My daughter loves this school so far. Each time I pick her up she has big smiles on her face and…read moredoesn't want to leave. Before she goes home she blow kisses to the teachers and her friends. This is only her 3rd day. The classrooms are very spacious and airy with big windows. Principal Ms. Leyla is very caring and so are the teachers.

My daughter started at this Montessori when she was 14 months, I was super nervous finding the…read moreright Montessori for her, but after meeting Ms. Leyla, I knew I wanted to send my daughter here. Ms. Leyla was so welcoming and radiates love for the kids. She truly care for the kids and made me felt comfortable leaving my daughter in her care. The school is very new and clean, staff are friendly. The school also aligns with my view in Montessori learning and I can see the difference in my daughter since she started. Highly recommend.

This is going to make me emotional. I mean, this daycare centre is full of love. They treated my…read moreson like he was their own child. Lorna, Jeff, Katie, and Rudy are just awesome folks. If you want to feel secure in leaving your child at a daycare, choose Friends. I cannot tell you how much they touched our lives. They are attentive, caring and very professional. The facility is comforting because it's in the Quarker Society house on Lowther. It's clean and they have a playground as well as a park across the street. They go on field trips as well. Not only that but they also offer JK/SK and Lorna is a great teacher. My son learned SO MUCH in one year of JK that he spent there. It definitely put him ahead.My son had already been back to visit and I have a feeling he will continue to well into adulthood.

I have had two kids go through this daycare. I really cannot speak highly enough of it. We have…read morebeen through other daycares and there really is nothing like the "friends" experience. They create structure, but don't get bogged down by it. They offer life experience and spend as much as possible exploring through play as a teaching tool. Especially in their backyard oasis. They even offer music enrichment classes. One of the great things about friends is that there are children from the age of two to five all in the same room. Again, this offers a family experience. The staff are also excellent. They spend a lot of time working with the needs of you (yes, you) and your child. The staff here can tell exactly what kind of morning both you and your child have had when you arrive. And they truly help out when it's time to say goodbye to your little one. For anyone in the U of T area who wants an affordable and unique daycare experience, I highly recommend Friends.

Our daycare experience could not have been better. From 1 year onwards the ladies in the infant…read moreroom have been amazing. The attention and learning that our son experiences daily is due to the attention of the staff. An older location in the basement of a local church, they have been there since 1976 and the place is warm and well maintained. The building maybe old, but the facility is top notch.

For the past 12 years Wee Care has been there to support me and my husband. I have one daughter and…read moreI run a very successful and busy business. When I first met the people at Wee Care they were able to understand my special needs and were professional in their approach to my unique set of requirements. They were able to find me not just my first nanny that was with me for 6 years but then my subsequent nanny who is still with me. Having an MBA and strong background in Human Resouces , interviewing and hiring employees I was surprised at how well they screened and interviewed their candidates. This made my interviewing process much more streamlined. I recommend them to my clients and my friends on a regular basis for both long term and short term needs. They will not let you down.

In general, Mother Craft-Avondale provides a reliable service, but it is not up to par. It is a…read morepositive thing that there are a few good teachers who take care of the kids well. The Manager and a couple of teachers show signs of discrimination. Discrimination is not acceptable in any part of the world especially in Canada. Due to the fact that our kids are in day care, I am unsure where to file a complaint. They might be more affected if the complaints are straightforward. Couple of parents I spoke to also have the same issues. I am sincerely hoping the Director of Mothercraft Avondale, as well as the top management at Mothercraft Avondale, takes note of this review and warns or provides training to those teachers and manager.

Overall, I am quite happy. And yes, the waiting list is quite long, I went on the list when my son…read morewas 3 months, and we have started attending when he was 2.5 years old. Right now the preschool price is 1180 (for year 2012). The good: - I find the program to be quite varied, there is an ambudance of good toys and books, that are not just fund, but educational. - Right now there is Yoga and Music on alternating weeks and library visits for kindergarden group. - There is a water day every week during summer, when kids get sprinklers and all sorts of water toys. - most of the staff is great, the children get picked up and physically cared for when they're upset. They also seem to be quite sincere and genuinely interested in small children. - some food from home are allowed: we are bringing organic milk, bread and cereal. - a fair size yard for outdoor play, with sand box and, could be bigger and better of course, but compared to what most daycares have it's very good. And lots of outdoor toys. It's a bit too shaded, which is good in the summer, but no sunshine in the winter. I think I have only seen bigger yards in schools, or in a few suburb private schools such as Montesorri or Waldorf. - Also, weather permitting, kids stay longer outside than mandated minimum for the second outing, which is great! - GREAT: a report is put up of how much kid ate, when they slept and what was the program for day (this way on the way home you can follow up with your child a bit). Could be better: - food - breadsticks should not see daycare even as snack. Neither should wonderbread. It's better to serve local fruits and veggies - they have more vitamines. Porridges are unheard of here (except rice). It's not bad menu, but sure could be improved. I also don't see the merit of milk with lunch. I'm sorry, milk is food, not drink, just like soup. And drinking milk along lunch with meatballs is just wrong by any established cuisine. Morning snacks are cold, which in the winter is bad. Milk is always served right out of the fridge btw. Gee, skip all the GMO corn cereal and serve everyone a mug of organic hot chocolate (warmth, iron, calcium and calories). Or nice oatmeal, polenta or buckwheat porridge (either can be prepared day of or day before and reheated). - too much sanitization w/ clorine. Better don't let street shoes and sick kids in and wipe runny noses promptly. And it seems to have been established that triclosane soap (anti-bacterial one) is not a good thing on daily basis. My sister with PhD in Bio says the same - it just kills all the flora and weakens immune system. Yet, the kids are using this type of soap. We personally have our own - it is allowed. - it's a bit chilly in the winter - around 20C - I'm a bit upset with all the waste with papertowels, especially when there is laundry on site. Although after lunch kids use damp clothes to wipe their faces.

Our family's experience with this Waldorf school was painful and eye-opening. Our daughter was…read moredenied admission specifically because she has ASD Level 1, despite previously being accepted into their daycare pre-diagnosis. This raises serious concerns for us around inclusion and human rights. I share this so other families of neurodivergent children can make informed decisions and avoid the emotional toll and paperwork we went through.

The Waldorf pedagogy is a healthy way of growing up a human being. This school does this and brings…read moreinto account a natural way of learning. We have been around from parent child classes to pre school to three years of kindergarten. It has been a great place to grow so far.