"My son started at Kaban Montessori as an infant and has been attending now for over 2 years. When I began my search for a school, I visited 5 other accredited Montessori schools in Mississauga, yet Kaban stood out above all others. While all of these are based on the Montessori philosophy, not all put that philosophy into practice equally. Initially, what drew me most to Kaban was the immersion in 3 different languages. Through my visits to other schools, however, I discovered that Kaban is the Montessori leader in the community, as other schools frequently seek their expertise as consultants for training and education of their teachers. Once my son started attending Kaban, I learned about the strong emphasis on parent involvement at this school; the staff engages parents and families through regular meetings and workshops throughout the year, and impart parenting skills and strategies useful at each developmental stage of your child. Moreover, in addition to the genuine care and affection shown to each child, I was impressed with the dedication that teachers and administrators put into continually developing and improving not only the curriculum, but also their own skills as educators.

While Kaban Montessori is a school, it feels more like an extended family rather than an institution. I truly believe that my child has received the best education and care possible, and I would highly recommend Kaban to any family."

- Martyna Janjua

There is a quote from a famous book that reads;

“ Few can foresee whither their road will lead them, till they come to its end. ”

Well, here we are, nearing the end of Owen’s time at Kaban Montessori School.  How do we put into words the importance of his time there?  For 4 1/2 years now Owen has walked through your doors to discover the world around him and how he fits within it.

At Kaban, Owen developed his first social skills and made his first new relationships with people other than his own family.  He spent his first lengthy time away from the comforts of his own home.  And at Kaban he started to learn new things from someone other than his own parents.  These were huge steps for him and for us; sometimes scary, and sometimes exhilarating.

On that very first day of toddler class; Owen was just 18 months old, but he walked straight in like he owned the place, as if to say “Right, let’s get started!”  He hardly even looked back at his mom and dad.  Maybe he somehow knew that Kaban was the right place for him, even though we were still a little unsure ourselves.

Of course, it is easy to look back now and say, “Yes, this was the right choice; this was our best option for Owen.”  But back in January of 2012, it wasn’t so easy.  We had lots of questions and a few doubts in the beginning.  Yet both of you were always willing to take time to address our concerns.  After each “unscheduled” meeting Anna and I always walked away wondering why we were so worried to begin with.  Both of you made us feel like we had made that right choice.

So we put an enormous amount of trust in Kaban, its teachers and the Montessori method.  And, since then, both Anna and I have been pleasantly surprised many times regarding Owen’s intellectual and social development.

 We certainly saw this through his progress at school, growing from the youngest to the oldest in his Casa class.  Owen has changed from the reserved and observant child to a confident and helping mentor to the younger kids.  We also see Owen’s willingness to volunteer his help at home.  As well, we see his level of concentration working at home on his own self-motivated and self-directed projects like drawing, colouring, writing and reading.  He is a caring and thoughtful boy, and his excitement overflows for anything new to discover and learn.

Although Owen will be leaving his Kaban family, he will be leaving with a self-assurance and a love of learning that he will bring to the next stage of his life.  He is still young and may not understand the full importance that Kaban has played in his early development, but the seeds that have been planted here will last a lifetime.  All thanks to the Kaban Montessori School and the rich environment that made it Owen’s second family and home.

 We will all miss Kaban; the safe and caring surroundings, the wonderfully dedicated teachers and especially you - Karla and Blanca.  You have set the bar very high for what we will be looking for, and demanding, for Owen’s future.  We wish the very best for Kaban’s future and the children you will undoubtedly inspire.

Yours, with great affection,

- Owen, Anna & Brad Armstrong

"Everything is hind-sight but in this particular situation, we can actually do something about the knowledge that hind-sight brings.  Our two, soon to be three, children are enrolled in a Montessori environment and they have been there since the wee stages of life.  Our son started around 9 months, our daughter around 8 months and our third child will start around 8.5 months.  When our first child was born, similar to every other new parent, our world opened to new beginnings from learning how to communicate (effectively, communicate…….) with a blank slate neurological network of an apparent human being, to figuring out how to manage careers and other important relationships and of course, to finding childcare.  We toured traditional daycare facilities where many of us have experienced, to a Montessori environment and all other facilities that were a mix between the two approaches.  We decided to go the Montessori route because we felt like the ideals resonated with us, essentially that the locus of control rests within the individual and that happiness comes from within and not from an external source telling the individual that they are happy and that they are great, we want them to know they are great measured by their own standards and satisfaction with life.  This will hopefully result in confident but not arrogant, nurturing but not suffocating independent well adjusted members of society.  *phew*

Big ideas for a 9 month old but even bigger ideas for new parents trying to figure out how to break it down into digestible pieces when my husband and I haven’t officially been through the Montessori paces.  And, whose to say that we are well adjusted members of society - I guess that’s another story….
Anyway, the nature of my work allows me to see past the brochures of traditional daycares and Montessori environments and I have to say, in hind-sight, we definitely made the right choice by choosing Montessori.  A traditional daycare, is just that, a day-care…watching children until they’re picked up at the end of the day, or whatever time their guardians decide to drop them off and pick them up.  There isn’t really a focus of development, other than play-based learning.  We are not educators or anything near child development so we can’t comment on the ‘best way’ to raise children but based on our vision of how we want to interact with our children through their life journey, we felt like play-based learning should be a part of their little budding lives but it can not be the only focus.  In our Montessori school, Kaban Montessori, parents are encouraged to be involved in the development of their child and the school executes this by having regular parent-teacher meetings, learning seminars where parents get a glimpse into the materials and daily environments of their children, newsletters, bi-weekly communication journals and the teachers of our children, always make themselves available if we need to communicate with them.  We have asked about recommended approaches to toilet training, sibling relationships, parent-child relationships and other general items that arise over the course of the year.  
As a parent, Montessori philosophies requires a larger time investment and a thicker skin which manifests itself from attending all these school functions to taking the time to explain to other non-“Kool-Aid” parents why it’s ok for our children to go up a slide instead of down or why we allow them to wear their shoes on the wrong foot.  In toddlerhood, it’s all in the name of independence and self-correcting actions, which brings us back to our main objective of raising well-adjusted (supposedly…) people who are happy and excited about life because they have the tools available to them to figure it out."

- The Yagi - Fornos Family (Part of the Kaban Montessori Family Since 2013, currently have 3 children enrolled)

We wanted to extend our gratitude to you for the last three years that our daughter Lauryn has spent at Kaban.  We have enjoyed all of the moments we’ve shared with the Kaban family, and we know that Lauryn is a better person because of her experience with you!

Our daughter was just a toddler when she began at Kaban, and has since blossomed into a happy, well-rounded young girl who is confident and excited for what each day will bring.  We attribute this to the warm and caring environment that Karla, Blanca and the wonderful staff have provided on a consistent basis. 

We were first drawn to the school because we found the staff to be very warm and loving, which we felt would help our 2-year-old as she learned to spend her days away from us.  We also found the school facility to be very clean and safe, and were impressed with how it was fully equipped with materials inside the class and had a secure and diverse playspace outdoors.  Lauryn has been guided through the Montessori teaching methods by skillful and patient teachers, and we feel they have not only taught her very well but educated us as parents, too. 

We love that Kaban is not just a school, but an extension of our own family.  We’ve always felt comfortable approaching any staff member with our thoughts, questions or concerns and have felt that we were treated with the utmost respect in every situation.  We appreciate the helpful & educational Parent Nights that were hosted throughout the years, as well as the other social events that helped us to meet other parents and get to know the teachers better.  Communication has always been open and encouraged at all points of contact, which made us feel valued as members in the Kaban community. 

Lauryn is graduating this year, and we feel confident that she will continue to grow and thrive throughout her childhood years because of the strong foundation she received at Kaban.  We hope you are able to share this testimonial with any current and future Kaban families, so they can appreciate the beautiful community you have created. 
We feel blessed to have been part of your school, and while we will miss seeing all of you on a daily basis, we will always cherish the positive influence Kaban has had on our lives and hope to always stay in touch.

- Lianne, Ron, Lauryn and Darren Tokey

As this school year draws to a close, my husband and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all that you do. 
It was after much investigation and pondering that we chose Kaban Montessori for our son Conor, largely due to the warm feelings we both experienced when we visit the premises.
It is now apparent that our parental instincts were correct, as Kaban has turned out to be the right choice for our son and family.  We thank you for educating Conor and setting the foundations for a lifelong love of learning.  We thank you for loving Conor and giving him heartfelt hugs and genuine smiles.  We thank you for communicating with us on a regular basis about his development.  You all demonstrate a genuine love of children and respect for a child’s developing mind and body. We look forward to many more years at Kaban Montessori.

- Sarah Sturnino and Matt Doran

"We decided to enroll our two year old son into this school after doing some research on the Montessori methods of teaching.  My son was ready for greater learning outside of the home.  This choice was one of the best things we could have done for him.  The teachers were there for him every step of the way to transition him into his new environment and teach him a variety of practical life skills which he has carried into our home everyday.  Two years later and he is learning so many new things, he is constantly surprising us.  He is a happy, well adjusted child who loves going to school everyday!"

 - Valerie Franzoi

"I am writing to express my deepest appreciation for everything you have done for my son.  As a Montessori alumnus and a Montessori teacher, it was very important to me for my son to get a good start, and I could not have found a better environment to support his development than Kaban.  I am impressed not only by the genuine Montessori program you offer, but by the community that you are building and the support that you give me as a parent.  My son has truly flourished in all areas;  for his age, he is independent, has great concentration, speaks wonderfully, takes instruction well, is responsible for his things and actions, is curious, active and resilient.  Kaban has aided and supported him in every way I could have hoped for.  When I pick him up at the end of the day, and he would rather stay and continue working, I know that he is happy and at home with you."

- Andrea Lulka

"My two children have greatly benefited by the care and attention to learning they have received at Kaban.  I continue to enjoy seeing my children excel and realize a real zest for education that is nurtured and presented at their individual pace.  Watching your child hug a directress when walking through the door tells you the parent that your child feels comfortable with the directress and is in a great environment.  I couldn’t ask for a better or more understanding preschool for my children.  They already have the best!"

- H. Zubkavich

"We thank you both, and the staff at Kaban, for the wonderful memories and for making us part of the Kaban family.  We will treasure you all in our hearts and wish Kaban the best of luck as it continues to grow successfully.
You should both be so proud of yourselves to see how much your school has grown over the years.  With hard work, dedication, nurturing and love, you have left a spot in the hearts of many parents as you both enriched the lives of our children.
We hate goodbyes, so as we have said, this is not the end of the road for us.  We will continue to keep in touch and can truly say that both of you are in our list of friends we treasure.
Again, thank you for all you have done for us as a family – Kassia has grown so much with the help of both of you.  Thank you for building such a strong foundation as she embarks in the journey of life."

- Sandy and Dennis