Willowbrae Childcare Academy Victoria — Daycare & Preschool in Victoria, British Columbia

What parents say

• Jessica Thomas

  My daughter has attended Willowbrae Academy for over a year now and she loves it. The educators really care for the children, all the food is provided, and the hours are flexible. The curriculum is great and my daughter really likes the structured format of the day with lots of formal learning opportunities and also open play time. I also like the ability to check in with the “liveview” camera. This was great at the beginning to see how quickly my daughter adjusted to getting dropped off. Would highly recommend!

• Jolanta Marlena

  Between my 1.5 y/o son and my six y/o daughter, I have had my kids enrolled in about seven different daycares so far. I can say with confidence that Willowbrae Victoria is a great daycare and has many benefits that I have not experienced in other daycares. I find that the Director is professional, a good communicator, and I appreciate that they follow the wait list and reply to emails with great degree of granularity. The teachers are very professional, for example, one of the teachers has multiple post secondary degrees and was an experienced pedagogue in South Korea. The teachers are very loving, and are always there to comfort the kids if they are upset. I appreciate the food being served to kids, there is so much food waste with my toddler and the food is fresh, and it saves me the hassle from having to pack endless snacks. I like how they offer milk, and everything is made on site and warm, fresh and /or refrigerated. I really like the outdoor space upstairs, even though it doesn’t have any greenery, it is extremely safe for toddlers. There aren’t any playgrounds that I know of where you can let a one-year-old just roam around and have free play. All the kids seem very happy upstairs. Well, the classroom didn’t have some of the toys my son really loves (cars cars cars) they let us donate some to the classroom and he is very happy now. The daycare was recommended by a number of parents all of whom have other options and are very happy there. With the CCRFI, the rate is not that much higher than others. I personally don’t look at cameras, etc., but that is an interesting feature if someone wants some video reassurance that their kid is well cared for.

• Mason Parkes

  This is an excellent daycare. I would recommend it to anyone with little kids especially if they work downtown. There's structure to each day and a good routine. They have a ton of stuff to keep the kids engaged all day and I noticed a giant leap forward in our kids' development even on a daily basis. The caregivers are excellent and really care about the kids. Security is tight which gives me peace of mind and they have cameras set up so parents can see what their little one is up to. They also have a sweet roof top play area. Our kids love Willowbrae!

• Goldenro Murphy

  I had a very disappointing experience with this daycare. From the start, there was no clear or open communication. It felt like the expectation was for my son to quickly adjust to their routine without any flexibility or true effort to understand his individual needs. On only his second day, he was left crying alone in an area because, I was told, “other kids needed attention too.” I understand that staff need to care for multiple children, but some consideration and compassion during the early adjustment period should be a basic standard in childcare. The program felt very rigid, and many of the comments posted in the app did not reflect what I observed or was told during pick-up. It’s frustrating and concerning when communication through the app doesn’t match reality. Unfortunately, the management was not open to hearing concerns or feedback, which left me feeling dismissed as a parent. For $950 a month, I expected a much higher standard of care, communication, and professionalism. I do not recommend this daycare based on my experience.

• Kate MacCulloch

  Our son was at this daycare from age 10 months until 5 years. He had the most loving and warm teachers every year. I hated the location in the city, but within the walls of the daycare it was wonderful. He thrived and we will miss it so much.