Our search for Emma’s daycare began back in Sept 2019 when we booked a school tour with a Montessori school close to home. Before went on the tour, we did a quick Google search and went on York Region’s Child Care Information page and identified the closest daycares that offer Infant (3M-18M) and Toddler (18M-2.5Y) programs in Markham and Richmond Hill. At that time, we weren’t sure yet about when to send Emma to daycare, but most certainly by 18 months when she is walking and hopefully can communicate some basic needs/thoughts.
We really want to make sure we make the right decision in choosing the right daycare. We saw how difficult it can be on the child when their caregiver changes – when our nanny left, and when Emma’s grandmother came to help out (maybe I will write about this more in another time). So the last thing we want to do is to have to switch daycare later on and needing Emma to readjust to a new place yet again. So after looking at daycares on and off, and attending a number of open houses and school tours, I figured I can now do a cross-comparison between all the different ones we have visited and hope this process can also help us in making our decision.
School tours can be private tours or group tours held during school hours where you can see the different classes they have and how the teachers interact with the students. Open houses are during after hours to view the facilities and speak with the principal and teachers to understand how the school would run during regular hours. For this reason, it’s always best to try to book for school tours during school hours to see how students and teachers interact with one another. And how teachers approach different types of students. However, open houses are easier to attend because they’re always held in the evenings or weekends. If both parents want to see the facility, surely start with an open house and if things look good, then schedule a separate school tour to see the teachers in action – this can help to minimize the amount of time needed to take off from work to visit the schools.
In summary, we have visited 9 daycares: 7 were school tours, 2 were open houses. In the order of our visit, here they are below with our impression of each and their basic information and costs. The costs are based on the hours and each school has different before/after hour costs associated with specific timeframes. The school hours I have listed are based on our future schedule need – drop off by 8:30 am and pick up by 6:00 pm.
1) Royal Cachet Montessori Schools (RCMS)
Infant Program
7:00 am to 6:00 pm: $1,760
Toddler Program
7:00 am to 6:00 pm: $1,614
Registration Fee: $175
This is the first school we visited back in Sept 2019 and we really had no idea what to expect on a tour and what questions to ask! Luckily it was a group tour, so we were glad to hear the questions from the other parents. The RCMS tour was very focused on emphasizing the Montessori philosophy, and frankly at the time, what I knew about Montessori is limited to a combination of child-led education, holistic (I think?), and good for developing independence. Maybe more about Montessori ways in a different time…
RCMS is a large school with infant, toddler, CASA (preschool), and elementary. The hubby really liked the idea that it will be like sending Emma to “school” as opposed to “daycare”. He is very set on having Emma establish independence from early on, but I disagreed. Emma will only be a year and a half when she starts out, I personally find that way too early for anything too restrictive. Yes, good habits are very important, but I think a warm and relaxing environment is much more important than what they are expected to do and learn from school. I also prefer smaller facilities where I feel everything is more “in control” and I am more aware of everything that could go on in the school. So, our impression was divided.
Returning home, we started to do more research and searched online for reviews. We also spoke with parents with older children and asked about how they chose their daycare. This is when we saw bad reviews online about their management and staff turnover. One of our neighbours also sent their older son to this school and did not like it. This drew the line and RCMS was off our list. We also learned that you cannot see everything from the school tours! Reviews and referrals are a must!
2) Trinity Montessori School
Toddler Program
8:00 am to 6:00 pm: $1,588
Registration Fee: $200
Annual Stationary Fee: $100
A friend of ours sent her son to Trinity’s toddler program and said he is doing great there, so we decided to also take a look since it’s not too far from where we live. The principal took us on a private tour and she was very nice and very thorough and patient in explaining.
The school is much smaller than RCMS and the teachers and principal seem to know all the students by name (which I liked). However, their toddler room is down in the basement of the building, with very little natural light. Natural light is very important for us – the only two bedrooms in the house with large south-facing windows are being used for Emma’s nursery and playroom. Although they will have two opportunities to get out on a daily basis, we are simply not comfortable with the thought of Emma spending her day in a basement room. Also, the school is older so the facilities appear to have a worn-out look. Selection of toys is also quite limited.
3) Victoria Education Centre
Toddler Program
7:00 am to 6:00 pm: $1,640
Registration Fee: $250
Workbooks Fee: unknown
This school has been highly reviewed within the Chinese community. It’s known for its long waitlist – need to get on the waitlist a year in advance is the general recommendation from others in my Wechat mommy groups. Many like the school for its availability of Chinese school from early on. I think most, if not all, of the teachers and staff were Chinese. I also don’t recall seeing any non-Asian faces amongst the students.
At home, we speak Mandarin with Emma, so we do take comfort when we think about sending her to a school where the language and faces will all be familiar to her. Most of the teachers at Victoria spoke English and either (or both) Mandarin or Cantonese. The interactions between the teachers with the students are positive, and we had no major concerns after our school tour. The rooms were more spacious compared to Trinity, and the facilities are updated. Victoria also has an in-house kitchen to make daily meals fresh – a huge plus.
The school is very clean and has a separate entrance for visitors and parents who are looking for the administrative staff (instead of dropping off and picking up). We were also asked to change shoes and use hand sanitizer when we entered the building – great that they take the health and safety of their students very seriously.
The school has two playgrounds – a smaller one for toddlers and a large one for pre-school and kindergarten. Both playgrounds have artificial grass and are well fenced.
The only question in our mind was: Is it really good for her to go to a school with such a lack of racial diversity?
4) Toronto Montessori School (TMS)
Toddler Program
8:00 am to 6:00 pm: $2,635*
Registration Fee: $6,000
Other Costs: $500-700*
Optional Annual Donation: $1,000 or $2,500
* approximate cost
We have not decided whether to go public or private later on. But after visiting the first three schools, hubby was generally not impressed with the facilities in the schools. So he decided that we should go take a look at TMS and see how big of a difference there really is.
First off, the cost is a huge difference. We’re going from $1,600 to over $2,600 per month. Note that TMS monthly cost is approximate. Their fee schedule is actually 11-payment (closest to monthly for the sake of comparison). But to calculate the monthly costs here, I calculated the annual cost and divided it by 12. In addition to the monthly cost, their one-time registration fee is 6k, and then there approximately $500-700 for field trips and other miscellaneous costs. I don’t recall the exact words, but the admission staff at the tour specifically said generally all parents will make annual donations. So I guess the “optional” annual donation isn’t all that “optional”. However, if you’re a believer in private school for the child eventually, the 6k is unavoidable and it may be better to send them in early (toddler, I don’t know, probably Casa/Children’s House) so that you can skip the need for elementary admission interview – TMS will take their own Casa students straight up for Elementary.
Costs aside. Yes, there is a huge difference in terms of the facility and environment. A lot of space, yes. A lot of natural light, yes. Variety in toys and equipment, yes. I liked the one-way privacy glass they have for the toddler classes – parents can stay to watch their children without the concern that their presence may affect children’s transition in their first few weeks of classes. The indoor playground is great for when it’s raining or snowing out. However, we had very little interaction with the toddler teachers during the tour.
In the end, I would not consider their Toddler program because, frankly, I don’t think a two-year-old will benefit too significantly from the “stage-of-art” equipment.
I came out of the public education system and I was very against sending Emma to private school before this. Now? I don’t know… I will admit that I really liked the school. The environment, the students, the teachers, and the principal (we bumped into him and chatted briefly in the hallway when the two student reps were taking us through the larger school). More thoughts on private school maybe in a few years, haha.
5) York Montessori School
Toddler / Pre-Casa
8:30 am to 6:00 pm: $1,670
Registration Fee: $500
We visited York MS about a month or two after Trinity MS. And York MS reminded me of Trinity a lot because of their smaller, cozy, warm environment. The principal led us on a very quick tour because the two toddler classes are in a separate building from the higher classes.
The building with toddler classes is situated behind the main building and connected to the playground. The two classrooms are very spacious and have large windows. We didn’t have any concern about the school from the tour and online reviews of the school are all positive. I wish I had asked to tour the main building as well.
6) Lullaboo Daycare
Infant Program
7:00 am to 6:30 pm: $1,590
Toddler Program
7:00 am to 6:30 pm: $1,220
Registration Fee: $100
We visited Lullaboo mainly for their infant program. In Feb 2020, we were no longer certain if we can wait until 18 months to send Emma to a Toddler Program directly. As a backup plan, we started to explore more schools with Infant Program. Another mom in my Wechat mommy group was planning to send her daughter to Lullaboo in the coming months, so we decided to take a look.
The costs at Lullaboo is very good. Their playground area is very large with artificial grass (see photo). The classrooms are spacious as well, but the hallways are very tight. Sometimes I smell strong perfume scent while walking in the hallway. Not sure if it’s air freshener or if their teachers can wear strong perfume around the students. But they have an in-house kitchen and all the meals are prepped fresh. And the teachers are very kind. However, the administration seems a tad disorganized? We were not greeted when we walked into the school (followed a parent in) and could not even find an available teacher to ask for directions to the office. After wandering around in the hallway, we interrupted a conversation and finally got some attention. This worries me though – visitors can get in so easily and staff is not actively looking out for unfamiliar faces. Hm…
7) Angus Glen Montessori School (AGMS)
Infant Program
8:00 am to 6:00 pm: $1,920
Toddler Program
8:00 am to 6:00 pm: $1,655
Registration Fee: $350
We visited AGMS’s open house just last week, mainly for their Infant Program as well. The school is in a heritage building part of a busy commercial plaza. The location is very convenient for us, but the playground is facing a major road. The toddler classrooms are fair-sized, but they only have one infant class and the room is quite small for a maximum of 10 infants. What I did like was their infant room has a sleeping room with glass windows that can look into the play area. For someone who is constantly worrying about the baby’s sleep, I feel more assured that this way, she would be able to maybe get a longer stretch of sleep with minimal distraction? Am I being too optimistic? Haha.
I think we will consider this school as a backup for if we really need to send Emma out before 18 months. But given the small room, maybe limited to part-time consideration only.
8) Blooming Lives Montessori School (BLMS)
Pre-Casa Program
8:30 am to 6:30 pm: $1,770
Registration Fee: $300
BLMS does not have an Infant Program, but we drove by it a few times and wondered why we never visited it since the location is also very convenient for us. Seeing the sign that they are about to have an open house, hubby and I made a note and visited them over this past weekend. We were impressed! And that came with a price tag! Their price is definitely higher than the rest of the Montessori schools we have visited.
The school was first opened in Sept 2017. There are 3 running classrooms – 1 Pre-Casa and 2 Casa. All classrooms are very spacious with lots of natural light coming through the oversized windows – benefits of a newer school. The teachers we met during the open house were very warm and kind. I really liked the “tightness” of the school. The fact that they only have 3 classes means that the school administration can have more attention devoted to each. Their playground is also very large with grass area and cement trail (see photo). They also have a sandpit!
The downside of a new school is obvious – fewer reviews available online. Not quite sure about staff turnover. Wechat mommy group to the rescue! Through the group, I met a mom whose son is currently going to BLMS and was able to get her sense of how the school is – positive feedback especially about the teachers there.
We are now planning to book a school tour at BLMS and see how the school runs and how the teachers are with the students. I will update once we have another visit!
9) ChildVentures (CV) Early Learning Academy
Infant Program
7:00 am to 6:00 pm: $2,020
Toddler Program
7:00 am to 6:00 pm: $1,930
Registration Fee: $250
We visited CV mainly for the Infant Program as well. CV, being a daycare franchise, has a strong “commercial” feel. The commercial feel blankets the warm feel of a school one would expect. The Richmond Hill location has the centre located on the second floor, so even though it is located in a busy commercial plaza, the facility is still well protected from all the traffic and commotion (especially with its playground in a large rooftop terrace). Their classrooms are all very large, with big windows. And the centre is well equipped, with surveillance cameras that are accessible for parents, highly secure entrance with passcode + fingerprint scanner, specialty rooms designed for music, art, drama, and computer.
Nonetheless, the commercial feel is significant. But the teachers do seem very nice and approachable. Since we are considering CV for the Infant Program, I am a bit less concerned about the commercial aspect. The idea of having surveillance cameras makes me feel a bit more at ease knowing I will be able to see Emma whenever I want/need to. Their system for doing daily reports and sending various photos throughout the day is also enticing.
So, that’s a summary of the 9 schools we have visited thus far. We might be doing one or two more to look at their Infant Program. But as far as Toddler Program, we feel that we’re at a good spot where we have seen a variety and know what we want and don’t want.
At the end of the day, the decision is very personal and is highly dependent on each family’s priorities. To us, we want to find a place that is not too out of the way but more importantly have good teachers and environments for growing. Personal reviews and referrals are super important. Take everything you see on the school tour with a grain of salt because when hosting a tour, the school will always try to show its best side. It’s only through speaking with people who have actually gone there that you will learn about more important things that can affect the child’s daily life in the school – like how teachers are, staff turnover rate, how accidents are actually handled, communication with the administration, etc.