Centre des Petits d'Ottawa (2005) inc.

Both my daughters attended from the age of 12 months. There are pros and cons to this centre.

I’ll start with the pros. The caregivers who have been there for some time (Marie, Sylla, Jeanne D’Arc, Henriette, Jeannette etc.) are fabulous. They are professional, kind and loving and I always knew that whatever happened during the day, my girls would be safe and loved. That’s a HUGE factor in my score on this place. Other good things are the location (nice play area and structure for the kids to use, residential area, large classrooms and although old, very functional for the little ones), and the hours (7:30-6). The lunch food is repetitive and not terribly interesting which is too bad because introducing kids to different foods when they’re young is so important, but my kids never complained. Also, I did feel like my kids learned things - of course it is play-based, but the centre prepped my girls for school very well. My girls also got lots of physical activity, either outside or indoors in a large room dedicated to just that.

Then there are the cons. (1) The administration is terrible. And not just forgetful or disorganized, but also rude. The centre could very clearly use someone with business management skills and education because the potential is there. It is just run by people who seem to know absolutely nothing about managing a child care centre. (2) Staff turnover seems high to me, with some exceptions. (3) the quality of the French is often questionable. There were posters with terrible grammar and spelling on the walls, and email communications were full of those as well. Clearly not a huge issue, but just know that for many who work there, French is not their first language. (4) There is no air conditioning in the building and in the summer heat it can be sweltering. (5) There really aren’t any outings for the older kids, despite what the administration says. Only one of my daughters ever went anywhere and it was to the fire station. With a library and splash pads not too far, I would have preferred if the kids had actually done some of that. (6) Unless you ask or unless there’s an incident, you really don’t get an end of day report on how your child’s day was. You have to press the staff for details. There’s an agenda but what they write in there is formulaic and often does not actually reflect your kid’s day. A very useless exercise.

Really hopeful this is helpful for parents looking for a daycare centre!

My daughter attended the CDP throughout her daycare career. Her educators were fantastic and friendly. The programming was exceptional with a nice mix of structured activities and free games. There was also daily communication with parents via calendar and a weekly description of planned activities. This gave an excellent overview of the day. The 3-year preschool and kindergarten program was a great preparation for school, and my daughter always loved going to daycare. The room is old (without air conditioning), but there have been several renovations and the staff is great! The structure of the administration is a bit complicated to understand, but by getting involved in the governing board, it is possible to share ideas for improvements. A big thank you to the staff of the CDP who created an enriching and positive environment for my daughter! Claire & Nick

This is my kids' second home. They are welcomed every day by a wonderful staff who is like family, love and caring. Also, I love that kids are in an environment that develops their little minds, and are taught to enjoy learning, good manners and social skills.

Super staff thank you for everything.