Initially, when my husband and I were looking for a childcare centre, Alex was three and Penny, just a baby. We were looking for a safe place that was close by and had a convenient aftercare program. Of course, what we ended getting was so much more!

First and foremost, the teachers are amazing! They are warm and welcoming and always speak to the children with kindness and respect. I really appreciate the time, the teachers and Ms. Raihana take during parent teacher’s meetings, to show us the work the children have done throughout the term. During “Watch Me Work”, I loved how Ms J encouraged penny to show us all that she’s learned throughout the year abd that of her work was on display for all to see! I got the sense that that the teachers and Ms Raihana were as proud of her accomplishments as I was!

Secondly, the children here get an excellent education. It’s astonishing how the teachers can tailor lessons to each child and by the third year they can be adding, subtracting, and writing and reading and even sweeping; which I learned after Alex tore up a sheet of paper at home one day and I told him to sweep it up… he surprisingly did it perfectly, as this is something her practiced at school.

When I asked Alex and Penny what they liked most about Curlew Montessori School, they both said, their friends! Because of the mixed age class they had an opportunity to learn from older classmates and be mentors to younger students. Penny would often tell me what the younger kids were learning and the milestones they met, such as, “Antonia can talk now…”. Over the years I saw my children develop close relationships with their peers and they continue to invite classmates that have already graduated from school, to their birthday parties. I know that their friends are the one thing Penny will miss most about graduating.