Jcys Iris & Steven Podolsky Family Center

Overall, I've been pretty happy with the health environment at Podolsky. Since it's a newer building (built around 2019), everything feels a lot cleaner and more modern than some of the other daycares we toured in Lincoln Square. The classrooms are bright and don't have that stuffy, old-building smell, which makes me feel better about the air quality during flu season. They are right next to Vogle Park too, so the kids actually get real outdoor time instead of just being stuck in a basement playroom all day. My only real gripe is the communication when something is going around. They follow the standard sick policies, but sometimes the 'head's up' emails about hand, foot, and mouth or croup come a day or two later than I'd like. That said, the facility itself is kept very tidy, and I've seen the staff being pretty diligent about disinfecting the shared toys in the big playrooms.

My kid has been at the Podolsky Family Center for about a year now. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the health vibe there. The staff is super diligent about hand washing and you can tell the classrooms get a deep clean every night—it doesn't have that 'stale' daycare smell, thankfully! They are definitely strict about the fever policy, which can be a pain when you're a working parent, but I guess it keeps the revolving door of stomach bugs a bit more manageable. Communication is decent too; we usually get an email blast if something like hand-foot-and-mouth is going around the room so we can keep an eye out. It's a solid, clean spot for the neighborhood.