Welcome to Jardin Urbain... a small, bilingual, and multi-age daycare in the heart of Montreal.

The environment we create at Jardin Urbain is full of happiness and kindness. Activities and discussions are led by openminded people (small and big!) who value community, choice, and peaceful conflict resolution. We follow a stimulating daily routine that bubbles with positive energy, imagination and creativity! We work hard to become partners with the families who choose us, and we aim to be a reliable and trustworthy presence in their lives.

We spend lots of time outdoors running, climbing, pulling our friends on sleds, digging in the earth, eating gooseberries, looking for insects, roaming in the neighbourhood, shoveling snow, observing the clouds, and listening to the birds.

By introducing the kids at daycare to urban agriculture and cooking, we are fostering awareness of current environmental issues. Our goal is to equip them for a sustainable lifestyle so that they can in turn help improve the future of our planet.

Introduction

Our location

Jardin Urbain Daycare...

welcomes 15 children between 2 and 6 years old;
integrates the preschool program (click here for more details concerning 4 to 6 year-olds);
offers a bilingual environment (FR&EN);
favours local and organic ingredients in our home-made lunches;
has a private outdoor classroom;
values community, creativity, critical thinking, voluntary simplicity, mutual assistance, questioning and discovery, kindness, and peaceful conflict resolution;
costs $68/day (tax credit applicable);
registers children on a full-time or part-time basis.

Our values

Here are some values that contribute to our pedagogical approach:

1) We want kids to play, we believe in imagination!

By creating an environment that is rich and inviting with interesting materials to manipulate, children are inspired to take initiative, to get organised, and to dive into activities together. Kids develop their social skills through imaginary play. We guide them as they learn to resolve conflicts peacefully by modeling kind and constructive interactions.

2) We are active members of our neighbourhood!

We are outside morning and afternoon almost all year round. We play at parks, garden in the spaces our partner-neighbours have lent us, take long walks to explore what's going on all around us. We visit the Jean Talon market regularly, and the Marc Favreau library. We take advantage of facilities close by, such as sports fields (covered in snow!) and splash pads, in order to keep moving and keep fit.

3) We encourage multilingualism!

At Jardin Urbain, English and French are both used throughout the day. We believe that learning many languages enriches our lives, and young children pick them up naturally. So we've created an environment where both languages coexist harmoniously without structure or rules... Bienvenu à toutes et à tous!

4) We are advocates for multi-age learning communities!

Our space is set up to allow children with different ages, talents, and abilities to interact with each other. These interactions push children to their maximum social and intellectual potential, for they need to seek out the expertise and knowledge of their classmates, regardless of their age. The older children role-model behaviour and master competencies by teaching and caring for the younger children. The younger children aspire to the maturity around them and improve quickly in their areas of interest. This environment mirrors society and helps kids figure out how to get along with all the people around them.

Lunch time is our favourite time!

All our meals are made from scratch by Danny. We prioritise local, seasonal, organic, and unprocessed ingredients.

The menu is based on a cycle of five different protein sources (three are animal protein and two are plant protein). We serve fresh fruits and vegetables every day, as well as other regional foods such as honey, cheese, grains, and dried fruit. To balance the meal we include a different starch each day: rice, pasta, potatoes, millet, quinoa, barley, buckwheat, etc.

Our menu

Our team

Karina & Danny

We are parents and entrepreneurs from Montreal with an innovative, enthusiastic, and alternative outlook on education. After a memorable year as educators in our own home daycare, we decided to expand our vision and open a small private daycare that would keep the same family feel. Each of us master of our domain, together we form an experienced and unstoppable team!

Introducing the educators of Jardin Urbain :

Janeth :

Ma passion pour l'éducation de la petite enfance a commencé lorsque j'ai immigré en Espagne et travaillé comme nounou. C'est à ce moment-là que j'ai décidé de réorienter ma carrière universitaire en entreprenant un diplôme technique en éducation de la petite enfance, avant de poursuivre mes études universitaires pour devenir enseignante spécialisée dans ce domaine.

Après de nombreuses années d'expérience dans les écoles maternelles de Madrid, et plus récemment au Jardin Urbain, je reste convaincue que participer d'une manière réelle et sincère au développement des enfants est, sans aucun doute, l'aspect le plus enrichissant de mon métier d'éducatrice. Chaque enfant est unique et extraordinaire à sa manière, et c'est un véritable privilège de pouvoir les accompagner et de partager avec eux, jour après jour, cette grande aventure qu'est la petite enfance.

Kurara :

My days as an early childhood educator are filled with many discoveries, profound learnings, and much love. After several years in the field, I am committed to making our daycare a place where kids feel they belong and are supported. I'm so happy to be a part of the process of cultivating this little community. We share all the joys of our day-to-day life and we are always curious to try something new. I'm thrilled about our ability to grow as individuals as well as a group at JU!