REVIEW OF Children's Garden Nursery School BY parent, Andrew Moran

(4.5) Student Experience

So far, the experience at Children's Garden Nursery School has been impeccable. We were first concerned that our twins would not be able to handle being in school due to the pandemic and not being around other children, but they have loved it since the first day. They love learning and they absolutely enjoy the instruction from their teachers, including Ms. Val, Coach Karen, and Ms. Sofia. Overall, our kids cannot wait to go to school each day. They even wish school would happen on the weekends. I would recommend CGNS to anyone who wanted to abandon the government school system and take advantage of the tremendous facilities at a private school. There is no chance our kids would receive the care and attention in the public option.

(5) School Leadership

The staff, led by the great principal Pauline Foulkes, has been exceptional, open, and understanding. The communication has been top-notch and certainly superior to what you would find at government schools. Small classroom sizes and the personalized curriculum have also been really helpful for our children. The Class Dojo mobile app is another helpful tool that can facilitate terrific communication between staff and parents. As soon as you message a teacher or Ms. Pauline, you receive a response almost immediately. Again, public school teachers would not do this.

(5) Teaching

While our children are coy about what they are taught, the Curriculum Night and, once again, open communication with the teacher give you insight into what your kids are being taught. Nearly all of the teachers have at least a decade of teaching experience at CGNS, so that elicits a great deal of confidence. In addition, the students adore their teachers, so this creates a great environment where they can trust their instructors when learning English, math, science, and any other subject. So, yes, we think that our twins are given the opportunity to overcome challenges and receive support if they stumble. Overall, so far, the quality of instruction has been great, particularly because the teachers go at the pace of the child and tailor the curriculum to the students as well. There is no one-size-fits-all like the government system.

(5) Academics

It is hard to pinpoint any particular weaknesses because all the teachers specialize in specific areas. So, what is excellent is that the students can take advantage of each teacher: Ms. Val for French, Ms. Sofia for singing and dancing, Coach Karen for physical education, and so on. In addition, the school values independence and ensures that students are as independent as possible. Of course, if the children get frustrated, the teacher will intervene when necessary. But I would certainly endorse CGNS' academic program and think it would adequately prepare children for the upcoming school years. In fact, it might force kids to become advanced in math, English, science, and art that if they need to return to public school, they may become bored by the state curriculum.

(4.5) Extracurriculars

Yes, there are definitely enough extracurricular activities and events to participate in competitions and, most importantly, have fun. But what is important is that the situations have been given the right context and ensure the students are offered a well-rounded education. Everyone is given a chance to try something new, which is absolutely critical at this age because you want to expose your kids to anything new.

(4.5) Students

Overall, it is a wonderful atmosphere. The other children seem nice and well-mannered. I have yet to see any children become out of line or rude to teachers and their peers. As mentioned previously, the size of the student body is great because students can get more of the teachers' attention than you would in a school of 200, 300, or 400. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, which can help understand why some children never want to leave or look forward to going back to school on Monday. Our kids have yet to share any problems with other students. So, this has been a welcomed surprise because some children can be real jerks at the playground. So, in the end, the spirit and feel of CGNS are top-notch!

(4.5) School Life

This cannot be stated enough: Our twins love going to CGNS. They love everything about it: the teachers, the activities, recess, the sports, and everything else about the school. It is hard to say what else CGNS could do to improve the quality of life of its students since Pauline is already doing quite a lot for the kids. For parents interested in attending, it is quite straightforward as you drop off your kids and then pick them up at the designated time. You can be confident that the children are well taken care of by all of the staff. Heck, they might even forget to say goodbye to you and run to the teacher instead! Everyone is safe and if there is an accident, you will be immediately contacted by the principal or one of the teachers.

(4.5) Community

This is hard to say because we do not socialize with the parents because we don't have much time to do so. But everyone appears respectful, kind, and understanding. No one is going out of their way to be uncouth. That said, it seems like the school is trying to offer more opportunities for parental involvement in the life of the school, whether it is at the school or sharing contact information (you don't have to if you don't want to). It is understandable, however, that parents cannot be more involved with their kids at the school because of COVID protocols. This is not the fault of CGNS because I almost guarantee that if parents were allowed, Ms. Pauline would acquiesce to anyone's request to participate at school.

(5) School Location

The school location is perfect for us because it is only a 15- or 20-minute walk from where we live. But the neighborhood (Leaside) is one of the best in all of Toronto, plus it's near a Whole Foods and Tim Hortons, so you can never go wrong with that when you are a parent dropping off your kid at 8:30 a.m.!