Fountain City Montessori

I am writing this review with a heart full of gratitude as my only child prepares to transition to primary school soon. ​When I had to return to work after my maternity leave, my daughter was just a one-year-old. Because she was born prematurely during the COVID-19 lockdown, our family was always incredibly anxious about her health. We visited several childcare centres together, and Fountain City Montessori was our very last stop. The moment we walked in, she looked and felt the most comfortable there. ​Even so, leaving my tiny one year old full-time dropping her off early in the morning and picking her up late in the evening was heartbreaking. Every working parent knows the heavy guilt and burden that comes with balancing a career and childcare. I shed many tears during those early days. ​However, the wonderful teachers at FCM completely eased my worries. One day, when she was in the youngest Nido class, her teacher gently told me, 'She really loves salmon!' I didn't even know my own daughter loved salmon at the time, but that simple observation made me realize just how deeply and attentively the teachers were looking after her with genuine love. (By the way, salmon is still her absolute favourite food to this day! 😊) ​FCM is a place filled with so much warmth. In their care, my daughter was toilet trained, learned to speak, and took her first steps into learning the alphabet, numbers, and manners. ​Since she is our only child, our journey with Fountain City Montessori is coming to an end, but I cannot recommend this beautiful centre enough to any parent. Thank you to all the amazing teachers for being a second family to my little girl.

Highly recommend Brooklyn Road Fountain City Montessori. What made us fall in love with the centre from the very beginning was the incredible kaiako. Our little one is in the Nido (baby) room, and the teachers have such a warm, kind, and calming presence. They create a nurturing environment that gently guides the energy of the babies and makes everyone feel at ease. The kaiako are incredibly attentive and have gone above and beyond to work with us on everything from sleep routines and settling into daycare to eating habits and helping our daughter establish a consistent routine. You can genuinely see how much they care about each child as an individual. Another major reason we chose the centre was the food. It gives us so much peace of mind knowing that our daughter is receiving healthy, nutritious meals every day, without us having to worry about preparing and packing food for kindy. It’s incredibly reassuring to know she has had wholesome meals during the day - especially when she doesn’t want to eat at night. What we love most is seeing how happy she is every day. She gets so excited to see her teachers, walks in for cuddles, and loves spending time with her little friends. In just two months, we’ve been amazed by how much she has learned and developed. Her vocabulary has expanded, she can point to and identify different fruits, and she’s learning wonderful habits like washing her hands before meals. We also love the Montessori philosophy and the way the centre follows the lead of each child, encouraging them to explore their interests and learn through play and discovery. It’s a philosophy we try to embrace in our own home, so finding a centre that aligns so closely with our family values has been incredibly special. Because our daughter spends so much of her day there, it’s important to us that it feels like an extension of our home. The love, care, and thought that go into the learning programmes, even for the youngest children, have completely blown us away. Thank you to the amazing staff for creating such a nurturing, supportive, and inspiring environment for our little one. We couldn’t recommend the centre more highly.

Since my daughter started at Fountain City Montessory Brooklyn Road a year ago, I have had peace of mind about the way she is taken care of at school. All the teachers are professional, welcoming and warm. They built a genuine connection with me and are visibly interested in my daughter's well-being and learning. Vastly different form the preschool my daughter used to attend before that. The love, warmth and order in the classroom are evident when I drop her off in the morning and when I pick her up in the afternoon. Moreover, the Montessory philosophy respects each child's learning pace and interests which is a philosophy I strongly agree with. Overall, I would recommend Fountain City Montessory as it is a respectful and loving environment for children and parents/ caregivers.