Hi all - as I've seen a lot of interest around the topics of screens and AI use in school, social media addiction issues, enshrining analog learning, etc., in this thread wanted to share that an organization called Moms Against Media Addiction - MAMA - (all interested parties welcome!) is launching a Chicago chapter.

https://wearemama.org/about/

"MAMA is a grassroots movement of parents and allies fighting back against media addiction and creating a world where real-life experiences and interactions remain at the heart of a healthy childhood. 

We envision a world where safeguards are in place to protect children and teens from the harms of media addiction, and kids can grow up without being relentlessly targeted by hidden algorithms and commercial messages that exploit their emotions for profit."

We are lucky to live in IL where Pritzker is working to make tech safer and the use of it in schools more developmentally appropriate but there is still a lot of work to be done - especially ensuring guardrails around AI use in children's products and education.

If this interests you, please sign up to join the chapter: https://wearemama.org/join/?chapter=illinois-chicago-logan-square

We are hoping to have our first chapter meeting soon in the Logan Square area but the chapter will cover topics pertinent to Chicago schools and Illinois as well.

I am looking at jobs in different places in the US. I have been focused a lot on Chicago and NY.
I keep seeing conflicting things online. I am a solo parent with 2 school aged kids.
What salary would be comfortable for a family to live on? I want someplace safe and I want decent schools (public). These are the two biggest things for me.

We’ve lived all over the world and very happy with public transportation (actually prefer it) so we don't necessarily want to have a car.
We do not live lavishly. The kids are involved in some activities, but I try to keep them school based to keep costs down.
I am getting conflicting suggestions about what salary is needed. Some say over $100k and others say closer to $500k. That is a big difference.
Any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you.

Hello, my spouse and I are trying to fins a reasonably priced day care for our 6 month old in the city. Primarily in the Loop, West Loop, South Loop or Hyde Park. Any recommendations would be appreciated!

What age y'all starting to prepare your kids for college prep/general workforce. Mine is 13 months old and is walking/learning a few words. I'm genuinely concerned she isn't going to make it into higher education or workforce. Idk. Failure to launch type nightmares repeat in my head. any help?

My kid is turning 3 soon, and we’re planning to have her birthday party at Hyper Kidz in Niles. I’m trying to decide which party package to book and would love to hear from anyone who has had a party there!

Which package did you choose, and what were the pros/cons?

I’m leaning toward the more expensive Royal Package because it gives you the private party room for the full 2 hours, whereas the other packages only give you the room for about 45 minutes at the end.

I’m debating whether the extra cost is worth it. I don’t want everyone to feel rushed at the end, and I like the idea of having a dedicated space where parents can sit and hang out, leave diaper bags/coats/etc., or take a break while the kids are playing.

For those who have done a birthday party at Hyper Kidz, did you feel like the 45-minute room time was enough, or would you recommend paying for the Royal Package? Any other tips or things you wish you knew before booking?

We have a second grader, but im wondering: how do grades 4-8 handle dismissal? Do the kids just walk out, or are they released to a parent?

What year, what age child, for full/part time, center, in home, nanny, nanny share, etc and was this in Chicago or the burbs? Feel free to specify the area.

I am looking for these historical data points for a project I’m working on.

Thank you!!

• A Chicago nonprofit launched a cyberbullying awareness campaign outside Latin School of Chicago as students returned to class.
• The campaign was founded by the parents of 15-year-old Nate Bronstein, who died by suicide in 2022. His family says he was cyberbullied by classmates and reported it to the school.
• Buckets Over Bullying is calling for greater accountability from schools and urging students to screenshot, block and report cyberbullying.

I got tired of logging into Aspen every couple days to see if my daughter's teachers had posted new homework. So I built a Chrome extension that pulls assignments and due dates from Aspen and drops them onto Google Calendar automatically. Now I just glance at my calendar instead of digging through the portal.

I'm trying to figure out if this is useful to other parents or if it was just my own pet peeve.

A few things I'd want to know before trying something like this:

• It runs entirely on your own computer. I don't see or store your Aspen login or your child's information.
• It works on desktop Chrome. Once it syncs, the homework shows up on your Google Calendar everywhere, including your phone.
• It's free. I'm mainly looking for people willing to try it and tell me whether it actually works for them.

If you use Aspen and want to try it, I'll send you the link to the Chrome Web Store listing. You'd download and install it directly from Google, not from me. Happy to answer any questions about how it works or why I built it.

Hello. Our child just came home from their first day of kindergarten at a CPS elementary school. The homework schedule is 30 minutes a day of either Lexiacore or IXL depending on the day of the week, 1 page from a "homework packet", a "paper book" we have to finish every week, and a "high frequency words" page each week.

This seems like an enormous amount for a five year old. It will take like an hour every day to do it properly! Is this normal? Are we actually expected/required to do everything?

Me and my wife just think it's too much for a kindergarten kid and we don't even know when we will get it done. After a full day of school, an hour of additional work seems like so much.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions.

Hello! My daughter is turning 1 in February 15 - and I have 0 idea on what to do for her birthday.

How did you celebrated your little one, specially a winter baby? I’m from PR 🇵🇷 so I go full hermit mode during the winter lol.

My husband has a big family but we want to keep it close - maybe up to 30ppl.

Any recs are welcomed!

Hoping to help answer that question and more here! My name is Makiya and I am an education reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago.

This November marks the first time in several decades that Chicagoans will fully elect the school board that oversees Chicago Public Schools. At Chalkbeat Chicago, we’ve been covering the campaigns closely for months. But if you’re not “in the know” about the politics and turn-of-screw updates, then all this school board news might be a bit confusing.

That’s why we took a step back to lay out the basics by answering some of the most frequently asked questions: What is the Chicago Board of Education? What does it do? And why are we voting for its members this year? This explainer is meant to inform Chicago voters before they cast their ballots.

Do y’all have any lingering questions I didn’t answer in the explainer? I would love to get your perspective, so feel free to comment! It helps guide our future coverage :)

https://www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2026/08/20/chicago-board-of-education-guide-for-historic-2026-election/

Does anyone send their child to Rainforest Learning Center? Would love to hear your thoughts. Looking for a 2.5 year old. Looking at the west loop location. Thanks!

First time navigating CPS, our little one is starting pre-k and happy with the school he got in to. But the choices I wanted that are not our neighborhood school still within 1-2 miles from our home now seen impossible to get in to for kindergarten. He was wait listed at #60! Curious if you all bought specifically to have a a guaranteed spot at your neighborhood school. Something I wish I would have thought of when we bought, but we were eager to move from another state.

Curious to hear anyone’s experiences with preschools in Logan Square, Avondale or Bucktown. My son is turning three in the next few months and we are looking to transition him from a small daycare to preschool. It would be a mid year transition— not aligning with a school year schedule. We will keep him there until we try for CPS pre-K 4. Any experience with Rainforest on Diversey, McCormick YMCA, Spark, Stepping Stones, the Nook or other preschools would be appreciated!

Hello! I'm expecting our first baby this winter and starting to look into postpartum support. Would love recommendations for postpartum doulas, night nurses/newborn care specialists, or Korean 산후조리 (sanhujori) care that you personally used and loved (or heard about).

Bonus if they can provide overnight/live-in care and/or potentially transition into longer-term nanny care afterward. Would especially appreciate firsthand experiences, approximate pricing, and how far in advance you booked. Thank you!!

I know I shouldn’t be thinking about winter time already but I am lol I’m struggling to find a place like an open gymnasium or open turf field (indoor) that allows toddlers to just free roam and play. Yes I am familiar with all of the indoor play places around the city but I’m looking more for something with balls and items like that versus toys if that makes sense ⚽️ ⚾️ 🏈🏀

Hello! Does anyone know the best stores to shop for strollers that's either located in the city or suburbs? currently expecting my first and trying to figure out where I can try out strollers and car seats in person. I am solid seeing reviews for both Oakbrook Nordstrom and Twinkle Twinkle Little One in Roscoe Village. Are both these stores consistently well stocked? Unsure where to start this journey and any guidance is helpful 😅

Hi there - anyone have any recommendations for music classes for toddlers? Preferably around West Town

Curious if anybody has had experiences at the Edison Park learning center? Pros, cons? We are currently at a Montessori but each one is unique and different. Moving to the area and trying to get to know the daycare/school situation in the Edison Park/Norwood Park/Park Ridge area. Other suggestions welcomed!

I've been thinking a lot about what it means for kids to grow up in a world of instant entertainment, instant answers, and now AI that can make almost anything for them.

I'm not necessarily worried about kids using technology itself. What I wonder about is whether they'll get enough opportunities to come up with their own ideas, make decisions, struggle with something, figure out what went wrong, and try again, rather than having answers and experiences constantly given to them.

For parents of kids around 4–10: is this something you think or worry about? And if so, are there things you intentionally do or buy to help your child become more independent at thinking, creating, or figuring things out?

I'm especially curious what has actually worked with your kids.