Ravinia Nursery School

What Ravinia Nursery School does

Ravinia Nursery School is a nonprofit developmental preschool founded in 1926 and headquartered at 686 Red Oak Lane in Highland Park, Illinois. It serves children ages two through five on Chicago's North Shore through a play-based curriculum rooted in social-emotional development, offering a Two Can Program for two-year-olds with a 4:1 child-to-teacher ratio, a five-day Morning Preschool program for three-year-olds, and a five-day Afternoon Pre-Kindergarten program for four- and five-year-olds, both at a 5:1 ratio. Core academic delivery is augmented by dedicated Movement (yoga and breath work) and Music enrichment taught by specialist faculty, a seven-week Summer Camp that is partially open to the public, a Lunch Bunch extended-care option, and a structured Parent Participation cooperative model with Parent Board governance and classroom volunteering.

The school operates from a single facility — the "Little Blue School," built in 1958 and renovated incrementally in 1991, 1998, and 2002 — supported by approximately 19 staff including a Director, Operations Assistant, two specialist teachers, and roughly 16 classroom teachers. Revenue mechanics consist of recurring tuition and program fees across the core tracks, transaction-based extended care ($20 per Lunch Bunch session), and fundraising streams including a Spring Event (largest fundraiser), Fall Festival, and a twice-yearly Gift Card Give Back program that supports scholarships and capital improvements. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and community-driven: prospective families inquire and tour, and enrollment growth relies on word-of-mouth, parent testimonials, and organic social presence on Facebook and Instagram rather than paid acquisition.

Name

Ravinia Nursery School

Legal name

Ravinia Nursery School

Website

https://ravinianurseryschool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Ravinia Nursery School is a nonprofit developmental preschool in Highland Park, Illinois, serving children ages two to five on Chicago's North Shore since 1926 with play-based curriculum and low child-to-teacher ratios.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Half-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAC), Extended Day Programs at Preschools & Childcare Centers (EDACAHAB)

Keywords

• Preschool education
• Early childhood education
• Play-based curriculum
• Summer camp programs
• Movement enrichment

Headquarters

HQ city

Highland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Program Fees: Primary revenue from tuition for Two Year Old Programs, Preschool Programs (Morning and Afternoon), and Summer Camp. Families pay for enrollment in these structured programs.
2. Extended Care Programs: Revenue from Lunch Bunch program at $20/session as an add-on service for families requiring extended care.
3. Annual Fundraising Events: Spring Event (largest fundraiser) and Fall Festival generate revenue through ticket sales, silent auctions, and donations to support scholarships and capital improvements.
4. Gift Card Give Back Program: Twice-yearly fundraiser where staff and families purchase gift cards at face value, with a percentage going directly to RNS with no additional cost to purchasers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ravinia Nursery School operates a developmental play-based preschool serving children ages two through five at its Highland Park, Illinois facility. The school delivers Two Can (two-year-old), Morning Preschool (threes), and Afternoon Pre-Kindergarten (fours and fives) programs, complemented by Movement (yoga) and Music enrichment classes, a Summer Camp, and a parent-run cooperative participation program. Founded in 1926, it is one of the oldest preschools in Illinois, functioning as a nonprofit community institution.

Product overview

Ravinia Nursery School offers a developmental play-based preschool program for children ages 2-5. The core educational offerings consist of the Two Can Program for two-year-olds and two Preschool Programs for three-to-five-year-olds (Morning and Afternoon programs). The school operates as a unified play-based curriculum enhanced by Movement and Music enrichment classes. Additional offerings include a Summer Camp program and extensive parent participation opportunities. The school also organizes community events including Fall Festival, Spring Fundraiser, and Undernighters. All programs are designed to build social-emotional development as the foundation for learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Two Can Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Children develop strong social-emotional skills essential for kindergarten readiness and lifelong learning
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• KinderCare Learning Companies: National for-profit early childhood education provider with centers nationwide serving infants through school-age children. Comparable to Ravinia in delivering preschool curricula, though operates at a much larger scale with extended-hour, full-day offerings rather than Ravinia's half-day, single-site model.
• Primrose Schools: National franchise network of private preschools offering accredited early childhood education programs. Comparable to Ravinia in targeting affluent suburban families with premium, play-based curricula, though at multi-site scale rather than a single location.
• The Learning Experience: National daycare and preschool franchise serving children six weeks to six years. Comparable to Ravinia in targeting suburban families with preschool programs for ages 2–5, though at much larger franchise scale with full-day hours.
• Cadence Education: Large U.S. operator of early childhood education centers under multiple brands, serving infants through school-age children. Comparable to Ravinia in the preschool age segment, though operating at significantly greater scale across multiple brands and geographies.
• Guidepost Montessori: Multi-site Montessori preschool and elementary provider with locations nationwide including the Chicago metro. Comparable to Ravinia as an early childhood education alternative for affluent families, though typically delivers a Montessori rather than play-based developmental curriculum.
• The Goddard School: National franchise preschool system offering play-based learning for children from infancy through pre-kindergarten. Comparable to Ravinia in delivering developmental preschool programming in suburban markets, though across hundreds of franchised locations.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Largest publicly-traded provider of high-quality early education and child care, operating centers across the U.S. (including Chicago-area locations). Comparable to Ravinia in offering preschool programs for ages 2–5, but at significantly greater scale and with broader employer-sponsored care models.

Regional players

• Lake Forest Country Day School: Independent, nonprofit preschool through 8th-grade day school located on Chicago's North Shore in Lake Forest, IL. Directly comparable to Ravinia in serving affluent North Shore families with early childhood programs in a single campus nonprofit setting.
• Francis W. Parker School: Independent, nonprofit preschool through 12th-grade day school on Chicago's North Shore with an early childhood program for ages 3–5. Comparable to Ravinia in delivering nonprofit, play-based preschool education to North Shore families, though embedded within a larger K–12 institution.

Emerging players

• Apple Montessori Schools: Regional Montessori preschool chain with multiple New Jersey and metro locations serving infants through kindergarten. Comparable to Ravinia as a premium early childhood education option, though operating across multiple campuses rather than a single North Shore site.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ravinia-nursery-school-236793327380
• Instagraminstagram.com/ravinianurseryschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ravinia-nursery-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ravinia Nursery School