ChooChoo Chicago's mission is to provide safe and loving environment for each child. Our experience and love for little ones fosters a relationship with every child and their family in a place where kids can play, learn, and grow in a home away from home. We provide an environment where close personal attention, nurture, and well-being of each child is our main imperative.
Ms. Mia holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Entrepreneurship from City University of New York, accompanied by 10+ years of childcare experience in various settings. In recent years she has achieved Illinois' Director, ECE, as well as Infant Toddler Credentials through Illinois' Professional Development System and INCCRRA.
Ms. Mia holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Entrepreneurship from City University of New York, accompanied by 10+ years of childcare experience in various settings. In recent years she has achieved Illinois' Director, ECE, as well as Infant Toddler Credentials through Illinois' Professional Development System and INCCRRA.
Services
We look forward to working with families and helping children reach their potential through an encouraging and nurturing environment. Our Lakeview East in-home daycare and junior-preschool serves children between the ages of 15 months and 5 years in an intimate group of ten to twelve children and two dedicated teachers.
On top of our school year programming, we offer an exciting and engaging summer camp at the Diversey Playground for children between the ages of 2 and 6 years. This drop-off program runs from 9:30 am-12:30 pm Monday through Friday for 9 consecutive weeks, weather dependent. Camp activities include games and sports, arts and crafts, science and nature exploration, music and filed trips.
Reviews (17)
Erin C.
Jan 20, 2022
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I have nothing but positive feedback about our experience at ChooChoo Chicago! My 11mo had been watched at home by my mom since he was 3mo, so we knew it would be an interesting transition. We met with Mrs. Mia before he started and immediately felt comfortable. The center is so warm and welcoming, as are all of the teachers. My son is on his 3rd week and does better everyday. Mrs. Mia and Ms. Dominique have been so patient with him as he transitions and he is doing really great. We love that he is with people we trust, in a safe place and wish we made this decision sooner!
Jessie Beebe
May 02, 2021
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Our son has attended ChooChoo Chicago since September, 2019. He has loved going to ChooChoo and has had the most consistent care-taking experience with Mrs. Mia and Ms. Ana that he's had since birth. Mrs. Mia creates a family environment where everyone feels welcome and it is truly like an extension of being at home. Our son has made wonderful friends and has thrived in the ChooChoo environment. When our second son was born and our first son started having some behavior issues, ChooChoo kept us informed, had patience with his adjustment to being a brother and served as another reassuring and stable
Laurent Beaudouin
Feb 23, 2021
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Our son who is 2.5 years now has been there for a bit more than a year now. We cannot be happier with the care he gets. The onboarding was progressive and very smooth to make sure our son was comfortable. The communication with parents is excellent so we feel involved and heard (e.g. Covid measures, daily pictures, etc). Kids have a lot of fun for playing and learning. It’s a multi-cultural environnement which is great too. In summary, this is a great place!!
Danijela B.
Feb 17, 2021
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My husband and I moved to Chicago about a year and a half ago.. We have a 3 year old daughter whom we were trying to get into daycare for a while so that I could get back into work and have time to myself to the things mums have to do (having no family here was proving difficult).
It was so hard to find somewhere that was suitable and somewhere our daughter would love.. We were at 'bright horizons' in lakeshore east for a couple of months at the beginning of 2020 (before the lockdown pandemic hit hard).. Our daughter just wasn't settling there and she hated it to be quite frank
It was so hard to find somewhere that was suitable and somewhere our daughter would love.. We were at 'bright horizons' in lakeshore east for a couple of months at the beginning of 2020 (before the lockdown pandemic hit hard).. Our daughter just wasn't settling there and she hated it to be quite frank
Ralph Mulder
Sep 20, 2020
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We love ChooChoo and even more importantly both our kids (1 and 3) love going to ChooCoo. ChooChoo is a family home daycare that is very well-organized, both from an educational/development perspective as well as from a administrative / practical perspective. The group of kids is great and ages range from 1 - 5 years old which is great because they can learn from, and take care of, each other. It really is a group of little friends.
The teachers love the kids and it shows; the kids feel the love and give it back.
ChooChoo organizes a lot of activities, varying from going to the playground, art
The teachers love the kids and it shows; the kids feel the love and give it back.
ChooChoo organizes a lot of activities, varying from going to the playground, art
Nora S.
Apr 02, 2020
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I cannot recommend Choo Choo highly enough. My son has thrived here more than I ever thought possible. Socially, he has made great friends and learned to follow instructions, take turns, participate in a group, and other school readiness skills that I didn't think he'd have until preschool. Academically, he is so solid with his letters, counting, shapes, colors, and vocabulary that I'm not sure what is left for 3-year-old preschool to teach him! But the most important aspect of Choo Choo is the love and nurturing that Mia, Ana, and the other teachers have given my son. They treat
Jeanne Clements
Dec 15, 2019
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Our family has had a great experience with Choo Choo. My daughter has really learned a lot from Miss Mia and the other teachers and I think the program has a good mix of learning and fun for the kids. It is a happy and friendly environment and I like that the group of kids is smaller than what you find at other daycares so that our child has more 1:1 attention.
Amy Portacci
Dec 06, 2019
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Sean F.
Oct 22, 2019
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My wife and I love ChooChoo! In fact we actually moved into the neighborhood specifically to enroll our now 18mo old daughter. The standard daily curriculum has been tremendously positive in our daughters progression towards learning milestones needed for preschool. We also extremely valued the summer camp program she participated in this year. Outdoor time is a must for our family and ChooChoo hands-down provided the experience we were looking for.
Cara A.
Oct 22, 2019
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This is definitely a home away from home! Miss Mia has been so wonderful helping my son get used to an environment so different from when I stayed at home with him. Now, it is so incredible to watch him flourish, make new friends, and open up more to others. I really have ChooChoo to thank for that! I never have to worry that he's in good hands (and isn't that what every parent wants for their child?!)
Stefania Bigi
Oct 13, 2019
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I have sent my first daughter to ChooChoo after a not so nice experience in a different preschool, and I right away felt so comfortable leaving her in this very homy but also very stimulating environment. She was there from 18 months until 3 years. Now her little sister is there, enjoying the same wonderful atmosphere, a home out of home...which is what I was looking for, at an age where a smaller environment, a limited number of little friends, a lot of care from the teachers made me feel at peace and made my daughters feel confident and very happy to stay. With Miss Mia, I always have the perception
Tina R.
Sep 19, 2019
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Cannot say enough good things about Mia and her team. She is warm, thoughtful, and understanding and the program that she runs is top notch. We love the small size of the group. I don't worry about my son everyday while I am at work because I know that he is being loved and cared for - this is every mother's dream. I highly recommend Mia and ChooChoo!
Dara S.
May 21, 2019
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Ann O.
Nov 03, 2017
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I was a little nervous about starting our LO in daycare, but our experience with ChooChoo has gone way above and beyond our expectations. CC is a small group of around 8 kids between the ages of about 15 mos and 4 years. It's a very multicultural group, which we absolutely love. The teachers structure the day so the kids get to sing and dance, do art projects, learn about the world, play outside, and learn how to behave in a group setting. Every day our LO comes home with new words she's learned or new dances she can do, it's amazing. Most of all, we feel that she is well-cared for
Pawan S.
Oct 14, 2016
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Our daughter started attending Choo Choo with Ms Mia since she was 1.5 year old in Aug 2014. They are a family school and that made us very comfortable to send our daughter. It feels like home! She just recently graduated from Choo Choo couple months back in Aug 2016 so we spent about 2 years there. She has learned a lot from the experience and made new friends. They take the class for field trips, conduct summer camps, publish a monthly calendar of the activities, and do pizza parties with the parents! All in all, a fabulous place for new beginnings!!! Highly recommend!!
Masa Lekic
Jul 29, 2016
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This place is absolutely amazing for every kids' development!
My daughter attended summer camp 2016 with ChooChoo and it was absolutely time well spent. She was outside from 9am-1pm, and she engaged into many different activities, from arts and crafts, singing, physical activities, all the way to learning about nature. She loved to play with ChooChoo kids so much, that we've decided to continue our friendship with ChooChoo also in the fall of 2016.
Now she is almost 2, and is developing her bilingual vocabulary through fun and play... happy kid=calm mom.
My daughter attended summer camp 2016 with ChooChoo and it was absolutely time well spent. She was outside from 9am-1pm, and she engaged into many different activities, from arts and crafts, singing, physical activities, all the way to learning about nature. She loved to play with ChooChoo kids so much, that we've decided to continue our friendship with ChooChoo also in the fall of 2016.
Now she is almost 2, and is developing her bilingual vocabulary through fun and play... happy kid=calm mom.
Megan J.
Jun 23, 2014
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My son has been attending Choo Choo Chicago with Ms Mia and Ms Chanel since February 2014. (He started when he was 14 months old and he's now 19 months old.) I'm amazed at the things he learns at school. He sings songs, shares, talks constantly, eats with utensils, etc. On the weekends, his chattering of "miss mia! miss mia! miss mia!" only goes to show how much he loves his teachers and his school. We're extremely happy with Choo Choo Chicago and would very highly recommend it to anyone looking for great childcare.
