Bucktown Academy

Honestly, finding a daycare in the city that doesn't feel like a germ factory is tough, but Bucktown Academy has been a pleasant surprise. The facility on Milwaukee Ave is always super clean when I drop off my daughter, and the staff actually seems to care about wellness instead of just checking boxes. I’ve noticed they are pretty strict about their sick-day policies, which can be a hassle for work schedules, but it definitely keeps the seasonal bugs from wiping out the whole classroom. The teachers also seem really focused on healthy habits and hand-washing throughout the day, so I'm not seeing nearly as many runny noses as I did at our last center.

Bucktown Academy has been a pretty solid choice for our toddler. Since it’s right on Milwaukee Ave, it gets a lot of foot traffic, but I’ve been really impressed by how clean they keep the actual classrooms. You know how those urban daycares can get kind of grimy, but this one always smells fresh, not like old milk or bleach. Communication about bugs going around is usually pretty quick; they send out emails the second a kid in the class has HFM or a stomach bug, which I appreciate so I can prep. My only gripe is their sick policy is super strict—if your kid even has a slightly runny nose, they might call you to pick them up, which is tough for working parents. But overall, I feel like they actually care about keeping the germs from spreading.