Beamish Academy — Kid-friendly Daycare & Preschool in Toronto, Ontario

What parents say

• Montserrat Monteverde

  My grandson has been attending the school for almost a year (formerly Mindwerx academy), the staff is amazing, caring and patient. Unfortunately the owner of the academy doesn’t know how to deal with the parents properly, we had a lot of issues on the management side starting with trouble with invoicing ( my daughter asked to change her and my grandsons name multiple times), if the kid is hyperactive automatically is a trouble child and tries to put him under the therapy that brings double the cost and if you can’t afford the therapy, he threatens to remove the kid from the daycare. Is a shame that as soon as a kid shows behaviour issues (we were aware of the behaviour and tried to work with the staff with different strategies) is automatically labelled as trouble. Not all the kids are angels and unless the parents refuses to take action, I agree to remove the kid, but when the whole family is involved to work with the staff for the benefit of the child and that effort seems pointless to the owner, puts a lot of stress to both the parents and the kid. At the end we decided to withdraw my grandson at the beginning of the summer.

• Dustin Zender

  Incredible staff who are truly caring of the kids. Our daughter just graduated and she’ll miss them dearly! They also just moved buildings which gives them access to a gym, and a new play area out front. Would highly recommend!

• S Daniela O M

  My son attended Mindworks Academy (formerly Beamish) from age 2 and change until recently. Near the end of his time there, I was given an ultimatum: start therapy for my son or he would be kicked out due to “behavioral problems” — problems that were never properly addressed because of one other child who was the real source of most issues in the classroom. As a result of this ultimatum, my monthly bill jumped from around $1,600 to nearly $3,000, despite my being a low-income single mom who already struggled to cover fees. They’ve even pulled money from my account and refunded it later which should have never happened . Most teachers are not equipped to handle behavioral or special needs children, with only a small handful truly understanding how to manage and support kids. Despite marketing themselves as a special-needs-friendly daycare, they hire temporary staff who have admitted the owner and management are incompetent, which directly impacts the children’s behavior. Multiple parents — myself included — have raised concerns about one specific child who has repeatedly caused major disruptions, been abusive toward staff, parents, and other children, and faced zero consequences. We strongly suspect this lack of action is because of the amount of money that child’s parents are spending. Meanwhile, other children have been forced into various “behavior correction” paths, yet the real problem is ignored. If the parents do nothing and the staff does nothing, how is it fair to place blame on every other child and family? On top of that, children are sometimes called liars, called “mean,” and labeled in ways that make them feel bad about themselves. My son reached the point where he dreaded going to daycare. As a full-time working single mom, I didn’t have the luxury of keeping him home, but no child should feel unwelcome or unhappy in a place that’s supposed to nurture them. I’ve also spoken to multiple parents who said they were sworn at by the owner — and not in isolated incidents. This kind of behavior from management is completely unprofessional and unacceptable in any childcare setting. Several parents I’ve spoken with — some who have since withdrawn their kids — agree that this daycare prioritizes money over the well-being of the children. Unless you have thousands to drop at a moment’s notice and are fine being treated poorly, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere. EDIT .You’ve pulled money from parents’ accounts and refunded it later, ignored repeated concerns from multiple families about one disruptive child, and raised my fees from ~$1,600 to nearly $3,000 - all while backtracking on what was promised, changing agreed-upon therapy/childcare days without consulting me, and issuing unclear invoices. I also know of parents who were told they had to keep their children enrolled because you “needed the funds.” When serious issues are deflected instead of addressed, it’s hard to believe money isn’t the priority. As for claims I “yelled at children,” I rarely did drop-offs or pick-ups myself — my family helped while I worked full-time — so that accusation is baseless. Most of my interactions were by email or text, and on several occasions I thought I was speaking with a teacher only to later find I was messaging the owner, making it unclear who I was addressing. In every conversation, I’ve done my best to remain respectful and polite — I gain nothing from getting heated with a preschool teacher. I’m also not sure how “disrespectful” I was considering I would bake treats for the teachers when I could, and even sat down with my son to make handmade gifts for all of them — including the owner — as a thank-you for watching my child, despite the condescending, rude, and disrespectful treatment I received the entire time. I have emails, screenshots, and other evidence supporting everything I’ve said, but I’ve chosen not to post them publicly out of respect for the months my son attended. I would have hoped for a reply that reflected the same level of respect I’ve tried to show, even when we disagreed.

• Frederic Grange

  Writing a review on a daycare is not like making a review on a restaurant. Indeed, you need time to judge the quality of the services provided and to be able to make a valid and thorough review. Our son is now at Beamish for a year and I have nothing but strong positive comments on this daycare. Everything starts with the leadership team and on this, Steve and Deborah are just amazing. They have been able to hire an incredibility professional team which has one goal: providing an environment were the kids could grow and learn but with all the safety which is sometimes so much missing in other daycare. We are receiving daily communications with incredible photos and videos. This is giving us invaluable insights of what our son is doing during the day as who can expect a 3 years old boy to explain entirely his day? The body language and facial expressions of your kids could not lie and when we are seing our boy happy to join the group and running to say hello to his team, this is only because he is feeling super safe. This review would not be complete without mentioning the two fantastic persons which are making Liam's days so great: Ms Lauren and Ms Young. I cannot thank you enough for what you are doing on a daily basis. Leaving your kid at a daycare is always a challenge but when you are lucky to find a place like Beamish Academy, you are so relief. I cannot recommend more if you are leaving in Etobicoke.

• Kevin Guzman

  Our son started at Beamish Academy in May in the toddler room, and we could not be happier with our decision. From day one, the staff has been absolutely amazing. They have shown so much care, patience, and dedication, and we’ve already seen how much our son has learned and grown in such a short time. A special thank you goes to Ms. Deborah, the supervisor, who made our transition into the daycare smooth and stress-free. She took the time to answer our questions, listen to our concerns, and made us feel completely comfortable leaving our child in their care. Her warmth and professionalism gave us such peace of mind as parents. And then there’s Mr. Steve. What an incredible person! He’s not just the owner; he’s someone who truly cares about the children, the families, and the staff. I’ve been to other daycares where the focus unfortunately seemed more on profit than on the kids, but not here. Mr. Steve actually worked with us to make sure we could find an arrangement that fit our budget, and I can’t express how much that meant to us. It’s clear that he goes above and beyond, and even the staff speak so highly of him, which says a lot about the environment he’s built. One of the things I love most about Beamish Academy is that the staff has been here for a long time. There’s no constant turnover, which speaks volumes about how much the staff enjoy working here and that stability is so important for the children. You can feel the sense of family and community the moment you walk in the door. If you are looking for a daycare for your little one, I highly recommend Beamish Academy. It’s a place where children are not only cared for, but truly nurtured and valued. We are so grateful to have found them and look forward to watching our son continue to grow here.