Infants · 0-18 mo1:3 ratio
Infants
Slow days, deep attachment, room to roll over. Two educators in a small space, with naps when the body asks for them, not at 12 o'clock sharp.
A small centre in Westboro
Where children learn to wonder.
Programs from infant through school-age, on a quiet block in Westboro. Enrolment is intentionally small.
Est. 2014 · Ottawa
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Programs
Programs
Four rooms, each at its own pace.
We keep group sizes below provincial ratios because the educator-to-child relationship is the curriculum. Enrolment is by waiting list.
Learn about infants
Toddlers · 18 mo-2.5 yr1:5 ratio
Toddlers
Climbing, naming, the long work of learning to share. Big windows, low shelves, materials chosen so the room teaches when the educator is busy elsewhere.
Preschool · 2.5-4 yr1:8 ratio
Preschool
Stories, mark-making, and the first real friendships. Long stretches of uninterrupted play; project work that runs for weeks when the children want it to.
School-age · 4-12 yr1:12 ratio
School-age
After-school, PD days, summers. Autonomy, time outdoors, and a kitchen they're allowed to use. The aim is to keep the spark, not extend the school day.
“The child has a hundred languages. We try not to take ninety-nine of them away.”
Our approach
We trust the slow, ordinary work of being two.
We are a small centre run by people who have been in the field a long time. We open at 7:30 and close at 5:30 (not a minute later) because the educators have their own children to get home to.
The day follows the rhythm of the children. We move outdoors at every opportunity. Educators document so parents can see, so children can revisit, and so we know what worked.
Tours are by appointment, on a slow Tuesday morning when you can see the room as it really is. We will not pressure you, and we will not pretend.
Pace
Long stretches of uninterrupted time. The educator can wait. The child can think.
Documentation
Daily notes, photographs, transcripts of what the children said. The record matters.
Place
A renovated brick storefront on a quiet block. The building is part of the curriculum.
Outdoors
Every day, in every weather we safely can. The cold is not the enemy.
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Daily rhythm
Daily rhythm
What a Tuesday looks like.
Times bend with the day. Naps when the body asks for them, not at 12 o'clock sharp.
- 7:30
Arrivals
Quiet hellos at the door. Breakfast for those who didn't eat at home.
- 9:00
Outdoors
Rain, snow, or shine, we get out. Long mornings in the back garden or at the park down the street.
- 11:30
Lunch
Cooked on-site by Naima. Family-style; the children serve themselves and pass dishes around.
- 12:30
Rest
Cots, quilts, soft music. Books for those who don't sleep. We don't force.
- 15:00
Studio time
Project work, materials, documentation. Educators write down what the children said.
- 17:00
Pick-ups
A slow goodbye. We hand over the day's photographs and a few sentences about what mattered.
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Our team
Our team
The people in the room.
Average tenure: nine years. Most of our educators have been here long enough to know the children's siblings.
Naima Okonkwo
Director and lead infant educator, RECE
Twenty-three years in early years. Trained in the Reggio approach in Pistoia in 2014. Cooks lunch most days.
Sophie Tremblay
Toddler room lead, RECE, BEd
Bilingual French and English. Studied the Pikler approach in Budapest. Keeps the small ones safe while they climb everything.
James Park
Preschool lead, RECE, AMI
Montessori-trained, with a previous life as a carpenter. Built the loft and the outdoor stage himself, and runs the woodworking bench on Fridays.
Aisha Rahman
School-age and summer program, RECE, OCT
Also an Ontario certified teacher. Runs the after-school program, our two summer camps, and most of the day-trip planning. Has the world's deepest snack drawer.
Léa Boudreau
Documentation and atelier, BFA, RECE
Photographer and visual artist, two years into her RECE. Runs the studio space, keeps the documentation walls current, and leads music on Friday afternoons.
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Fees & hours
Fees & hours
Plainly: what it costs and when we're open.
Fees are quoted weekly. No registration fee. CWELCC-enrolled (see the note below for what that means for parents).
| Program | Ages | Weekly fee |
|---|---|---|
| Infants | 0-18 months | $385 |
| Toddlers | 18 months-2.5 years | $345 |
| Preschool | 2.5-4 years | $295 |
| School-age | 4-12 years | $215 |
We are CWELCC-enrolled, which caps parent fees at the published rate. Subsidies are available through the City of Ottawa for eligible families, and we'll help you apply.
Opening hours
- Mon to Fri
- 7:30 to 17:30
- Saturday
- Closed
- Sunday
- Closed
- Statutory holidays
- Closed
We close for two weeks over the December break and one week in late August. Calendar shared at enrolment.
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Testimonials
Testimonials
What parents have written.
They saw our daughter clearly from the first day. Three years in, and she still runs to the door in the morning.
The documentation alone is worth the fee. We have a book of her year (photographs, transcripts of what she said, drawings) that we'll keep forever.
Our son is autistic. He has been held, understood, and challenged in equal measure. We did not expect a place this thoughtful.
We toured eight centres before this one. This was the only place where the children weren't performing for us when we walked in.
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The space
The space
A renovated brick storefront, lived in.
Most of the photographs are unstaged. The children are mid-something, the educators are mid-something else.
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Visit us
Visit us
Come see the room.
- Address
- 320 Richmond RoadOttawa, ON K2A 0E8
- Phone
- +1 613 555 0123
- Hours
- Mon to Fri · 7:30 to 17:30
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Get in touch
Get in touch
Send us a note.
Questions, hellos, tour requests: they all land in the same inbox and we read every one.
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FAQ
FAQ
Common questions.
If you don't see your question, send us an email. Naima reads them all herself.