When I think of Blue Bird Day, I can’t help but feel at home and that the staff is an extension of our family. The staff members go out of their way to make the kids feel safe, welcomed, encouraged, and confident. In the time we have been there we have seen progress that can not be measured. I didn’t think we’d be where we are today and I don’t believe any other school compares to Blue Bird Day.  All the hard work by the staff has given our kids a second chance. 

Blue Bird Day has helped our kids excel and gave us as parents the tools to help our kids reach their goals. From visual aids, to behavior charts, to a prize chart, the list goes on.  I might have been the biggest skeptic when it came to these things but when I saw how much it helped, I couldn’t help but reinforce it and it made the difference. I swear by them now. The kids look froward to going to school each and every day. I feel like they would stay there if they could. I feel we are very blessed to have found this place and that their first exposure to school has been filled with love and compassion. 

We met Sarah Hirschman, my daughter’s OT from Blue Bird Day,  while my daughter was in Early Intervention for what was then deemed Emotional Regulation & SPD. Sarah was by far the most influential therapist we had met. She was also the first person I contacted when Drew got the official Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis in December 2014. 

The moment we enrolled Drew at Blue Bird Day in February 2015, we noticed quasi immediate improvements on all fronts: better social ability, increased tolerance for the unknown,  less ritualistic rigidity, less lashing out against peers and significantly reduced tantrum violence and frequency. What we were particularly thrilled about was the level of excitement Drew manifested after her first day at Blue Bird Day and every morning thereafter when it was “time for school!” – something she usually was highly anxious about while attending our local catholic private school.  I could write for hours about Blue Bird Day, but what I hope to convey the most is how eternally grateful I am to have found true professionals who can handle and work with my daughter’s myriad of challenges. All the while, the team of amazing people who care, who love, who are incessantly dedicated, patient beyond understanding and ineffably compassionate with special children of all walks of life. 

Take a random walk through the halls or be a passive fly on the wall as you walk to the bathroom before you pick up your child and you will inevitably be floored by the radiant energy and the palpable positive vibes that emanate from the staff and therapists that are assiduously at work with their patients. It’s remarkable!  We all know as moms of special needs kids what herculean tasks we need to surmount every day and we all know it’s a marathon, not a sprint. For me, Blue Bird Day has turned the impossible into real accomplishments and each small step my daughter learns here turns into an exponential feat of achievement. It’s like a contagious positive cycle that Drew is now addicted to, and so are we. We never saw this before and we know it is all thanks to Blue Bird Day and their amazingly dedicated team.  I thank my lucky stars every time I see my daughter walk in after her Blue Bird Day session with a proud smile on her face! 

My son has made amazing gains at BBD. He has been attending the Wheaton campus since April and I can’t say enough good things about all the therapists and assistants.  My son LOVES going to school and the staff is so good about individualizing lessons to motivate him. We feel so lucky to have this school so close to our home.

Our family is incredibly grateful to have found Blue Bird Day Northcenter! We have a beautiful 4-year-old who is on the spectrum and had been in a lot of private therapy, but was not yet ready to join mainstream preschool. In just three short months, he has learned so much thanks to the care of his therapy team at Blue Bird Day. After a few tears on his first day, he now gets so excited every day at school dropoff. The care shown to him by his Developmental Therapist Janie K is so heartwarming as she guides him through his day and gives us awesome reports in the afternoons. We have also had fantastic support from our Speech Therapist Kelsey S and our Social Worker Meredith N. The updates we get from this team throughout the day are amazing. They have an app that parents can use to follow their children throughout the day, so that we always know what the kids are learning and experiencing, and how we can reinforce at home what they’ve learned at school. We are very grateful for the care and guidance our son is receiving at Blue Bird Day. We can’t wait to see what he will do next! 

Blue Bird Northcenter has been the best thing ever for my little guy. He has been in Early Intervention and was recently diagnosed with Autism and Global Delay. Since we started Blue Bird about 4 months ago, he has seemed so much happier and more engaged. You can tell all the therapists and assistants are very invested and always look so happy to come get him from the car in the morning. We wanted the best care for him, and I know he is getting it thanks to Kiana S, Ashley G, Nicole S, Irma G, Fasiha A, Serena K, Devin D, and everyone else there!