After opening its doors April 24, KidsUnited Mundelein is hearing from local parents that the new indoor soccer development center is delivering something different.

The 3,000-square-foot facility at 424 E. Hawley St. offers year-round programs designed specifically for children ages 18 months through 9 years — and parents in Mundelein, Vernon Hills, Libertyville, Round Lake, Grayslake, Waukegan, and surrounding communities are responding faster than the owners expected.

“We opened on April 24th, and we have been honestly shocked at how warmly Lake County families have welcomed us,” said John Darino, who owns and operates the Mundelein location with his wife, Lauren. “We saw what this program did for our own kids, and we wanted to bring that experience to families in this community. The response in the first few weeks tells us we made the right bet.”

One trial class in particular crystallized for the Darino’s exactly why they brought KidsUnited to Lake County. A local mother brought her son in to try a class. She told the team that he had struggled in past team-sports environments because he felt overwhelmed and lost in the crowd. Within minutes, in KidsUnited’s small-class format with two coaches actively engaged with every child, he was thriving.

“Watching that mom’s face light up as she saw her son doing well — laughing, participating, holding his own — that is exactly what makes this work,” John Darino said in a news release. “Every child is on their own development journey, at their own pace. With no more than 12 children per class and two coaches on the field every session, that kind of attention is structural. It is not a marketing claim. It is how the program is designed.”

Unlike traditional youth sports programs, KidsUnited was built from the start around early childhood development principles. The curriculum was designed by child development specialists to teach far more than the sport. Children develop body mastery, teamwork, decision-making, communication, and self-confidence — using soccer as the engaging, age-appropriate context.

Three structural elements distinguish KidsUnited from typical youth sports offerings:

• Small classes, intentional ratios. Maximum 12 children per class with two coaches on the field, every session.

• Year-round, indoor, weather-proof. Programs run 52 weeks a year on a state-of-the-art indoor turf field. No cancellations for rain, heat, cold, or short winter days. Children get continuous progression, week after week.

• Personalized progress, communicated to parents. Coaches provide feedback to parents after every class. Formal child-development assessments are conducted every 13 weeks so parents can see exactly how their child is growing across motor skills, social engagement, and confidence.

“What we love most is watching the kids show up engaged and present,” said Lauren Darino, co-owner. “It is genuinely getting harder to pull young children away from screens. To walk into the club and see kids in motion — laughing, problem-solving together, learning to take turns and cheer each other on — that is exactly what childhood should look like. Every parent we talk to feels the same way. They are looking for something that pulls their kids back into the real world, not another scheduled screen activity.”

Parents interested in experiencing the program firsthand can book a complimentary trial class for their child. To schedule, parents can call 847-260-7101 or email mundelein@kidsunited.com.

For information, visit KidsUnited.com.