Every Montessori preschool in Ajax and Oakville will tell you it is child-centred and hands-on. Almost all of them mean it. So how do you actually choose between them?
This guide covers what separates one Montessori programme from another, what to look at when you visit, and the questions that get you a straight answer. Written by the team at Cedarbrook Montessori, where we run Pre-Casa, Casa and Kindergarten Prep classrooms for children aged 18 months to six years across our Ajax and Oakville campuses.
Montessori preschool, daycare, or both?
This is the first thing worth sorting out, because the words get used interchangeably and they do not mean the same thing.
A licensed daycare provides care, supervision and a programme of activities. A Montessori preschool follows a specific educational method: prepared classrooms, sequenced materials, mixed-age groups and long uninterrupted work periods. Plenty of schools do both — full-day licensed care delivered through a Montessori programme. That is what we do.
The practical difference shows up in the day. In a Montessori classroom a child chooses their work from the shelf, stays with it as long as it holds their attention, and puts it back before starting something else. There is no bell every twenty minutes moving everyone on to the next thing together.
If you need care from early morning to early evening, ask whether the Montessori programme runs all day or only for part of it. Some schools teach a Montessori morning and run general care in the afternoon. Both are legitimate. You just want to know which you are buying.
The three programmes, and the ages they serve
Montessori groups children in three-year age bands rather than by single year. Most schools in Ontario use similar names for them.
Pre-Casa: 18 months to around 2.5 years
The toddler room. Low shelves, real jugs, child-sized brooms and mops. Toddlers pour their own water, wipe their own spills and carry their own trays. It looks like play and it is where independence starts. Language grows fast at this age, so expect a lot of naming, singing and conversation.
Casa: 2.5 to 4 years
The three-year cycle that most people picture when they think of Montessori. Children work across five areas — practical life, sensorial, language, mathematics and culture — moving through each at their own pace. The mixed ages matter here: a four-year-old showing a three-year-old how to roll a mat consolidates their own learning while the younger child sees what comes next.
Kindergarten Prep: 4 to 6 years
The final year focuses on reading fluency, number sense and the working habits that make Grade 1 manageable — finishing what you start, asking for help, working alongside others without being managed. Parents often ask whether a Montessori child will cope in a mainstream Grade 1 classroom. In our experience the ones who transition best are exactly those who can work independently and ask when they are stuck.
You can see how the five curriculum areas fit together on our Montessori curriculum page.
What to look for in a Montessori preschool in Ajax
Websites and brochures tell you very little. These are the things worth checking, roughly in order of how much they affect your child’s day.
- Teacher training route. Montessori training is a full diploma, not a weekend workshop. Ask which programme each educator trained through and whether registered early childhood educators also work in the room.
- Ratios at 8am, not just at 10am. Staffing at the busiest part of the morning is the number that matters. Ask for both.
- Whether the work cycle is genuinely uninterrupted. A three-hour block broken up by circle time, snack and a group activity is not a three-hour block.
- How materials are arranged. One of each, left to right in order of difficulty, on shelves a child can reach. Duplicates and overcrowded shelves are a sign the method is decorative rather than followed.
- What happens when a child refuses to work. The answer tells you more about a school’s philosophy than any mission statement.
- Hours, including before and after care. And whether the fee changes when you use them.
- Meals. Prepared on site or brought in, and how allergies are handled.
- Outdoor time. How much, how often, and what happens in February.
- Licensing. Every licensed centre in Ontario displays its licence. Ask to see it.
- Fees, in writing, with what is included. Materials, meals, outdoor programme, field trips, deposits, notice periods.
- Subsidy status. Ask directly whether the centre participates in CWELCC. Participation is capped by available funding, so some schools are enrolled at one site and not another.
- Waitlist reality. Not “are you full” but “what is actually open in my child’s age band, and when”.
A school that answers all twelve without hedging is a school that has thought about them.
Visit mid-morning, not at pickup
Tour times are usually offered at the start or end of the day because they are convenient for the office. Ask for mid-morning instead, during the work cycle. That is the only time you see what your child would actually join.
When you are in the room, watch the children rather than the adults. Are they occupied or drifting? Do they put things away without being told? Does a child who finishes something choose the next thing themselves? Does an educator step in to help, or step in to take over?
Then watch how staff speak to children who are struggling. That is the part you cannot get from a website, and it is the part that will matter most on a difficult Tuesday in November.
The practical side: hours, meals and the school year
For working parents this is often what decides it, and it is the part most school websites bury.
Our core day runs [08:30 to 16:30 — CONFIRM], with extended care from [07:00] in the morning and until [18:30] in the evening. We operate year round apart from statutory holidays, so there is no summer gap to cover. Children arriving early settle into a quiet room with books and puzzles before the day begins properly.
Lunch is cooked here and served family-style — children pass dishes, serve themselves and clear their own places. It means no packed lunch to remember at 6am, and it means mealtimes teach something. You can see the current rotation on our school menu.
Both campuses are licensed child care centres under Ontario regulation, which sets our ratios, safety procedures and record-keeping. [Ajax licence: INSERT NUMBER. Oakville licence: INSERT NUMBER. Delete this sentence if not confirmed.]
Comparing Montessori preschools in Oakville
Oakville has a long-established Montessori community, and several schools there have been running for three decades. If heritage is your main criterion you will find plenty of it.
What varies more is the operational side. Some Oakville schools are academic-track programmes running to middle school; others are preschool-only. Some participate in CWELCC and publish their daily rate; others do not. Extended-hours care is not universal. Ask the twelve questions above and the differences surface quickly.
Our Oakville campus runs the same three programmes as Ajax — Pre-Casa, Casa and Kindergarten Prep — with the same approach to meals, outdoor time and extended care. [Oakville address and hours: INSERT, or delete this sentence. SWAP-WHEN-LIVE: link to /locations/oakville/]
Making the decision
Write down the three things that matter most to your family before you visit anywhere. For some families it is the commute and the hours. For others it is classroom philosophy, or group size, or whether lunch is provided. Compare schools against your three, not against their marketing.
Then trust what you saw in the room. A child who is comfortable, occupied and unbothered by a stranger walking through is telling you more than any brochure will.
Common questions from Ajax and Oakville parents
What age should my child start Montessori?
Our Pre-Casa room takes children from 18 months, and Casa from around 2.5 years. There is no single right age. What matters more is readiness to separate for part of the day and interest in doing things independently. If you are unsure, visit and we will tell you honestly which room suits your child now.
Can my child start mid-year?
Yes, when there is space in the right age band. Because Montessori classrooms are mixed-age, a place opens when an individual child moves up rather than only in September. Call and ask what is currently open — availability varies by room, not by the school as a whole.
Is Montessori suitable for an active child who will not sit still?
Often it suits them better than a conventional classroom. Montessori children are not required to sit still — they move between shelves, carry trays, work on floor mats and stand at tables. For a child who needs to move, that freedom is frequently the difference between struggling and settling.
What if my child cries at drop-off?
Very common, and it usually passes within minutes. We keep goodbyes short and predictable and a familiar educator takes over immediately. Ask us to check in and we will message you once your child has settled.
Do you provide meals?
Yes — hot lunch and snacks prepared on site and served family-style. Allergies and dietary requirements are managed individually; tell us at enrolment and we will walk you through how it works.
Do you take the CWELCC subsidy?
[ANSWER REQUIRED PER CAMPUS. Do not publish this question without a confirmed answer — implying participation you do not have is a serious problem. If neither campus is enrolled, replace with: “We are not currently enrolled in CWELCC. We are happy to explain our fees and what other support may be available.”]
Which areas do you serve?
Our Ajax campus draws families from across Durham Region, including Pickering, Whitby and Oshawa — the 7:00am opening usually fits a westbound commute better than a later start. Our Oakville campus serves families across Halton.
Come and see a classroom mid-morning. That is when Montessori makes sense — children working, choosing, concentrating, tidying up after themselves. Bring the twelve questions above and we will answer all of them.
Book a tour of our Ajax or Oakville campus, or get in touch and tell us which age band you are asking about.
