We love Madrona! This is a small school nestled in Kitsilano…read morethat has small class sizes and amazing programming for the kids. The school is super friendly, and a real community. What they lack in facilities, they make up for with their wholehearted way of teaching. My son has been here for one year and loves his school so much.

I'm not a big Yelp reviewer, but the few reviews here leave a very skewed view of the school, which…read moreis a huge disservice to families who need an honest review of the school. Madrona was a game-changer for my kid and I can't imagine the student he would have become if he'd stayed at his public school or even gone to a different independent school. Unlike the negative review, this was the best time and money our family has ever invested. It's not for "just" bright and gifted kids - it serves neurodivergent kids who are also bright/gifted. A lot of the students come with particular challenges that are typical of people with this profile - asynchronous development (including often slower socioemotional development) is pretty common. If your child is "just" bright/gifted, it's probably not the school for you. The kids who need Madrona would fall flat on their faces at a regular independent school like St. George's (which is awesome for neurotypical kids!) because the struggles they have wouldn't be attended to sufficiently; they would just fall between the cracks. The staff at Madrona also work so hard to meet families' needs, and bend with them as they change. Will there be bumps? Of course. There are bumps at any school. If you're considering the school for your 2E child, go to an open house or ask for a tour. Everyone wants their kids to grow and do well there, and it is small enough that different personalities and needs can be accommodated. Again, nothing is perfect, but my kid and most of other kids in his classes over the years grew in ways that wouldn't have been possible in schools designed for neurotypical students. Most kids go to Madrona because their home school/other schools can't meet their needs. Madrona goes above and beyond to do this. I can't express how grateful my family is to have found this tiny school and how much it has changed my kid's trajectory in every way.

I also looked at this Montessori school and it's decent. The location is their best feature. There…read moreis staff turnover and the materials are just OK. The reviews I've read are good but it's more of a first impression from my visit a few years back.

Since our son had just graduated from Monarch this year, I feel it's time for me to update my…read morereview on this school. This school is definitely one of the best decisions we have ever made for our son, and this was specially evident in his transition to his elementary school education. Not only does he flourish in mathematical and analytical thinkings, his behaviors at home and at his extracurricular activities have also demonstrated his improvements throughout his life at Monarch. The principal(Ms. Grace) and the teachers(Ms. Paige and Ms. Julia) have put so much time and efforts into their kids, and the community there(among the parents and kids) is just fantastic! Just like what we have told Ms. Grace, it's really sad that Monarch doesn't have classes after kindergarten, otherwise we would leave our son there for as long as he could.

the school is staffed by exceptionally competent, amazing and caring staff. All of my kids have…read moregone through the school so I have lots of diverse experience of the school. The school is bright and divided into 3 connected pods, great-sized library, computer lab, and a gym, with state of the art stage and sound system, and wheel chair accessibility to the whole school and bathrooms. The Principal, along with the PAC have managed to create a resourceful Community that supports the students and their needs. I just wish the school was designed with air-conditioning.

Great school for families who see the their kids as future as LGBTQ+ non-profit workers or BLM…read moreactivists. From the kindergarten grade kids are emerged in a world of gender studies, trans awareness and race activism. Each year school dedicates more and more academic hours to social justice curriculum, moral and political Issues. Kids are encouraged to explore and discuss their gender and sexuality. The school is dedicated to provide the goal of turning young minds into good global citizens. The curriculum is strongly influenced by Critical Race Theory and SOGI pedagogy. School library is labeled as "Safe space" and holds a wide range of feminist literature.

My daughter was one of the first students at My Whole Earth Academy back in 2014. At that time she…read moredidn't have very good English and had some sort of separation anxiety. Thanks to all teachers and especially Miss Jen for giving my daughter lots of attention and helping her to overcome that anxiety. My daughter has very good memories about her preschool. I always recommend My Whole Earth Academy to all my friends who are looking for professional child care.

Worst school experience, on our first day, my 19month child was playing with some musical…read moreinstruments and one the the teacher was afraid that my child will break it, so she grabbed the tambourine out of her hand and put it behind her......The teacher was playing a plastic box as a drum, and she's not worried if it will break since it's already half broken? My child is only 19 month and she took the chance to let her discover and learn, without teaching her with patience. After circle time that teacher stood up walking with out care and bumped into my child and kicked her into a very sharp table corner, dented her forehead and my child started bleeding. The whole classroom wasn't protected, but right after this happened they started to put up all the protection for sharp corners......I was very upset and disappointed. The principal also called me after, but her phone call made me felt worse, and she said she was going to check back with me and I never received another phone call from her! My child has a scar on her forehead and the dent is still there after more than a month. I have taken my child to many daycare and community center, and we are still waiting to be called on a few wait list, since this school has opening, I thought I could take her there for the time being, but This is the worst school we have been to, and I suggest moms that wants to apply think twice, because they are very unprofessional. If this system could let me choose no star, I wouldn't have given one！

We have been lucky enough to put our 3 children through Extra Steps, first discovering this gem…read moreover 10 years ago. Teacher Robb made our eldest, and us, feel comfortable leaving him for the first time. Our son took a few days to get adjusted, then didn't want to leave. The 3.5 hour duration and choice between am or pm classes are such a benefit. Our daughter attended a year later and loved teacher Christa. Our youngest is now in his final year of preschool and he loves Larry and Nicole (and Christa too!). The preschool space is bright and fun, teachers take the kids to the nearby parks and/or senior centre everyday and our kids always tell us how much they enjoy/ed the school. The teachers support each child's development, offer to assist with any learning requests and instil the confidence and love of school which led to our older 2 thriving in private school kindergarten. We have recommended Extra Steps to numerous families over the years, even those who have been hesitant due to poor experiences at other schools, and they have all been so grateful for sharing this wonderful preschool with them. Kids are all treated with kindness and respect, which allows for personal development. As our time with Extra Steps will end at the close of this year, we wish to express our appreciation to the teachers for the love and support our kids have enjoyed- we really can't recommend this preschool enough. Larry and Nicole also run the most fabulous outdoor program on Saturdays, which our youngest loves and will continue to do next year.

My son used to go to preschool here and he loved his teachers a lot. Originally he attended…read moreanother preschool half of the week but the head teacher at the other preschool was terrible and treated him like he's challenged kid and she even talked to him like one. At Extra Steps Learning, they helped him to come out of his shell and helped him improve with his personal development without judging him any different from other kids. He improves tremendously ever since he attended preschool here 5 days a week. He's now in Kindergarten and he still talks about his teachers especially Ms. Christa. I like all the educators there but my favourite one is Ms. Christa. She really helps my son to develop social and personal skills there and always treated him with kindness.

The management is exceptional! We had such a wonderful experience. My child has learned so much,…read moreand the teaching system is truly one of a kind. The staff genuinely cares about each student, and it's amazing to see how much the kids grow and enjoy learning. I highly recommend this school to any family looking for high-quality music education.

Very good school with loving and supportive teachers. They seem to be a very child-focused…read moreestablishment and are able to guide the children with the utmost care and attention. Office staff was also very good and provided excellent service answering all questions in a timely manner. Great music program!

Highly recommend this daycare. The teachers are passionate about kids and the kids love their…read moreteachers. The program is amazing, I never thought my son would love going to school so much! He's always smiling and happy to go to his "red school" which is what he calls kiddy junction. The meal program is also excellent, as a busy parent, it's good know my kid is eating healthy at school. I'm always so impressed with the meals they have (examples, Japanese pasta gratin, Italian sausage edamame risotto, pasta with salmon and garlic sauce) I feel so lucky to have found such a great centre! No complaints at all!!!!!! :)

We made an appointment with Shaun the director for a tour with our son today. Arrived and rang the…read morebell and no one was there. We waiting for fifteen mins before we left very disappointed. While we were there, we called and mailbox is not assign and we email Shaun also. I guess the first RED flag was it took him around a week to even get back to us for this appointment. Definitely not bring my kid here. I'll make sure this is posted everywhere online for other parents to see. Place was not very secure too, someone could have easily came into the premises and took all the toys away.