Newstead Academy — Kid-friendly Daycare & Preschool in Richmond Hill, Ontario

What parents say

• Lei Zhang

  2022-1-25

  I visited Newstead Academy recently. It's a brand-new childcare center in Richmond Hill, just close to the border between Aurora and RH. It was off the plaza in Yonge Street, the day care center is spacious, far larger than any other day care centers I visited before in RH and Markham. There are a lot of functional spaces for the kids. their dinning function room and open kitchen are very impressive. The lovely stage is plus, (see pics) and I think the kid will love it. I saw a couple of teachers, with diverse cultures and backgrounds and so far, the process has been pretty straight forward (paperwork and meeting in person).. My kid will start preschool in February and will love the space and environment.

• Lu

  2025-12-7

  We have two children at Newstead . Older one has been here for three years and is now in kindergarten, and our younger one recently joined the Toddler classroom. Throughout our time here, we’ve been consistently impressed and deeply grateful for the amazing teachers who care for our kids every day: Ms. Sheryl, Ms. Maryam, Ms. Mavis, Ms. Samantha, Ms. Cristina, Ms. Sabrina, Ms. Fay, Marjan, Ms. Zhuzhu, Ms. Hana, Ms. Azam, and Ms. Elham. Their patience, kindness, and genuine love for children show in the way our kids come home happy, confident, and excited to share what they learned. We also want to express our appreciation to Mr. Bing and Ms. Tetiana, the dedicated cleaning staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes. The centre is always spotless, and we truly believe this has played a huge role in how rarely our children get sick compared to other daycare. We also chose to join the enrollment program, and we couldn’t be happier with it. Our child has picked up so many French words and often comes home teaching us yoga moves learned in class. The curriculum is rich, engaging, and surprisingly advanced — honestly, our kids are learning more here than some of our friends’ children who attend private schools. The kindergarten classroom even provides daily one-on-one reading time, which is almost unheard of in daycares. Newstead is also the only daycare I know that provides dinner, which has been incredibly important for our dual-working family. With floating teachers available throughout the day, the children receive more individualized attention, and the environment always feels calm, supportive, and well-staffed. The additional $300 for the enrichment program makes complete sense to us, as government funding does not cover these higher-quality services. For the level of care, meals, education, and cleanliness our children receive, we consider it more than reasonable. Most importantly, both of our kids are genuinely happy here. They love their teachers, they love what they learn, and they come home proud to show us new skills and new knowledge. As parents, nothing matters more than seeing our children thrive in a place that feels safe, clean, loving, and deeply committed to their growth. For our family, Newstead has truly been the best daycare experience we could ask for. It’s quite surprising to see how confidently some people present assumptions as if they were facts. All I’ll say is this: if you actually experience what Newstead provides on a daily basis, you’ll quickly realize that the reality here is nothing like the dramatic stories certain individuals have imagined for themselves.

• Foe Mahn

  Worst, most unprofessional, uncaring daycare I've come across. The owners are like sharks, they only care for income and not the well being of the children. My child was taken away in an ambulance with a slit eyebrow and needed 8 stitches due to the negligence of the teachers. My child also got a bladder infection as the teachers only allowed the children to pee at specific times. Children were expected to sit with their legs crossed and hands on their laps for 45 minutes. They were not allowed to speak during eating time. Toys were removed from the classroom as the teacher believed children should not be distracted. Ministry got involved, infractions were found and the daycare still denied any wrong doing even though I received a report from the ministry with their findings of their negligence. Kept firing teachers and re-hiring them back. Hired teachers that were fired from other daycares. Moral between teachers was super low. This daycare is run like a concentration camp! One of the owners had an issue with me speaking to other parents about what was going on and she took that personally. Honestly one of the worst if not worst daycares you can send your child to. Zero accountability from this daycare. Teachers are afraid to speak out at the risk of being fired. I only know this cause I spoke to quite a few teachers myself! Horrible experience!

• Jingfeng Ni

  I would like to say a big thank you to P1 teachers(Tina, Yang and Laleh) and Director Ruonan(April). My daughter has been in P1 class almost 3 months. She has been so happy every day coming to daycare, playing and learning with her new friends and sharing what she has learned/participated activities. 1. Curriculum has been designed so well to inspire my daughter to learn and develop while she is playing, such as French, Yoga, Art, literacy, languages, social skills, science and cognitive/fine motor skills, there are even a list more. 2. Food snacks provided at cafeteria are such a variety and nutritious. Appreciate daycare also offers dinner option. My daughter loves the food there. 3. Teachers are so caring and always encourage my kid to develop on her interest with direction, show and tell is fantastic activity. Teachers are also regularly providing me with the feedbacks on how she is doing well, with the arts product she is bringing to home, and she is also surprisingly able to talk 1-10 with English, Mandarin and French, she sings at night before sleep. All my feel is she grows so rapidly in such a 2.5 months period with Teachers and daycare help 4. We also feel the daycare is always ensure health and and safety, it indeed does, which is a key highlight, comparison by others. For a recent case yesterday as an example: City water pipe broken, to ensure kids are safe and health. A wise decision is made promptly to let kids picked early. I was late as I was working at downtown yesterday. Director April patiently and specifically stay alone and accompany with my kid to ensure my daughter was picked up safe after my arrival. The experience is fantastic and really appreciate for the dedication. Overall, as parents, I cannot be more happier with such amazing teachers and Director. We appreciate you are giving my daughter a safe, nutritious, inspiring and enjoyable experience everyday at daycare.

• Rose Du

  2024-10-15

  Absolutely thrilled with our experience at Newstead. My son has had an amazing time here for the last two years from preschool to jk. The staff is incredibly caring and attentive, creating a warm and nurturing environment. They have a fabulous kitchen and my son has always eat much more at school compare with at home. He always comes home excited about the fun activities and outdoor plays. The communication from the teachers is excellent, keeping us informed and involved. Ms. Zhuzhu is always the best! This is a wonderful place for kids to learn and grow!