Kenwood

Ancona is an incredible, loving, caring community and a great place for a child to learn and grow. The teachers meet children where they are and have a sharp eye for their needs, and are ready with a wide variety of strategies to help them thrive.Academically, Ancona leverages is resources to create a curriculum which I’m convinced is like no other in the world. Their outdoor classrooms inspire children toward the sciences and beyond. The curriculum also weaves together rich and unique subjects on black history, social Justice and the arts, such as in the afrofuturism unit in grades 1-2. Yes, these gifted teachers have found a way to teach that material to that age group.Music, art and foreign language education all draw on and strive toward excellence. Music education extends into their excellent afterschool program, with guitar and piano lessons available as well as many other activities such as chess club and competitive sports for the older children.We moved here when our son was an infant. Chicago did not feel like home. Ancona has had a major hand in flipping that scenario 180 degrees. Now our son is 7 and we are so happy and proud of what the Ancona community has afforded to him and to our family. We could not be more grateful to this unmatched group of faculty, staff, students and parents. Thank you Ancona.

We enrolled our 2 kids here after a lackluster experience in the public school environment. All of the teachers at CFS are absolutely amazing. They are flexible and responsive to the needs of every child and are always looking for ways to tap into their natural interests and curiosity. They learn through doing a much wider variety of activities than what you’d see at most schools: games, puzzles, weekly field trips, free play, creative projects at their amazing Maker Lab. One highlight of my kids’ day is the electives, which change and vary based on student interest, from astronomy to art to coding to cooking. They really educate the whole child here. They teach social/emotional skills and work on building those skills just like they do with academic skills. There’s an open line of communication between parents and teachers. I know what my kids’ strengths are, what they’re struggling with, and what their teachers are doing to support them and help build lagging skills. They instill in kids the values of community, social justice, and mutual respect. Many schools will say they support these things on paper, but the awesome folks at CFS really embody those values in everything they do. We feel very lucky to have found this gem of a school.