conservative Jewish Day School, is committed to providing an excellent General, Hebrew, and Jewish education. We strive to produce confident individuals, instilling in them the skills, knowledge and understanding to be active participants and leaders in our American and Jewish communities. In our welcoming and nurturing environment, Jewish children and their families develop a foundation for religious observance, commitment to Israel, passion for learning, dedication to social action, and respect for all individuals.
At Schechter, we believe that positive early experiences can have a profound effect on learning. Children will learn skills to thrive in kindergarten and beyond, build their Jewish identity, and practice what it means to be ethical, caring and kind. Program highlights include a strong Hebrew language component and enrichment experiences in music, gym and art.
St. Joan of Arc Preschool
St. Matthews Lutheran Preschool
Three to five years
Monday through Friday 9:00am to 12:00pm
Japanese Immersion Program available
St. Paul Lutheran Academy
St. Peter Preschool
Swift Child Care and Kindergarten
T.O.P.S. Preschool Program
TOPS Pre-K classes meet five days per week, Monday through Friday, with the exception of school holidays.
Two-day (Tuesday/Thursday) or three-day (Monday/Wednesday/Friday) schedules are an option.
All classes are half-day: morning classes meet from 8:40am to 11:25am, and afternoon classes meet from 12:30pm to 3:10pm.
Office Hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm.
Tiny Tot Preschool and Kindergarten
Tot Learning Center
Parent-Teacher Planning Committee
