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July 2024 by Amy B. Madzinski
Edited to add: the school is now called Gardner school but was Compass when my children attended, which is why it’s referred to as Compass in this review.
We were at a couple different daycare places (both home and "school-like") before my oldest son was in Kindergarten. When he entered 1/2 day K we needed care for the second half of the day and Compass was able to provide transportation to/from his school for us, as well as care for our younger son, who was 1-1/2 at the time. My only regret is that we didn't consider Compass before this time. Both of my children have thrived there. There is not one staff member who I have encountered who was not friendly, capable and caring. The administration is always at the desk to warmly welcome you and my sons' teachers have been nothing but outstanding with communication, professionalism and knowledge of child development. The staff undergoes profressional development regularly.
Children are taught under the Emilio-Reggio philosophy, which has fostered their creativity and independence, but there was still enough structure that making the transition to public school in Kindergarten was a breeze. Their public school Kindergarten teachers commented to us at conferences that the group from Compass has always been ahead of the rest of the class, and we do see this with our own sons.
The facility is always clean and smells fresh. It is well-lit and has plenty of space.
Each day, parents receive an email with a description of the day's events and pictures of what's going on to encourage further discussion at home. There is a monthly school-wide newsletter so that you can see what other levels are doing. Children are celebrated constantly!
One of our sons has a food allergy to all nuts, and Compass is a nut-free facility. They were extremely accomodating to meet his needs and take care of him as I would. I know that they follow this rule- I've seen them ask a parent to take home a treat that was not safe for someone in the class. While some parents may think this is extreme, I think it shows that the staff cares enough about each student to make everyone feel safe and included. In other instances, they have maintained a safety-first attitude.
Overall, I cannot say enough good things about Compass School-North. (Hobson Rd.). In my experience, you get what you pay for. Compass is a little pricier (thought not completely off base) but the staff, their focus on safety, the cleanliness, the warm feeling you get from the teachers and the experiences my children had at Compass has truly set them up with a good foundation upon which to build in the coming years.
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July 2024 by Abbie Moore
It sucks
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April 2024 by alpana C.D.
The 5 star reviews were posted with an incentive to win an amazon gift card. The school is not what it used to be. There been many saftey issues including a room operating unlicensed. Many families and great teachers have chosen to leave. Wish things were differnet. It was a great school when operated by Compass.
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March 2024 by Lauren Schneider
As a first time mom I couldn't be happier with TGS. My daughter started in their infant room at 3 months and I instantly felt so affirmed in my daycare decision. Ms Ava and Ms Shareen are wonderful and so loving with the babies. They truly care and quickly become part of your village. I love the daily updates on the developmental activities and we receive tons of photos which make my day. After touring almost 10 daycares in the area TGS was my top choice based on the level of communication from Bianca, meet and greets with the teachers, and seeing the kids and teachers playing together on the multiple playgrounds during our tour.
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February 2024 by Noel Chiros
Our son (4 years) recently just started school here after the school he was at closed. TGS has been amazing and exceeding our expectations! In just a month I’ve noticed his academic skills have skyrocketed! The best part is his teachers genuinely seem to care for him, he’s greeted with a hug and a smile everyday! Nothing but great things to say so far.
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February 2024 by Andi Alyse
Our son just started school 5 weeks ago. The staff is great and our son loves his teacher! The director Bianca is amazing and she has been nothing but kind, sweet, supportive and caring since our son started. She’s very personable and genuinely cares about each and every kid that attends TGS. Thank you Bianca and TGS staff/teachers for such an amazing experience so far!
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February 2024 by Andrew and Nicole Grigus
As over-protective new parents, we chose the Gardner School when it was time to return to work. The infant staff of Ms. Maura and Ms. Jada couldn't be more professional. They provide daily developmental appropriate activities, update us on our son's progress, and take wonderful photos to share. His feedings, diaper changes, and naps are all accurately charted throughout the day. It definitely eases our restless minds as we check in throughout the day via the app. Thank you for taking wonderful care of our son and treating him like your own.
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February 2024 by Molly Boschert
We love the Gardner school! The teachers are great, the school is clean, and my son has learned so much there. I’m so happy we chose this school for our son.
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February 2024 by Ashley Zunkel
As a parent - I am so so happy with TGS. My daughter started about a month ago in their twos class. Ms. Angie and Ms. Andrea have made the transition to a new center SO easy and my daughter absolutely LOVES school now! I cannot say enough good things about their classroom and the amount of communication and pictures I’m given daily. As a nervous first time mom, this was a huge relief and it just makes me so happy that she is happy, loved and taken care of everyday!
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February 2024 by Prerana Reddy
As a first time mom, I feel very comfortable dropping my 20 month old off for the day. They made time for my baby and us to meet her teachers and it helped make the first day smoother. By the third day, my daughter was asking for her teacher in the mornings and no longer crying at pick up and drop off but actually looking forward to school. The staff feels like family at this point and my daughter has grown in a lot of ways since starting. The school isn’t incredibly strict but rather very nurturing to help your baby transition to school routines. They do frequent diaper changes that are recorded (never came home with diaper rash), provide a variety of healthy food options for meals and snacks (which is the best part to not worry about packing meals), and do so many activities all morning!
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February 2024 by Lauran Jensen
We couldn’t be more impressed by our experience in the Infant room. Ms. Maura and Ms. Jada are the best. Their kind, caring and nurturing personalities show through how quickly our daughter adjusted to a new environment. The amount of communication we get throughout the day is phenomenal and puts my mamma heart at ease. These teachers are an absolutely incredible and work hard to provide developmentally appropriate activities for the infants on a daily basis. They have made my return to work so much easier by the love they show on a daily basis. During drop off our daughter smiles and kicks her legs in excitement!
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October 2023 by Heather M.
We joined the Gardner School of Naperville North in August and have been so happy about our decision to transition our twin 4 yr olds to this school for Pre K. The staff is happy and so loving to our girls and our family! Our girls come home happy and excited to go to school every day! They now have a love for learning and talk with excitement about the fun activities they get to do each day. We receive so many pictures and individualized notes about them in their classroom throughout the day that we feel very connected to this school, their classmates, and the staff. Ms Bianca welcomed our family in and has been so easy to work with always available and quick to respond to any questions. Her communication with families has been exceptional. She always greets us with a smile and warm welcome in the mornings. Ms. Karen is a rockstar teacher, she's a gem! Mr. Jacob and Ms Muneeba and all the other staff engage so well with the children and have been so encouraging! Our girls love it here! We are so very happy to be a part of the Gardner School Naperville North community!
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October 2023 by Anna Moser
We have been with Gardner since it was Compass and have been blown away by the amazing teachers and director! We couldn’t ask for a better first school experience for both of our boys!!
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October 2023 by Gwen Blythe
My son has attending TGS (formerly known as Compass) for 2 years. As a first time mom, I was very anxious for someone else to take care of him. These worries were quickly settled as I met the infant room teachers and noticed the care they put into my son’s growth. Fast forward two years and another baby, and our second is now enrolled in TGS in the infant room.The care and focus on development goes beyond the infant room of course - my oldest seems to love school. TGS uses an app to send us pictures and notify us of activities every day.Really love this place and the warm and exciting culture wouldn’t be possible without the staff. They deserve 5+ stars.
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October 2023 by Molly Bliss
Our child recently started at Gardner and we couldn’t be happier with our experience! The teachers and staff are so friendly and welcoming. Our child is excited for school each morning and comes home each day eager to share all that she learned.
