Worst contract we have ever seen for a daycare. They want you to sign a contract that states that you agree to leave your child there for a minimum of 18 months, otherwise you will lose the $1200 deposit. They also expect you to give them first month's fees (which are currently sitting at $2,025 a month) plus the $1,200 deposit and a $300 administration fee to hold the spot. We also were dismayed by the reaction from Ms Seema ( Head Administrator) about some worrisome reviews we read online about how the kids were mistreated in two particular cases. Instead of going into damage control mode and try to alleviate our fears she just said "I thought you would have read those reviews before making an appointment." We were taken aback. I thought she would have said something along the lines of "those are isolated situations and the staff were dealt with accordingly"... " we strive to provide a safe and healthy environment for your most child" But no, nothing - just condemnation for not reading the bad reviews BEFORE we made an appointment. Luckily were were on several list and didn't have to choose this place because of lack of spots. Our thinking is they don't have waiting lists because they hope to snag the few parents that are desperate to get their kid in a daycare spot then try and lock the parents into a draconian contract that financially penalises them excessively if they decide this place is not the right fit for their child. The toddler section was pretty much empty and when we dug deeper it appears they have trouble keeping kids for more than 6 months. Most daycares are so incredibly difficult to get into, and the toddler spots are even more scarce. So this is another red flag. Please Note: The actual staff we did meet were very nice except for Ms Seema who was pleasant until we had some questions. I seems the owner and Ms Seema have known eachother since the early days of this place. They seem to be the issue. read more

My daughter has been at bluebird for a little over two years. She absolutely loves it. It's a weird notion to have your child ask "can I go to school" on a Saturday. read more

Our son was recently enrolled in MBM and we were extremely unhappy with the care he received. The owner made many promises that she did not fulfil- the main being that no more than 5 babies would be in the infant room. Often we would drop our son off to a worker who would be alone with SEVEN babies under 18 months. When I would complain, I would be told, 'yes, yes, someone else will be up there shortly'. While there was at least one worker who we really loved, we did not feel very comfortable with the majority of the people there - largely because we knew very little about them and they barely communicated with us. I also overheard a worker speaking crossly to a baby. Some days we would drop our child off and there would be a complete stranger in the room. One time the person didn't even know who he was and just kept calling him 'baby'. (Obviously we understand that new teacher's aids will come in from time to time, but on this occasion it was the main and only caregiver in the room!) The price of this facility does not align with the level of care. Our sense was that this is simply a business venture for the owner and the children are not the priority. We could never, in good conscience, recommend this place. read more

I have to say that I am completely shocked by MommyD's post. My son has been at Bluebird for over a year and my husband and I couldn't be happier. He started in the infant room and is now in the toddler room so I have gotten to know every teacher very well. They are all extremely kind, funny, and sweet to both my son and me. I have never heard them lash out at any kids. When they do discipline them, it is very much in line with what I do at home (i.e., meet the child at eye level, explain how they are behaving badly, ask them to correct themselves.) I have witnessed this on many occasions because I pick up my son at different times. When he's not ready to go (e.g., needs to have his diaper changed, isn't finished his snack), I sit and wait. We almost always do drop off and pick up in the yard, which shows that they spend lots of time outside. This was not the case in the beginning as the infants are not taken out as often since they are small and the big kids might hurt them - at least that was my understanding, which totally made sense to me. I am so happy with Bluebird that I recommended it to my cousin. We have both found that our kids have blossomed in a variety of ways; this is in no small part due to the loving care they receive at Bluebird. In terms of price, I am not sure what parents expect when sending their kids to daycare. I researched a variety of centres - both city and privately-run settings - and found Bluebird to be much cheaper than the alternatives. The only choice that was more affordable was Wee Watch and that is a home care service. I agree that it's not very convenient that they don't have on-site meals prepared. (This is the only reason why I didn't give Bluebird five stars.) But I have found a silver lining in this: my son eats what I make so I know what he's getting. Again, having done a ton of research, I realized that people's perception of "healthy" is different. I am not a fanatic when it comes to food, but I also don't want him to eat mac n' cheese or chicken fingers everyday. (This was a staple on nearly every one of the meal plans I reviewed.) I can say, without any reservation, that my son loves it at Bluebird. I feel truly lucky that my family found such great care for him. read more

My daughter went to bluebird for just under a year. The teachers were very friendly and the classroom were very clean.

My daughter attended MBM for about 4 months. We weren't able to find much information in terms of reviews online and it was a very quick decision that had to be made, so it seemed good at the time. The only good thing I can say is that my daughter did seem happy for the most part. My husband and I on the other hand had many issues with the administration and actual care. First of all, we were told that the kids are taken outside twice a day except in extreme weather. My daughter's shoes always came home clean (their yard is wood chips) and my husband had many jobs in the area and drove by several times a day and never once saw the strollers out or any kids in the yard. We had to provide all food and snacks which we were aware of when signing up, but for the money that this school charges I feel that this should be included OR the tuition should be cheaper. Apparently it is part of the montessori license that food is provided so i'm not sure how MBM gets away with not following this license requirement. Perhaps they are grandfathered. Our daughter never had diaper rash (except for one very bad few weeks) during her whole first year before daycare. Once she started at MBM she came home with diaper rash by tuesday and had it for the week. It would clear up on weekends and then go right back to rash after one or two days back at school. It got so bad that at one point the entire surface area of her bottom where the diaper covered was bright red! This issue was discussed on several occasions with the head staff and director. Fingers were always pointed at us..."wrong diaper cream", "maybe it's happening at home"...etc etc, it was always OUR fault, there was no accountability and there was never any change in the problem until it was too late and we had, had enough. The principle even admitted to us that she "is a business woman" and not an educator which clearly means she is in it for the money and doesn't really know how to provide proper care or take the time to hire properly trained individuals. I am not saying that the girls working there were not nice people, the ones that looked after the infant program (where our daughter was) were great, but I do not think that out of the amount of staff that worked there, enough of them were trained in montessori, or that all of them had even completed their ECE course. That being said I do not think that the teachers actually followed the true montessori principles and maybe, again, it was because they are potentially "grandfathered" and don't have to follow standards. There was one occasion where my husband went to pick up our daughter and wasn't seem by the staff yet and heard one of the staff saying very aggressively to one of the students "JUST STOP YOUR WHINING", or something to that effect. The administration is just very poor and we did not ever feel confident or comfortable with it. Something you need when placing your child in someones care. And although the contract states that the tuition can be raised without any notice, they did raise it and said "well we haven't raised it for 7 years" which means nothing to me when my daughter hasn't been there for the past 7 years and the only way we found out was when she requested our cheques for the higher amount without even telling us, the amount had gone up. Very unprofessional. I would NOT recommend this school, I wish there had been some reviews for me to read prior to enrolling my daughter. The great thing is, however, that the director released us from our contract and refunded our $500 deposit so that we could get our daughter the He** outta there and into the amazing new Montessori school that she is in now that she LOVES and that we love! it is cheaper, cleaner, newer, the staff is more professional, it is more organized, it is more strict in terms of following proper montessori requirements and they have a great service that provides nutritious meals for tots. read more

I worked here for months and this is just a business for them. I would rather have my child enroled in the school where school owner is involved in day-to-day operations. I wont recommend this school. read more

My experience with Bluebird Montessori has been extremely positive. On my first visit I was very impressed with how bright and clean the classrooms were. Compared to other schools I have visited, the rooms were large and separated into their respective areas. The teachers were very welcoming and seemed genuinely interested in the development of the children attending. There are lots of learning opportunities that prepare the children for entry into the school system. The outdoor space was child friendly and well kept. I would recommend Bluebird. read more

My daughter started off in the infant room in March 2013 and is now in the younger toddler room. We've had a great experience from the start and I highly recommend Bluebird! My daughter is thriving and happy and loves the staff. The rooms are clean and bright and spacious. The upstairs rooms (infant and younger toddlers) were just renovated last summer. The staff are caring and attentive. There is a nice playground as well. I believe another reviewer mentioned that they did not take the kids outside. I don't know what time of the year her child attended Bluebird, but I can say for certain that they take the kids out twice a day, everyday, as soon as the weather allows. I pick my daughter up from the playground every afternoon. I also saw some of the kids out in the multi-passenger stroller once when I had the day off and used to see them out on a daily basis when I was on mat leave. So they definitely get a lot of outdoor time. They also offer a wide variety of activities (art, storytelling, gross and fine motor skills, music, etc.) and even have regular yoga and hip hop lessons. My only complaint is that you have to bring your own food and they're closed during March Break, one week in August, and a week at Christmas, so you're kind of stuck planning your vacation time around their schedule. Otherwise, we're thrilled with Bluebird and most importantly, my daughter is too. read more

I've been pleased with Bluebird since my 2 boys started in May of 2012. Certainly they are not perfect but I find the staff easy to work with, professional, and they genuinely seem to like working there. My older son is a handful and has some behaviour issues and the staff there were quite adept at managing him and very willing to work with him and us as a family during some difficult days/situations. He learned more at BB than he did in jk at the local school. My younger son took some time to adjust from the small home daycare he came from, but he now loves it. He's had some speech issues but in the past year his speech has improved leaps and bounds from where he started - no doubt in part to his preschool and their approach to learning, acceptance and understanding of his delay. My daughter will eventually go there as well. They are not cheap, but nowhere is in our neighborhood and they seem to be charging upper market rate. Between my 3 kids we've had various different care experiences and Bluebird has been positive. They put on a great show for the parents 2x/year, which the kids love and participate in wholeheartedly. read more