Magical Minds Studio — Local services in Oak Park

This is long overdue, but it’s hard to know where to even begin in our family’s love for Magical Minds. My oldest started at open studio hours when we moved to Oak Park going on four years ago, and then transitioned into the preschool program when the school year started... fast forward to now & my second born is in his second year at Magical Minds - and my 1st grader is jealous every time he happens to come with to drop or collect his brother, while the little one always begs to stay for just a little longer! And they both look forward to some camp days during the summer. They love it as much as we do for a lot of the same reasons: it’s an incredibly warm, supportive, inspiring place, where beauty and intrigue is in everything from messy art to learning about ear drums or diverse cultures. We also love it for the flexibility with days/hours and the mixed age group. I’m almost fanatical about play-based learning for preschool, but the “academics” that are brought in by Miss. Haj are so seamlessly intertwined their inspirations from art and movement and learning about community and self that they’re not only incredibly effective, but encourage learning as a life pursuit and enrichment rather than a chore or quantifiable goal. They support and satiate my more technically minded youngest as much as they did my abstract thinker oldest, and half the time I want to stay past drop off for the immersive lessons in contemporary art and culture. The kids are so comfortable with each other and the teachers that it is a joy to see them treat school truly as an extension of their home and family. And I’m only writing this review now because I’ve already secured our place for next year, so I can publicly rave as much as I...

Haj and Claire and everyone else at Magical Minds are just the best! My daughter has been going there for preschool for just about a year now and she loves it. The kids spend a small amount of time going over “school things” (like the days of the week, the months of the year, the seasons, clock time, the alphabet, numbers, a word and letter of the day), they play outside pretty much every day weather permitting, they practice a yoga pose and mindfulness, and the vast majority of their time is spent listening, following instructions, playing with their peers and socializing, and getting to make lots of choices and follow their own creativity. The instructors treat the kids with respect, intelligence, and love- and it shows. Magical Minds is safe, friendly, challenging, exciting, fun, and nurturing. You can’t go wrong entrusting your...

My daughter is in her second year of Passport2Preschool, and we could not ask for a better experience. Ms. Haj is a fantastic teacher who has helped my daughter find her love of painting and explore a variety of art projects far beyond what could manage at home. We were looking for a play-based program that would enhance her social skills and help prepare her for going to kindergarten, which this definitely is, but we've also been impressed with how much she's learning academically — writing, letters, pre-reading, days of the week, seasons, simple math and science — without even realizing it. She just thinks she's having fun. All the staff at Magical Minds seems wonderful, and I would recommend Magical Minds to anyone looking for a preschool or just a fun art-exploration experience for...