The Goddard School of Springfield

We entrusted our 2-year-old son to The Goddard School in Springfield, IL for nearly 9 months, but recent events have forced us to withdraw him and speak out. A few days before his last day, we noticed unexplained scratch marks on his back after he returned home from school. Then on June 30, 2025, we received a call from the school informing us that he had been found crying—and upon examination, he had three distinct bite marks on his leg and a facial abrasion. The school did not seek medical attention. We had to pick him up and take him to urgent care, where he was treated with antibiotics and ointments. While we understand that accidents can happen with toddlers, the presence of multiple bite wounds in a single episode, along with previous injuries, raises serious concerns about supervision. We later learned that a child with a known history of biting was still in the classroom, and yet no preventative steps had been taken. During our conversation with the director/owner of the school, we were told that these kinds of incidents are “not preventable” and may continue due to the 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio. When we expressed our concern, the director/owner remarked that if we were uncomfortable, we could “part ways” and “hire a nanny.” This response was incredibly disappointing and added insult to injury. We have since filed a formal complaint with DCFS, and an investigation is now underway. We are sharing our experience not out of anger, but out of genuine concern—for our son and for other children who may not be able to voice what they are going through. We sincerely hope the school takes this seriously and implements changes to ensure a safer, more attentive environment. Photos of the injuries are included to emphasize the severity of what occurred.

Our daughter had an incredible time at Goddard. The owner is amazing at what she does and all of the admin staff are as well. Our daughter formed a wonderful connection and trust with multiple of her teachers.

We absolutely love the Goddard School Springfield. The owner & staff are always so friendly and helpful, my child loves his teachers and has so much fun learning & playing there.

The Goddard School and their staff are exceptional! They treat my child and family like their own. We love to see photos of our daughter during the day working on her developmental milestones. Our little girl is so happy and well cared for! We couldn’t be more pleased with our decision.

I love Goddard! This is the first daycare my daughter has been in and she's been so happy there since she started. She loves her teachers and loves going to school every day. She has made friends and it makes me so happy hearing her talk about them. The staff is always friendly and you can tell they genuinely love the children there. I love hearing about and seeing the various activities they have going on. My daughter learns and has fun at the same time. She adores going!