At Fantasy Island Schools for Kids, your bright five- or six-year-old gets a hands-on gifted kindergarten curriculum that stretches a curious mind and builds real confidence, for families across Chicago’s Northwest Side and nearby suburbs.
If your child is already asking big questions, the last thing you want is a kindergarten year spent mostly being watched. Our kindergarten is built around a gifted curriculum, and the Gifted Enrichment Program is part of every child’s day and included in tuition, not sold as an extra.
Small class sizes give each teacher room for individual attention, so a child who has mastered something can be handed the next challenge instead of waiting for the group. Every teacher holds an Early Childhood Education certification, and the work moves across literacy, math, science, social studies, and art, so your child is stretched in more than one direction.
Five- and six-year-olds think best when their hands and bodies are involved. That is why our gifted program is experiential, collaborative, and multi-sensory. Your child learns by building, testing, drawing, counting, and talking ideas through with classmates, rather than by sitting and listening alone.
The curriculum is designed to grow young leaders across the arts, sciences, and mathematics, so a child who loves numbers also gets pushed in storytelling, and a young artist meets real math. One parent described it in a review as rigorous yet fun. That balance is the point: challenge that a five-year-old actually wants to come back to the next morning.
Parents who have been through gifted admissions in Chicago often share the same lesson. Thinking skills do not change much with last-minute prep, but a child’s emotional readiness can change in a month or two. A kindergarten year is the right place to build it.
Every day, your child practices listening to a question, trying an answer, and working alongside other children in a small class with teachers they know well. Our founder, Beata Bielic, holds a Master’s degree in Psychology from Jagiellonian University and has more than 17 years in early childhood education. That understanding of how young children feel shapes an approach designed to help your child stay calm and curious when it counts.
It is usually the first thing parents of a bright five-year-old want to know, so here is the honest answer: an overwhelming majority of our kindergarten graduates are accepted into gifted programs.
Testing windows, application steps, and admission decisions belong to each school system, and they change from year to year. Chicago families should check the CPS website for current gifted and selective enrollment information, and suburban families should check their own district’s website. Our part is the year that comes before the test. We focus on giving your child a curious mind, steady attention, and the ease of someone who already enjoys learning in a classroom.
Leave your phone number and your child’s age. We will call you to pick a time to visit our classrooms at 6100 N Milwaukee Ave. Prefer to talk now? Call 773-206-4627.
No. The Gifted Enrichment Program is included in kindergarten tuition, along with three meals cooked on-site every day, weekly music classes with a qualified music teacher, and Brain Gym sessions twice a week. Gifted learning is simply how our kindergarten works, so it is part of your child’s regular day rather than a separate class you pay for on top.
Dates and application steps are set by each school system and change every year, so we do not publish them. If you live in Chicago, check the official CPS website for current gifted and selective enrollment information. If you live in a suburb, check your school district’s website. Checking early in the school year gives you time to plan, while your child keeps learning here without the stress of a countdown.
Small class sizes are what make individualized attention possible here. Teachers can see when your child has moved past the group and offer a harder book, a bigger project, or a deeper question. Because the gifted curriculum spans literacy, math, science, social studies, and art, a strong reader is also challenged in areas where they have more room to grow.
It should not, and it is not designed to. Learning here is hands-on and collaborative, and the week also includes music class with a qualified music teacher, art, dance, and STEM. Children spend time in dedicated indoor and outdoor learning areas, not only at a table. The goal is a five-year-old who comes home excited about what they made, not one who dreads another drill.
Every teacher holds an Early Childhood Education certification, and all staff are First Aid and CPR certified. The school was founded in 2009 by Beata Bielic, who holds a Master’s degree in Psychology from Jagiellonian University, has more than 17 years in early childhood education, and personally leads the Brain Gym sessions as a certified instructor.
See all kindergarten options on our Kindergarten page, compare costs on Tuition & CCAP, or read parent FAQs.
