Parents who are looking to choose a preschool in Naperville have options to consider. The process typically involves researching a list of schools near home or work, and squeezing in a few tours between naps and meetings. The tours go quickly, every classroom looks bright, and by the third visit the details start to blur together.
This guide gives Naperville families a short set of questions to ask at each school, a simple way to compare what you hear, and a look at how The Gardner School of Naperville North and The Gardner School of Naperville South serve different parts of the city. Bring the questions on your phone and jot the answers down in the parking lot while they are fresh in your mind.
Five things to ask about on every preschool tour in Naperville:
- Who the teachers are and how long they have been in the classroom
- What a full day looks like, from drop-off through pickup
- Which curriculum the school uses and how it shows up in a regular week
- How teachers share updates and how families reach the director
- Hours, closures, meals, and what to bring on the first day
Start with Your Address and Your Commute
Naperville is large enough that the right school often comes down to geography. Families in north and central Naperville, Lisle, and Woodridge are closer to the Hobson Road and Naper Boulevard area, where The Gardner School of Naperville North sits on Compass Court. Families in southwest neighborhoods such as Tall Grass, White Eagle, Stillwater, and Ashbury are minutes from 95th Street and Route 59, where The Gardner School of Naperville South sits on Reflection Drive.
Both schools are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parents can think about what the commute would be like throughout the seasons, like on a Tuesday in February. Take time to see how long the trip from home and from work takes before the tour, and ask how drop-off traffic looks in the parking lot each morning.
Questions to Ask about the Teachers
Ask who will be in your child’s classroom, how long each teacher has been with the school, and what their early childhood training looks like. Ask how the school covers a teacher’s sick day, because a familiar face at drop-off matters more to a two-year-old than any curriculum.
Then watch for a minute. Teachers who kneel to a child’s eye level, answer a question fully, and handle an accident with grace will tell you more than any brochure.
Questions to Ask about the Day
Ask to see the posted daily schedule for the age group your child will join. Look for outdoor time in the morning and afternoon, a real rest period, meals and snacks at predictable times, and a mix of teacher-led lessons and free play. Ask how the schedule changes when a child “graduates” from the toddler room to preschool and again to Pre-K.
Ask which curriculum the school uses by name and what it looked like last week. A school that can point to the letter of the week on the wall, the science table, and the book the class is reading is showing you the curriculum in action.
Questions to ask about communication and logistics
Ask how you will hear about your child’s day. Many Naperville preschools use an app for photos, meals, naps, and notes, and some add conferences or written progress reports. Ask who to call with a question and how quickly the director responds.
Cover the practical details on the same visit: holiday and weather closures, sick policies, what happens when pickup runs late, what is included in tuition, and what you need to bring. Write the answers next to the school’s name so you can compare them line by line later.
How to Compare Programs after the Tours
Give each school a page with three columns: what you saw, what they said, and what your child did. A child who walked to the block corner on their own or waved at a teacher is giving you useful information. Visit your top choice a second time at a different hour, because a classroom at 9 a.m. and a classroom at 4 p.m. can feel very different.
Illinois families can also look up any licensed program through the DCFS Sunshine provider lookup, which lists licensing status and monitoring reports. For a broader look at what makes a program feel right, read what makes a preschool the right fit for families.
Touring The Gardner School of Naperville North and Naperville South
The Gardner School of Naperville North and The Gardner School of Naperville South serve children from six weeks through Pre-K, with private kindergarten at Naperville South, using the same blended curriculum drawn from Creative Curriculum, World of Wonders, and Learning Without Tears. Teachers post real-time updates through a parent app, and both schools welcome parent visits with an open-door policy.
“We tell families to ask us the hard questions, because a tour should feel like a conversation,” said Ashley Zunkel, School Director of The Gardner School of Naperville North. “Ask what happened in the classroom yesterday. The answer tells you what your child will do here tomorrow.”
Schedule a tour at the campus closest to your daily route, bring the five questions above, and plan on staying long enough to get a full picture of the daily schedule and routine.
