Dr. Effie O. Ellis YMCA Head Start

I have mixed feelings about Effie Ellis. While the teachers are nice, the hygiene in the classrooms really concerns me. It feels like every other week there’s a new bug going around—hand, foot, and mouth or just constant respiratory stuff—and I don’t think they’re deep cleaning the toys or common areas enough. Communication about exposures is hit or miss, usually just a flyer on the door when it’s already too late. Being in East Garfield Park, we already deal with enough, so I wish the facility felt more like a clean sanctuary and less like a germ factory. It’s hard to keep my kid there consistently when they're always coming home sick.

Honestly, I’m pretty happy with how the Dr. Effie Ellis YMCA handles things. With kids this age, you expect a constant cycle of colds, but the staff is really on top of cleaning the toys and keeping the play areas scrubbed down. They’re super strict about the fever policy—which can be a pain when you have to leave work to pick up your kid—but it definitely keeps the flu from spreading through the whole classroom every other week. Communication is usually through the app or quick chats at pickup, and they always let us know if something like HFM or pink eye is going around. It feels like a safe, healthy spot for my little one, even if the check-in process can be a bit slow some mornings because of the health screenings.