We’ve been part of the Lincoln Park community since 2010, and we still love everything this neighborhood gives children and families. With parks, the zoo, and the lake nearby, there is always something new to notice and explore. Inside our schools, our teachers know each child well and work hard to make school feel like a place where they are happy, comfortable, and excited to return each day.
What Makes L&L Different
Young children learn by doing. They ask questions, try things, make mistakes, and often surprise us with what catches their attention. Our teachers pay attention to those moments because they tell us a lot about what a child is ready for next. Sometimes that means joining the play. Sometimes it means asking a question. And sometimes the best thing a teacher can do is watch for another minute and let the child figure something out. There is plenty of time to play and explore here, but there is always thought behind what happens in the classroom.
Children's interests give teachers somewhere to begin. A tower that keeps falling can turn into a conversation about balance. A bug found outside might become something the whole class wants to investigate. A child who keeps pretending to run a restaurant may suddenly give teachers all kinds of ways to introduce counting, writing, new words, and working together. Teachers notice what children keep coming back to. Then they find ways to take that interest a little further. That's what makes the curriculum emergent. The ideas may begin with children, but teachers are thinking carefully about where those ideas can go.
Not every part of a child's day needs an adult directing it. When children have time to play together, they're learning how to join a group, share an idea, handle disagreement, make a friend, and decide what happens next. Teachers stay close and pay attention. But they don't solve every problem the moment it happens. If two children both want the same truck, for example, a teacher might wait a moment to see what they try first. They may find their own solution. If they need help, the teacher can step in with words or questions that help them work through it. Those small experiences build confidence and relationships. Children begin learning, I can figure things out. I can tell someone what I need. I can be part of a group.
Knowing when to step in matters just as much as knowing how. A child struggling with a puzzle doesn't always need someone to show them where the piece goes. They may need another minute to turn it around and try again. A child standing near a group of friends may not need an adult to bring them into the game. A teacher might stay nearby and see whether the child finds their own way in. And sometimes a child does need help. That's when a teacher can offer a word, ask a question, demonstrate something, or simply provide reassurance. Teachers learn a great deal by watching children this way. They begin to see what comes easily, what is still developing, what interests a child, and when they're ready for a little more. That is why observation is such an important part of teaching at L&L.
The First Step
Before we can know when to challenge a child, when to help, or when to simply give them another minute to try, we have to know them.
Some children walk into something new without hesitation. Others like to stand back and watch first. One child may need help finding the words when they're frustrated. Another may already have the words but still need help working through a big feeling.
Our teachers learn those differences over time. They pay attention to what makes a child laugh, what holds their attention, what frustrates them, and what helps them feel comfortable enough to try again.
Because the better we know a child, the better we can understand what they need from us.
Teachers get to know how each child approaches the day and respond accordingly. Some children need a little time to watch before joining something new. Others jump right in. For infants, teachers learn the small cues that tell us a baby may be hungry, tired, uncomfortable, or ready to play.
A child shows us a lot through what they return to again and again. It might be music, building, books, movement, water, or simply watching what another child is doing. Teachers notice those interests because they often give us the best place to begin.
Sometimes growth is easy to see. Other times it's quieter. A child asks another child to play for the first time. A toddler uses a word instead of grabbing. A baby keeps trying to reach something that was difficult yesterday. Teachers notice those small changes because they help us understand what a child may be ready for next.
Programs at Lincoln Park
Every stage brings something new. Find the program that fits where your child is right now.
0–14 months
A beginning built on trust.
Explore Infant Care→14–24 months
“I want to do it.”
Explore Toddler Care→Two-year-olds
A bigger voice and a bigger world.
Explore Two-Year-Old Preschool→Three-, four-, and five-year-olds
Questions start becoming ideas.
Explore Preschool & Pre-K→Inside Our Lincoln Park Schools
A Day at L&L
Children's days look different as they grow. What stays the same is that teachers are paying attention to what a child needs, what they're trying to do, and when a small moment can become something worth learning from.
Babies aren't expected to follow a preschool schedule. Teachers learn each child's cues and build the day around care, movement, rest, and time to explore.
Feeding, diapering, and settling aren't breaks from learning. They're one-on-one moments when teachers talk with babies, learn their cues, and build trust.
Babies get plenty of floor time to reach, roll, stretch, and move on their own. Teachers stay close without rushing them toward the next milestone.
A look, sound, or gesture is already communication. Teachers respond and add language so babies begin connecting words with what they're experiencing.
A toy that makes a new sound or an object that feels different can hold a baby's attention for a long time. Teachers notice what interests them and give them room to keep exploring.
Outdoor time brings new sounds, movement, light, and things to notice. Even the youngest children benefit from experiencing more than the classroom around them.
Why it matters
When teachers know a baby well, they begin noticing the small signals that tell them when that child needs comfort, space, rest, or another chance to try.
There are familiar routines, but there is also plenty of room for children to make choices, play with friends, test ideas, and follow what catches their attention.
Building, pretending, drawing, sorting, and experimenting give children ways to test ideas and solve problems. Teachers notice what children are working on and help take those ideas a little further.
Children practice doing more for themselves — putting things away, washing hands, getting dressed, making choices, and trying before asking an adult to do it for them.
Playing with other children means learning how to join in, wait, disagree, make up, and understand that someone else may want something different. Teachers help when children need words or support.
A question about a bug, a building, or something seen outside can become the start of a bigger classroom idea. Teachers follow what children are curious about and find ways to help them explore it further.
Outdoor play, neighborhood walks, and age-appropriate experiences give children more to talk about, notice, and bring back into the classroom.
What this can look like
A child spends several minutes trying to zip a jacket. The teacher could do it in two seconds. Instead, they help just enough for the child to keep trying.
The People Behind the Day
We ask our teachers to invest a lot in the children they care for. We believe it's our responsibility to invest in them, too.
Throughout the year, our educators come together for continuing education, training, and time to learn from one another. Sometimes that means bringing in an outside speaker with new ideas in early childhood education. Sometimes we're strengthening safety practices, working through classroom challenges, or simply becoming a stronger team.
The better supported and better prepared a teacher feels, the more they can bring back to the children in their classroom.
When teachers grow,
children feel it.
Several times throughout the year, our educators come together for continuing education and training. We revisit important policies and safety practices, deepen our understanding of early childhood education, learn from outside speakers, and spend time learning from one another.
Rather than limiting CPR training to the minimum number of staff required, L&L certifies our teachers in CPR. We want the adults caring for children to feel prepared to respond when it matters.
We want talented educators to be able to picture a future here. When an educator wants to further their education or prepare for the next step, we look for ways to help through educational support, scholarships, or other assistance when appropriate.
A teacher shouldn't have to leave L&L to move forward. We create opportunities for educators to take on more responsibility, strengthen their skills, and grow into leadership positions within our schools. Children benefit too, because strong educators have a reason to keep building their careers here.
Families Are Part of the Story
A lot happens between drop-off and pickup. A new friend. Something that made your child laugh. A skill they've been working on that suddenly clicks. We want you to know about those moments, not just whether lunch was eaten or a nap was taken.
And as we get to know your child over time, those everyday observations help us see the bigger picture of how they're growing.
Brightwheel keeps you connected throughout the day with updates, photos, messages, and the little moments teachers want to share. It's a window into your child's day and another way for families and teachers to stay connected.
Twice each year, families receive a progress report and sit down with their child's teacher for a conference. We talk about what we've been noticing over time — new skills, friendships, interests, challenges, and what your child may be ready for next.
Because these conversations come from months of knowing your child, they're about much more than checking boxes on a report.
Back to School Night, Gallery Night, and family events give parents time to step into their child's school world and get to know one another, too. Children's friendships often bring families together too — familiar faces at drop-off become conversations, playdates, and sometimes friendships that last well beyond the classroom.
The better we know your child, the more meaningful our conversations with you become.
Beyond the Classroom
Some experiences add something different to the week. Beginning in our toddler programs, children spend time with a dedicated Spanish teacher and visiting music specialists. And as children grow, what they notice and experience outside the classroom often finds its way back in.
Spanish
Beginning in our toddler classrooms, a dedicated Spanish teacher visits children throughout the week. Through songs, conversation, familiar words, and playful activities, children hear Spanish in a classroom where they already feel comfortable.
At this age, the goal isn't memorizing vocabulary or being tested on what they know. It's giving children regular opportunities to hear another language, try new words, and become comfortable with sounds that may be different from the ones they hear at home.
Music
Beginning with toddlers, visiting music specialists come into our schools to sing, move, play instruments, and make music with the children.
Children listen, copy sounds and movements, anticipate what comes next, and find their own ways to join in. Bringing in music specialists gives children a chance to learn from someone whose expertise is specifically in music while their classroom teachers remain part of the experience.
Beyond Our Doors
Outside, Then Back to the Classroom
Lincoln Park gives children access to grassy areas, trees, gardens, animals, and familiar neighborhood places. We use that outdoor environment regularly, both for time to move and as another place for children to ask questions and investigate what interests them.
When the weather cooperates, part of a lesson or classroom experience may move outside. On another day, a walk might lead children to a collection of leaves, an unusual twig, signs of a changing season, or an animal they want to understand better. Those observations don’t have to end when the group returns to school.
On comfortable days, teachers may bring books, drawing materials, group conversations, or another part of the day to a nearby grassy area. Being outside changes what children can see, hear, and respond to.
A breeze moving the trees, insects in the grass, or clouds changing overhead can lead to questions that wouldn’t have come up inside. Teachers listen for those questions and decide which ones may be worth continuing.
Children might gather fallen leaves, twigs, seedpods, or other natural materials during a neighborhood walk. Back in the classroom, they can sort what they found, compare shapes and textures, draw from observation, use the materials in process art, or look for more information in books.
The walk gives children something real to examine. Their questions help teachers decide how the experience can continue instead of treating it as a separate activity that ends at the door.
Sometimes children become interested in a particular animal. With places such as Lincoln Park Zoo nearby, a group may have an opportunity to observe how that animal moves, eats, rests, or responds to its surroundings.
When the children return, teachers can help them remember what they saw, compare their observations, draw the animal, build a representation with classroom materials, or develop an art experience around its movement, markings, or habitat. One visit can give a classroom several new directions to follow.
The outdoor experience and the classroom work support one another. Children have something real to remember and discuss, while teachers have a clearer view of what has captured their attention and what they may be ready to investigate next.
The People Behind Each Day
Parents often ask about the people who will spend the day with their child. They want to know whether teachers are experienced, whether familiar faces tend to stay, and whether the school continues supporting its staff after they’re hired.
We invest in our teachers because their knowledge, judgment, and relationships shape what happens in the classroom. Training doesn’t stop after orientation. Teachers continue learning through coaching, collaboration, professional development, and the everyday experience of working closely with children and one another.
Some of our most experienced lead teachers and school leaders began at L&L in assistant or classroom-support positions. Over time, they developed their teaching skills, took on additional responsibility, and moved into leadership roles.
That experience matters. A leader who has worked in different classroom positions understands what each member of the team is being asked to do. They know the pace of the day, the challenges that can come up, and how much good communication between teachers affects the children in their care.
Promoting from within also allows us to recognize people who already understand our classrooms, our expectations, and the families we serve.
Many L&L educators have been part of our schools for years. That longevity gives newer teachers people to learn from and gives classroom teams a deeper base of practical experience.
Experienced teachers can share what they’ve learned about guiding a group, planning from children’s interests, communicating with families, and responding when a child needs a different kind of support. Newer teachers bring their own ideas and continue developing with help from colleagues who know the work well.
We don’t claim that staffing never changes. It does in every school. Our responsibility is to keep building a workplace where strong educators can continue learning, take on new roles, and see a future for themselves at L&L.
Early childhood teaching requires more than warmth. Teachers need a working knowledge of child development, classroom safety, communication, observation, and how to plan experiences for children at different ages.
We continue investing in that knowledge through training, coaching, and collaboration among teaching teams. The goal is practical: teachers should be able to notice what a child needs, talk through questions with colleagues and families, and make informed decisions throughout the day.
Every L&L teacher is required to be CPR certified. Emergency preparation is one of the basic standards families should be able to ask about clearly.
CPR certification is part of a broader responsibility to keep health and safety knowledge current. It doesn’t replace careful supervision or everyday prevention, but it helps prepare teachers to respond if an emergency occurs.
Our Schools Are Personal to Us
Many of us who lead L&L are parents ourselves. We know what it feels like to pack the bag, say goodbye, and walk away hoping your child will be understood, comforted, and cared for while you're not there.
That perspective has stayed with us as L&L has grown. We're privately owned, and the decisions we make about our schools are still personal. We lead with early childhood expertise, but we're also building the kind of schools and communities we want for our own children. We carry those same expectations into every L&L school.
So we ask ourselves the questions a parent would ask: Would I feel comfortable leaving my child here? Would someone notice if they were having a hard day? Would they be comforted? Would their teacher really get to know them?
Those questions influence how we choose and develop teachers, how we communicate with families, how we design our schools, and how we help children through the transition into school.
Some children wave goodbye and start playing. Some cry. Some need more time before school feels familiar. We don't expect children — or parents — to handle that transition exactly the same way.
You know your child first. Tell us how your baby likes to be soothed, what your toddler calls their favorite blanket, what makes them laugh, or what usually helps when they're upset. Those details help us begin getting to know them.
Over time, teachers learn the little things: how your child asks for help, what draws them into play, when they need encouragement, and when they simply need someone close by. That's when school starts becoming a familiar place with people they know and trust.
We built the kind of schools we would want our own children to attend.
The Lincoln Park Details
Our Lincoln Park story began with one school. As more families joined us, we had the opportunity to grow into the space directly next door.
Today, our two schools sit side by side, separated by a shared wall. Each operates as its own preschool with its own leadership, classrooms, and responsibilities. At the same time, the teams work closely together and share the same expectations for teaching, communication, and care.
For families, it should feel like one connected Lincoln Park community with two neighboring schools serving children at different ages and stages.
Infant and Toddler School
Ages served
6 weeks through 2 years
Programs
Hours
Monday–Friday
7:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Direct school contact
For currently enrolled families and school-specific communication:
Infant Through Pre-K School
Ages served
Infant through Pre-K
Hours
Monday–Friday
7:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Direct school contact
For currently enrolled families and school-specific communication:
The schools have separate leadership, but the teams communicate and work together as part of the same Lincoln Park community. This helps create consistency in expectations, curriculum, and the way families experience L&L across both buildings.
Children enrolled at 2346 N. Clark Street may have an opportunity to move into an older classroom next door at 2350 N. Clark Street. We try to support that transition when possible, but placement depends on a child’s age, timing, and classroom availability. A future space is never guaranteed.
RIE-inspired care for infants
Emergent curriculum for toddlers through Pre-K
Structured activities balanced with open exploration
Process art, classroom projects, and learning shaped by teachers’ observations of the children
Spanish with a visiting instructor
Music and movement with visiting specialists
Outdoor learning, neighborhood walks, and connections to nearby Lincoln Park resources
Brightwheel updates, photographs, and messages
Progress reports twice each year
Teacher conferences twice each year
Back-to-School Night, Gallery Night, and other family events
INTERESTED IN LINCOLN PARK?
Complete our inquiry form to receive tuition and availability information. Our enrollment team will review your information and follow up with the next steps for your family.
Have a specific question that is not answered on the website or inquiry form? Call or text 833-623-1959 and ask for Ms. Nadi, Director of Enrollment, or email enroll@landlschool.com.
