Caterpillar & Co. — Kid-friendly Daycare & Preschool in Toronto, Ontario

What parents say

• Talayeh Rad

  Amazing staff, my daughter went there for the infant program. All staff are very kind, lots of Love and Hugs. Their management is also very transparent. Catherpilar & Co feels like Home both for kids and the parents.

• CJ Familia

  NOT AS ADVERTISED PROS: Excellent infant room staff CONS: High staff turnover, out of touch supervisor, unresponsive owner Even since COVID, Caterpillar's level of service has greatly deteriorated over the years without taking any responsibility. They have had high staff turnover despite claiming that they have the “best benefits for staff”. As you can expect, my child's behavior was really affected by the constant staff turnover. In addition, they no longer provide progress reports, sporadically sharing photos (which they used to do more frequently before COVID), and reduced their operating hours making drop off and pick up even more challenging if you work. When I asked Caterpillar why they wouldn’t go back to their original operating hours (with COVID health protocols loosened), they claimed the need to isolate the class rooms. This doesn’t make any sense since sibling children who attend different daycare rooms would be an issue. I’ve spoken to other daycares who all confirmed that they have returned back to their normal operating hours. The owner Jacqueline, who seems to be more focused on her real estate business, is very slow to respond to emails and messages. EXAMPLE #1: When daycares were being forced to close down to COVID, Caterpillar was one of the daycares that still charged for services not rendered. The owner sent an email to all parents justifying that she had to charge for half a month DESPITE many parents complaining. I reported Caterpillar to my local MP as this was clearly them taking advantage of the situation. EXAMPLE #2: My child was told by their teacher to NOT TALK during lunch or else they would CHOKE. I confirmed with this with other parents in the classroom. I informed the supervisor Sally that the teacher was using this scare tactic. I was dismissed by the supervisor in a condescending manner when I informed her. This was very disheartening coming from someone whom I was entrusting my child with. EXAMPLE #3: When I gave notice that I was switching my child to another daycare, I was not given back my last month deposit as promised despite multiple emails to the owner. I had to ask the supervisor to get involved to confirm that the owner received all of my messages and was finally able to get my last month deposit.

 Thank God! Ever since I switched daycares, I’ve noticed a huge difference. It’s been really nice to have a daycare that takes the welfare and well-being of my child seriously as that clearly was not the case at Caterpillar.

• Katrina Matuch

  I feel lucky that we found such a loving, supportive environment for our daughter to attend full time daycare. Returning to work after maternity leave is a massive transition and the team at Caterpillar and Co were integral to helping ensure that was smooth for both me and my daughter. The entire staff, especially Sally, is warm and welcoming with open communication. My daughter loved her infant teachers (Miss. Stephanie, Ms. Bana Rose and Ms. Jessica) and still (a year after leaving the centre due to a move) talks about her toddler teachers (Ms. Sarwat).

• Christina Skiadaresis

  My infant loves daycare and we are so pleased with the staff at Caterpillar & Co. I periodically check the video footage while I'm at work and it warms my heart to see how engaged and genuinely happy the staff and little ones are. I feel lucky to have my daughter here and thankful for each staff member for their care & diligence. Would recommend 100%.

• Eunice Lee

  Our daughter has been in the infant class for about 4 months now, going on 5, and we’re extremely happy. The teachers are ever so sweet, caring, and she’s learning so much! Given it is an infant class, it’s hard to do many activities throughout the day, but we’ve been very happy and relieved. We’re sad to be leaving the teachers in the infant class! Thank you to the teachers for everything they do!