Fantasy Island Schools for Kids gives Forest Glen families an English-language kindergarten a short drive up Elston Avenue, where five- and six-year-olds get ready for first grade on Chicago’s Northwest Side and beyond.
Forest Glen is the wooded corner of Chicago’s Far Northwest Side around the Forest Glen Metra station on Forest Glen Avenue, just off Elston Avenue. On its east side, LaBagh Woods and the North Branch of the Chicago River mark the southern start of the North Branch Trail.
Families here already have quiet streets and the woods next door. For kindergarten, what they look for is a full day of real learning, teachers they can trust, and a clear path to first grade, whether that is a CPS school, a gifted program, or a private school.
This page is about kindergarten near Forest Glen. It covers the drive from the Forest Glen Metra station to our school, the nearby areas we serve, how our kindergarten fits with the GoCPS process, and what a full day looks like for your five- or six-year-old.
Fantasy Island Schools for Kids is at 6100 N Milwaukee Ave, where Elston Avenue meets Milwaukee Avenue in the Norwood Park area. A kindergarten is easiest to judge in person, so we invite you to schedule a tour, meet our teachers, and ask your questions in person.
Fantasy Island is about 2 miles by car from the Forest Glen Metra station, and almost the whole drive is one straight run northwest on Elston Avenue.
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The Forest Glen stop on Metra’s Milwaukee District North Line sits at 5310 N Forest Glen Ave, about 10 miles from Union Station. If one parent rides the train downtown, a kindergarten up Elston Avenue lets you split the morning. One of you catches the train, and the other drops off your child on the way to work.
LaBagh Woods, entered from Cicero Avenue just north of Foster Avenue, is the southern start of the North Branch Trail along the Chicago River. The Forest Preserves of Cook County know it for birding, wetlands, and sedge meadows. A five-year-old who spends the school week asking questions and exploring science brings that curiosity along on weekend walks here.
Forest Glen Park at 5069 W Berwyn Ave is a small neighborhood playground, less than half an acre, one block northeast of Elston Avenue and the train tracks. It is a good spot for a swing after pickup. For a full day with art, music, and STEM, families look beyond the block to a kindergarten with room for all of it.
Sauganash shares the Forest Glen community area and takes its name from Billy Caldwell, the Potawatomi leader known as Sauganash. Families on its curving streets often weigh the same choices Forest Glen parents do: CPS options, gifted programs, and private kindergarten. Our Sauganash page covers the area in more detail.
Edgebrook makes up the northern part of the Forest Glen community area, and like Forest Glen it grew around a railroad stop that drew commuters in the 1880s. Many families there also commute along Elston Avenue. Our Edgebrook page looks at kindergarten and early learning for that neighborhood.
Forest Glen Park has no programs of its own, so the Chicago Park District points neighbors to nearby Gladstone Park for classes and activities. That makes Gladstone Park a familiar stop for many Forest Glen families, and it sits on the same side of the city as our school. Our Gladstone Park page has more for families there.
If your five- or six-year-old is ready for more than play, you want a kindergarten that builds real skills for first grade. Our English-language kindergarten uses a gifted, hands-on curriculum in literacy, math, science, social studies, and art, taught in small classes by teachers with Early Childhood Education certifications.
An overwhelming majority of our kindergarten graduates are accepted into gifted programs. For Forest Glen families, the school is about 2 miles up Elston Avenue, open Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with three meals cooked on-site every day and included in tuition.
Kindergarten readiness starts a year or two earlier. If your child is three or four, our preschool builds the habits that make kindergarten easier: listening in a group, early letters and numbers, and the confidence to try new things.
The day mixes our gifted curriculum with weekly music class led by a qualified music teacher and Brain Gym sessions twice a week, led by our founder, a certified Brain Gym instructor. For families near the Forest Glen Metra station, preschool and kindergarten in the same building mean your child can move up without changing schools or commutes.
If you have a two-year-old as well as an older child, finding care for both can mean two drop-offs every morning. Our daycare serves children ages 2 to 3 in the same building as our preschool and kindergarten, so a Forest Glen family can make one stop on Elston Avenue on the way to work.
Toddlers learn through play, songs, and simple routines with certified teachers, and every staff member is First Aid and CPR certified. Three locally sourced meals are cooked on-site daily and included in tuition, so there is no lunch to pack.
Work schedules in Forest Glen are not all the same. Some parents ride Metra downtown five days a week, and others split time between home and the office. Our childcare covers children ages 2 to 6 with full-time and part-time enrollment, Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
We are an Illinois state-licensed day care center, and we accept families in the Illinois Child Care Assistance Program, including those assisted by Illinois Action for Children. Tuition depends on program and schedule and includes meals, music, Brain Gym, and our Gifted Enrichment Program.
Many Forest Glen parents start by asking whether to go the CPS route or choose a private kindergarten. CPS handles applications for many of its programs, including gifted and selective options, through GoCPS at go.cps.edu. Dates, eligibility, and steps can change each year, so check the current details there rather than relying on what a neighbor did last year.
Choosing a private kindergarten does not close the CPS door. Our kindergarten is designed to prepare children to continue their education in American schools, and an overwhelming majority of our kindergarten graduates are accepted into gifted programs. Many families use the kindergarten year to build skills and confidence while they plan their GoCPS applications for what comes next.
From the Forest Glen Metra station, our school is about 2 miles away, and nearly all of it is one road. You turn onto Elston Avenue, follow it northwest until it meets Milwaukee Avenue, and you are at 6100 N Milwaukee Ave. There is no zigzag through side streets and no highway to merge onto with a five-year-old in the back seat.
We are open Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. That leaves room for a parent who drops off on the way to a job in the suburbs and a parent who rides the train downtown and picks up on the way home. One stop covers the whole school day.
Forest Glen children grow up with LaBagh Woods and the river nearby, so many parents want a kindergarten day that is not spent sitting still. Our day mixes the gifted curriculum with music class from a qualified music teacher, Brain Gym twice a week, art, dance, and STEM, in dedicated indoor and outdoor learning areas.
Meals are part of the day too. Our kitchen cooks three nutritious, locally sourced meals on-site every day, and all three are included in tuition. On a full day from morning to evening, that means your child eats well without a packed lunch, and you have one less thing to do before you leave the house.
Elston Avenue runs from the Forest Glen Metra station almost to our door, about 2 miles. A simple, familiar drive makes a full school day easier for you and your child.
Our gifted curriculum is built to prepare children for American schools, and an overwhelming majority of our kindergarten graduates are accepted into gifted programs. Your child finishes kindergarten ready for the next step, whichever school you choose.
English is our language of instruction. Most of our teachers speak Polish, we hold Polish classes every Friday, and Ukrainian-speaking teachers lead language activities, so your child can keep a home language while learning in English.
Forest Glen parents look for a kindergarten they can trust before they ever compare curriculum. Here is what you can count on when you choose Fantasy Island.
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.
About 2 miles by car from the Forest Glen Metra station. From Forest Glen Avenue you turn onto Elston Avenue, follow it northwest until it ends at Milwaukee Avenue, and turn left. The school is at 6100 N Milwaukee Ave, in the Norwood Park area. Because almost the whole trip is on Elston, it is an easy drive to fit into a morning commute.
Yes. Attending a private kindergarten does not stop you from applying to CPS. Applications for many CPS programs, including gifted and selective options, go through GoCPS at go.cps.edu. Check the current dates and eligibility there each year. Our kindergarten is designed to prepare children to continue in American schools, and an overwhelming majority of our graduates are accepted into gifted programs.
Yes. English is the language of instruction, and our goal is to prepare your child to continue in American schools. We also offer language support. Most of our teachers speak Polish, structured Polish classes are held every Friday, and Ukrainian-speaking teachers lead language activities for Ukrainian-speaking children. Your child does not need to know Polish or Ukrainian to enroll.
We are open Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with full-time and part-time enrollment. Many Forest Glen parents split the day, with one dropping off on Elston Avenue in the morning and the other picking up after the train ride home. Three meals are cooked on-site and included in tuition, so you do not need to pack lunch.
It depends on space in our kindergarten class and the schedule you need. Kindergarten is for children ages 5 to 6, and you can choose full-time or part-time enrollment. The quickest way to find out is to schedule a tour. You will see the classrooms, meet the teachers, and learn what openings and start dates are available for your child.
Much of this land once belonged to Billy Caldwell, the Potawatomi leader known as Sauganash. Railroad stops at Forest Glen and Edgebrook drew commuters by the 1880s.
Home building did not begin in earnest until the 1920s.
Forest Glen is small, and you learn its streets quickly.
The North Branch of the Chicago River winds through the area, and its bends pull the streets off Chicago’s usual straight grid. You get wooded, gently rolling ground that feels far from the city’s flat blocks.
In 1929 residents voted to form their own Forest Glen Park District. Today LaBagh Woods is where many neighbors walk, bike, and watch birds.
Forest Glen is quiet, but it is well connected.
See all areas on Kindergarten by Area, or read about our kindergarten program.
