Child Development Laboratory-U of I

The preschool 2 classroom is terrible. The teacher, Betty, is rude and mean to the children, barking orders at them constantly. She refuses to speak with parents and address her problems, instead blaming the children when her own behavior is addressed. Also, her grammar is terrible and the materials that are sent home from the school are embarrassingly poorly written. (This review is specifically for the CDL classroom PS2, the ECDL preschool classroom is great)
--Submitted by a parent

CDL is the best early childhood learning environment you can find and you can't afford not to apply. The teachers are impressive on a personal level, they incorporate their experiences into activities, making it a genuine, loving, interesting environment. The student teachers are very regimented and well-trained on how to engage and work with the children. Many are post-secondary. The kids love it- they see it as a fun, routine, challenging, safe environment full of peers and plenty of adults that buffer peer interactions. There are always new activities. The teachers are highly educated professionals. They effectively teach and nurture through play and activity choices the children make. Focus on autonomy. Provide child-specific academic/developmental assessment and goals. You will NEVER have a parent-teacher conf. w/supplemental materials like you get each semester at CDL. Parent support is high, class size low. It makes a difference. Worth every penny.
--Submitted by a parent

Best, most culturally diverse school. Very happy with the results. My child's temperament has been nurtured and she has blossomed. They bring out the best in my child. The parents all care about ed. It's a lovely school.
--Submitted by a parent

operated by uiuc(university of illinois at u-c). i don't think that any other daycare center in usa can be better than this. but extremely hard to get in!
--Submitted by a parent