In addition to how well she works with children, the feedback Lesley provided to parents was unmatched. Not a single class went by without Lesley having something meaningful to say to each and every parent about their child’s experience that day. Communication with Lesley was comfortable, clear, and extremely beneficial. 

Every day that I picked up my child from Lesley’s class, I left feeling like my daughter had grown, and like her teacher had both encouraged that growth and, more importantly, celebrated that growth right along with me. 

Any child and parent would be lucky to have Lesley as their educator. She is brilliant with children, is fiercely creative, and has a heart of gold. 

I found out about CGNS from an ad in a community newspaper. After visiting the school and meeting with some of the staff I decided to enroll my daughter in the 3 afternoon a week Senior Kindergarten program. I had a “gut feeling” it would be a positive environment for her. Now that she has attended the school I know that I made the right decision. I am impressed by all of the staff members and the diversity of the program. In only 3 afternoons a week my daughter is exposed to the S.K curriculum, French, Sportball, Drama, and Music. It has been a wonderful complement to her morning public school. All staff members are very friendly and caring. I feel that I made the right decision in choosing CGNS and would highly recommend this school to others.

Children’s garden has transformed our son James from being frustrated with school to loving school and accomplishing things like reading, writing and confidence in a short 6 months. He is always excited to go and loves his teachers.

My son was in many preschool classes with Lesley when he was 3 years old.  Lesley would always make him feel welcome into the programs by greeting him with a big smile each day.  She was very organized, lesson plans were always very creative and fun crafts were planned for her programs and she always had a positive attitude which showed how much she loved being there each day.  Lesley puts her heart into the planning of all her programs and when teaching you can tell she is absolutely loved by all the kids in her programs.  My son absolutely adored Lesley and always looked forward to attending programs with her.

Lesley has done an incredible job engaging the children during online learning. She is patient and very inclusive. She ensures all the children are taking part and somehow manages to come up with activities that are fun and easily translated to the virtual platform. In a few short weeks, our 2.5-year-old daughter has learned how to properly hold a pencil and has drawn her first “real picture!” She is so proud of what she has accomplished and so are we! Thank you, Lesley and Children’s Buds!

Our four-year-old is excited and delighted to join her virtual preschool sessions, and eagerly participates in the activities. We’re impressed at how much learning (phonics, writing mechanics, literacy behaviours) and fun can be packed into 30-minute sessions, and online ones at that.

Our daughter attended Children’s Garden prior to the pandemic and absolutely loved it. This year, she’s participated in a number of different virtual classes through Children’s Garden Buds. This was important to me because she’s entering JK next year without having been in a classroom setting this year. She was a little hesitant to engage during the first few classes, because of the virtual aspect. But that quickly passed and she absolutely loves it. Ms. Lesley is engaging and thoughtful. She puts an incredible amount of work into each class and adjusts accordingly depending on how silly the kids may be feeling on a particular day. Our daughter now talks about her class during the weekend and looks forward to sharing her “homework assignment” with Ms. Lesley or getting dressed up for “pyjama day” or “silly hat day”.  I have enrolled her in a class since the very beginning of the Buds program and will continue to do so for as long as the classes are offered. I feel that the classes have prepared her for taking instruction from a teacher and being in a “classroom” setting. I’ve also seen her become excited about working on her letters and numbers, something that previously took some encouragement. And of course, as has been our experience over the years, Pauline Foulkes, the principal at Children’s Garden is absolutely wonderful and closely manages the day-to-day ongoings of the program. Overall, I would very highly recommend the Buds program!

Before starting at Children’s Garden, we shopped around several preschools in the area, interviewed them, did site visits and even sat in on a class.  All of them seem to offer pretty much the same thing in terms of curriculum, but there seemed to be a common element missing amongst all of them that left us feeling unsettled….until a friend recommended Children’s Garden Nursery School. After talking with Pauline and touring the space, we hadn’t even made it out of the parking lot before turning to each other and saying “This is the one.”  We did not know at the time how right we were.

Children’s Garden is a truly special place.  Having been part of the school for four years now, I think there are a few things that set it apart from any other preschool.  First, the incredible sense of community and belonging.  The staff have created an incredibly caring, nurturing environment for not just the kids but for the families too.  Your child isn’t the only one who belongs to Children’s Garden – you do too.  Second, they have an incredible way of bringing out the best in each child and helping them to truly shine as individuals.  It is amazing to watch all of the children grow in confidence and self-esteem as each of their unique talents are brought to the forefront.  Third, the exceptionally strong relationship between the Parent Committee and the Administration and teachers.  Everyone works together to provide the best opportunities and make continual improvements for the benefit of our kids.  The Administration and the teachers go far above and beyond in all things big and small for the kids through special events, class outings, holidays, performances.  It is truly more than we ever expected.  I asked my son if there was anything he didn’t like about Children’s Garden.  He thought about it for a moment and said, “Only that I can’t go to school there forever.”

I enrolled my 2 and a half year old in CGNS based on recommendations I got from friends and having been impressed by my visit and tour of the school. I was told about the complete program and friends spoke highly of the nurturing and caring environment. What I wasn’t prepared for though was how “complete” the program was, in spite of it being only for half a day! CGNS to me is a hidden gem in this maze of over marketed children’s nurseries! The children have a complete academic program with literacy and numeracy from the start irrespective of age, they do French every day, Sportball, have a planned Music session twice a week and Drama twice a week.

My son thrived in his JK year and at the end of it was reading confidently at level 2! During the year they had 4 presentations that included two plays with Music and a French play, with each child being given speaking roles. More remarkable was the confidence he has now, whether it is in going up on stage, or presenting to an audience. I would highly recommend Children’s Garden to parents who want an enriched program for their children.

Branksome Hall has a valued relationship with Children’s Garden Nursery School. We look forward to working with families and finding a good fit for CGNS students in our welcoming environment, which features a liberal arts curriculum and many opportunities for co-curricular activities. Students who have come out of Children’s Garden Nursery School into Branksome make a smooth transition into our learning environment.