Private school may be headed to Algonquin

Algonquin has paved the way for a private educational facility to set up shop on the village's Randall Road corridor.

The committee of the whole gave Primrose School preliminary approval Tuesday night to build a 11,500 square foot building inside the Briarwood Center on County Line and Randall roads.

In addition to summer camp and after-school care, Primrose offers educational programs for infants, preschoolers and kindergartners.

The school, founded in Atlanta in 1982, operates locations in 16 states and prides itself on offering a "balanced learning" curriculum that stresses literacy, math, hands-on activity and technology, according to its website.

The building in Algonquin would be big enough to house 184 kids in 11 classrooms. Students will range in age from 6 months to 12 years, said Laura Daniel of South Barrington, who owns the school with her husband, Kurt.

The Algonquin outpost marks the school's first foray into Illinois.

"It's a great place to do business," Laura Daniel said of Algonquin. "Families are looking for the type of services we provide."

There are currently about a half dozen similar day schools in Algonquin, said Senior Village Planner Katie Parkhurst.

If the Algonquin village board approves the project on Oct. 5, the owners hope to break ground just before winter of this year. They plan on opening the school next summer and will also seek licensing from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.