Le Soleil Montessori Children's House

I have heard awful things about this place. Things parents and children should never have to go through.

This place is extremely damaging for children. Do not send your child here if you want them to have a good experience with school. Very disappointed.

My son started attending le soleil in April 2023. He was just 2.5 years old when he started and transitioned from a home daycare. We had a bad experience previously so I was a little nervous about the switch and it was a big learning curve for him from a daycare where everything was done for him to a Montessori environment where he was encouraged to be independent. Even little things like asking for help were new to him. We stuck with it though and both Mme Edith and Ms. Chao were supportive through the process. I am so thankful that we did because within a few weeks I saw our son blossom. He became more and more independent and we could see he took great pride in everything he was learning. From making his own bed, zipping up his jacket to puzzles, art projects and everything in between.

It is clear to me that Mme Edith has dedicated her life to her school and the children. Everything she does has the children’s best interest in mind and their individual development. This is not just a school but a community. Throughout the year, they host various events for the parents to get to know each other as well and see the children in the school group environment. In less than a year, we have attended a multicultural picnic, a sports day type of event and a parent tea. We also had the opportunity to observe the class and attend a parent teacher meeting to hear in detail how our son was doing. Most recently, they also hosted an educational night to learn how to best support the Montessori learning at home.

Another aspect of the school that has been very much appreciated is the outdoor time the kids are provided every single day. The school itself has a beautiful garden with an apple tree and grapes. There is a sand box, grass, a little house and lots of things to engage the children. They all have rain gear at the school so they are outside every single day no matter the weather and our son loves it. They are also within walking distance of quite a few parks and take full advantage of it.

In Vancouver, it is hard to find a full time preschool let alone a good one, we are very thankful to have our son attend le soleil. We know he is in a safe caring environment daily where he is encouraged to learn, explore his own interests and be more independent. Thank you!

My children attended Le Soleil Montessori, and we could not be more grateful for the wonderful time, learning experiences, and interactions with both classmates and teachers, not only during their time at the school but also in the subsequent years up to the present day. Madame Edith has consistently been amazing for our entire family. Whenever we have the opportunity to stop by and say hello, we eagerly do it, as we always feel warmly welcomed. I can honestly say that our children received an exceptional academic foundation that will benefit them throughout their lives.

We were recommended to the school by family members who had great experiences with Mme Edith and Ms. Chao. As a family, we have enjoyed our time at the school and appreciate what Mme Edith and Ms. Chao have done for our children.

Here are some questions that crossed my mind while my child was attending La Soleil Montessori Children’s House:

1) “Can we trust these people? ”
2) “How could we have ignored this for so long? ”
3) “How could we have let this happen? ”

My child started at La Soleil Montessori Children’s House in October 2021. On the first day of school, she was scared and nervous. Because she refused into the school to go by herself, I carried her down the footpath in spite of the fact that we were instructed not to. The teacher greeted me at the door and led my child in. She smiled but seemed unhappy and was businesslike. She saw our distress and simply said: “Let’s not make this a habit”. She pulled my child in and then closed the door. I was left rattled and curious – couldn’t something else been said aside from that?

It was a foreboding start, but like so many families in Vancouver, we were in need of childcare.

My child attended La Soleil Montessori Children’s House until August 2023. During the two years that she attended, there was a litany of events that could be mentioned here. Here’s a partial list: We witnessed the staff address parents and children with callousness or condescension; we were part of, or heard of conversations in which parents complained about the unfair expectations placed on their children or them; we were told by other parents about their children being hurt at La Soleil Montessori Children’s House, but being too afraid to tell the teachers for fear of reprisal.

But we needed childcare. So we reconciled and negotiated our reservations and feelings. We developed a rapport with the staff; we developed an attachment with them, not unlike our child did. We wrote favourable reviews when asked (though we later found out that this was they were last being investigated). We assumed – we wanted to believe! – that everything we saw, heard and read wasn’t true. La Soleil Montessori Children’s House is a good school; our child is safe; she wouldn’t be a victim of neglect.

And then in April 2023, our child was left alone with minimal supervision for several hours. When it was apparent that she wanted to go back into the classroom but couldn’t find the words to say so – because she had just turned 4, was recognizably upset and was known to be non-verbal at times – the teacher made the choice to I quote “not put words in her mouth”. She wasn’t invited back in; she stayed outside until the other children joined her at the end of the day. She later told us that she cried for a very long time afterwards.

There were attempts to address and explain the situation on the part of the school. In spite of everything, we had grown to trust and like La Soleil Montessori Children’s House. We wanted to continue to do so. But as time went on, it was clear the damage was done. We are left with an abscess of anger, sadness and disappointment.

These teachers had power over our child. They had our trust. Regardless of intention, they abused their power and broke our trust. They will tell you that Montessori is about natural consequences. They told us that and we believed them. It is clear from some recent positive reviews that some parents still believe them.

Reviews are subjective, right? This fact isn’t: A 4 year-old child was left outside alone at La Soleil Montessori Children’s House. And a 4 year-old child being left outside alone isn’t a natural consequence anywhere.

I write this review because of a desire to protect others. The questions that crossed my mind while my child attended La Soleil Montessori School should never be considered by any parent. Spare yourselves and your children from this grief.

Our experience at Le Soleil has been wonderful. Our daughter started attending the school when she was 2.5 years old, which was her first time being away from us. Those early days were hard with the tears during drop-off and the gradual adjustment. However, Madame Edith and Ms. Chao were patient and supportive, and her classmates' warm welcome helped her settle in.

It's clear that Madame Edith loves children and is committed to providing an ideal learning environment. Ms. Chao is the leading guide in the classroom. We are amazed at how much our child has learned under their guidance. Our daughter admires her teachers, and she eagerly shares her acrobatics and engages in conversations with them. Her emotional, physical, and social development outside of the classroom has been remarkable too; she is now almost four years old. I always look forward to hearing about our daughter's progress and her day during pick-up.

We enjoy attending seasonal events, such as tea parties and multicultural celebrations. It's a great opportunity to connect with other parents, and it's heartwarming to see our children proudly perform mini-concerts. We are grateful for our daughter's exceptional experience at her first school.

Our son has been going to the school for the past year. Since then he has become more independent and his speech/vocabulary has increased. The staff also speak French to him which has been a wonderful addition as our family speaks both French and English at home. There is all the Montessori activities from counting, painting, cutting and daily living.
The school puts on many events throughout the year from parent Montessori education sessions which has helped us implement Montessori ideas in our own home. To parent observation so that we can see what happens during the day when he is at school, which is followed by parent, teacher conferences so we can discuss our thoughts and concerns. The teacher also give us an update on how our son is doing and show us what he has been working on.
There is also fun actives for like celebrating birthdays. As well as picnics, multicultural days and mother/fathers tea. Which has helped meet other families in the school and has made it feel more like a community. Although the school is not apart of the government subsidy program, it isn’t that much more then other schools. Like the old saying goes “you get what you pay for. ” For our family it is worth the investment!

Our first daughter attended Le Soleil Montessori Children's House from the age of 2 1/2 to 5 years old (from 2017 to 2020). We had a wonderful, positive, loving experience at Le Soleil. I admit that I was a little hesitant about the Montessori style at the beginning. I was worried it may be a little cold and not loving enough. I quickly changed my mind after the first few months attending the school. Children take time to adapt (especially at 2.5 years old) and we were in a situation where our daughter had only ever been one on one (with our part time nanny, parents, grandparents). She was always one on one with an adult. Going to this school was so important for her growth as an independent individual. They did a gradual entry over the first month and while I didn't love it at the time (because it's hard to work and do pickups etc), I could see that it would be far too overwhelming to put our daughter in full time care immediately. The way they recommended worked great for us and she adapted very well (very few tears).
I could go on and on about the teachers and the positive experiences with fellow parents and children. We attended many birthday parties and I spoke with many parents. Not once did I hear anything concerning about Madame Edith or Ms. Chao.

I would highly recommend this school. We did have close friends who brought their daughter here after our recommendation and they also had a great experience.

I would caution any parent to do their research about Montessori and also read many reviews. I'm sorry that some of these reviewers had a bad experience. You can't please everyone. Unfortunately, unhappy people tend to be more vocal about their experience. We had an amazing experience and so did the other parents who we became friends with.

Madame Edith loves the children in her school so much. We had Christmas concerts every year and an international day/world celebration in the Spring. It was heart warming to see the look of pride and love beaming from Madame Edith as she presented the children and the performances to the parents. I remember watching her dancing with a gaggle of 3/4/5 year olds hanging off of her and thinking to myself how she really loves children even after doing this for many years.
Ms. Chao was the main teacher during our time at Le Soleil. While I wouldn't describe her as warm and fuzzy, I would say that she is a great educator and is very patient with the children. They can get warm and fuzzy from home, I was happy to have someone to teach her to be independent and to learn as much as possible.

We have a new daughter who is currently at the Le Soleil Infant Community and will be transitioning to Le Soleil children's house in the next year and we couldn't be happier. Both schools are impeccably maintained and we are proud to send our children there.

I am fearful and enraged that Le Soleil remains open to care for children. My daughter attended Le Soleil for almost 2 years from October 2021 to August 2023 and we prematurely withdrew her even with just one year left before kindergarten.

The school is currently under investigation by the Vancouver Coastal Health Childcare Licensing and has been reported to the BC ECE registry on the grounds of neglect, health and safety and other concerns regarding the treatment of children.

About one year ago, Edith Saurina (the director) asked parents to write positive reviews for the school. At the time, I wrote an honest 5-star review. My child had finally adjusted, made friends and was learning new skills. Six months after my initial review, our experience of the school deteriorated.

An incident in April 2023 where my daughter was put outdoors in the enclosed play area with another classmate unsupervised for almost 3 days as an “experiment” to teach them a lesson left us cautious and worried. Edith claimed she checked on them every 20 minutes or so. On the 4th day of the experiment, one child was put outside for several hours alone and in the afternoon, my daughter was left outside for several hours alone. Edith reported to me that my daughter looked like she had been crying but she refused to ask if my daughter wanted to go back inside. In a moment when my child was looking for connection (and should not have been anywhere alone), she was met with rejection and feigned ignorance.

This incident, as atrocious as it was, is just one example of how children and their emotions are mishandled by the teachers. This and other incidents including crying alone at her cubby downstairs as to “not disrupt other children” and watching other children do the same have left my daughter fearful of being alone. We have sought therapy to provide a safe environment for her to explore her feelings of loneliness and confusion in the classroom.

Since April, we have also heard of other neglectful incidents such as children leaving school with soiled underwear, multiple children having bowel movements in public places without teachers knowing and other children similarly being left unsupervised for long periods of time.

Finally, in other questionable behaviour, the director has not been transparent around the school’s decision to opt out of the CCFRI (Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative) which would reduce school fees by $545 a month. Upon finding out that Edith had told one family that she had applied but not received it, I called the CCFRI hotline in July 2023 and was told that Edith had not applied at all. When respectfully inquiring about her decision, she refused to provide any reasons.

At the time of writing (September 2023), 3 families left Le Soleil in August due to neglect while another 5 left for CCFRI-funded daycares. This is also not the first time Le Soleil has been investigated by the authorities.

This is not a Montessori school even if it masquerades as one. Montessori does not rip up children’s drawings, put them outside alone to teach them a lesson or make children weary about work. The problem here is not with the children or the parents as the teachers often implied. The problem is with the rigid and prideful teachers who are unable to create an environment where all children feel safe to voice their needs.

Finding childcare in Vancouver is an impossible task and when you learn that Le Soleil has spaces (a major red flag), you might jump at the chance just as we did. We ignored our best instincts and stayed. Despite the friendships we made, Le Soleil left us with no other choice. It wasn’t about fit. It was about removing our child from an unsafe learning environment which could sometimes also be cruel and punishing.

Our account is not meant to take away from the positive experiences that others have had at Le Soleil but I believe that if one child suffers, we all suffer. If one child has been treated this way, no child is truly safe at this school.

***This daycare is currently under 2 cases of investigation***

1) VCH licensing board
2) The ECE registry of the BC Government

I am the parent of a child who attended Le Soleil Montessori Children's House from October of 2021- August of 2023. Over the past two years, I have experienced and witnessed serious unethical administrative behaviours and treatment of the children by the staff members.

First of all, this daycare is expensive ($1200/month) because it's not subsidized for the CCFRI funding. The owner has also been secretive and defensive about why she doesn't receive CCFRI. She has given inconsistent reasons to multiple families, ranging from claims that her application was rejected, she's not allowed to applied for it due to it being a "Montessori school", to she doesn't want to apply for it because she doesn't want to abide by the funding requirements. When some of the parents wrote an email to clarify the reasons, she stated that she "will not be justifying her reasons to us".

Secondly, the staffs of Le Soleil also routinely punishes children by coercion, isolation and public shaming. My child (and several other children at various points) was forced to nap until he turned 4, despite having transitioned out of naps at 3.5 year old. In order to make my child sleep, the teacher separated him from the rest of the kids and left him in the pitch dark mudroom himself. Another time, my child was also left alone outside for an hour, with minimum supervision, because he didn't want to do Montessori work. He cried all alone sitting in a chair until he fell asleep. No one came to check on him until it was lunch time. When it was the last day of school in August, the teacher admitted to ripping up my child's drawing in front of all the other kids to "teach him a lesson" about not listening to instructions. I was shocked when the teacher admitted this to me. When I challenged her on why she thought it was appropriate to make an example of my child, she tried to excuse her behaviour and said that she wasn't trying to punish my kid and that he "isn't a bad kid". I only shudder to imagine what kind of punishment she uses on kids she deems "bad".

The owner, Edith Saurina, has been asking parents to leave 5-star reviews because the facility is being currently being investigated. There are multiple recent reviews that just popped up, written by people whose kids left the daycare years ago. A year ago, I was also asked to leave a 5-star review, and I just recently found out that it was because she was also under investigation licensing then! It's really concerning knowing that a daycare centre gets flagged by families to licensing on a yearly basis.

Many of the positive review will have you believe that Le Soleil has helped their children "thrive" and learned to be independent. However, what I see as "independence" looked more like that the children were scared of asking the teachers for help. In fact, if you ever visited this daycare, you can sense how rigid the environment is. The teachers are constantly "correcting" the kids for innocuous behaviours, like the way someone sits in a chair or for humming a song. As a parent, I also felt the impact of their rigid and unrealistic expectations. I was told several times that my child was "disruptive" and "not a good fit for Montessori", and when I asked the teachers to support my child more, I was instead chided and judged for the way I parented.

I've worked over 10 years with children and families (as a clinical counsellor) and I know that children thrive in safe and emotionally warm environments. This daycare is not that place, children are not safe here!

I returned to this page after three years to strongly advise my friend, who is searching for a daycare in the area, to steer clear of this place. I can't leave without sharing my experience here. My experience here was extremely troubling, especially for my son. I have to be blunt: Ms. Chao and Edith don't treat kids well. They used to yell at parents in front of the children, and I've seen them being unkind when kids cry. My son's time there felt like a prison. Sadly, this isn't just my experience; other new immigrants have had similar traumatic experiences.

Edith and Ms. Chao don't show much respect for parents. When I asked for a bit more care and attention for my son, their response was very cold. He used to cry almost every morning, but once we took him out of the daycare, that changed. Frankly, I'm surprised they're in the childcare business. I want you to know how serious this is, and that's why I'm sharing my concerns. I wish I could undo my decision of sending my son here. Such an unpleasant experience it was!

It is very alarming that many other parents are still coming forward with the same complaints yet the school is still in operation. The two biggest concerns when you drop your child off at school is for their safety and how they are treated, especially when they are too little to go into full details with you, and unfortunately neither of which are Edith and Ms. Chaos main concern. I seriously hope this that school is shut down after all the inspections and interviews are said and done. It’s time to retire Edith, you clearly have zero energy to be running this place with any compassion for the kids and parents and fail to provide quality care. There is a reason why there are so many open spots at this school. The truth will keep coming out Edith, please save yourself the embarrassment with all your fake reviews, and save your time even replying to this review, as everything you reply is a lie anyways.

Dearest Madame Edith,
It’s such a good fortune that we had found Le Soleil Montessori Children’s House and we were so grateful for that.
As you know Lukas had quite a tough time at the beginning and you and Miss Chao helped him get through it even though you had many other students to care for!
He loved you, your school and his friends and that showed your hard work to provide the best authentic Montessori environment for your students.
Your school is so beautiful inside and outside and reflects so well your passion for Montessori education.
Thank you so much for all you do. Bravo!

Thank you so much for a very rewarding school year.
We are so lucky that our child attended your wonderful Montessori school. It has been amazing to watch her grow and flourish in your and Miss Chao’s care. We are very grateful that we found you!
She has thrived under your guidance, respect and love.
We have seen a lot of growth in her stamina, independence, vocabulary and thoughtfulness. We also love all the French songs she brings home every day!
We are definitely looking forward to a new school year!

Dear Madame Edith,
I meant to write this review a while ago but it took us longer than expected to settle in Europe.
We finally found a wonderful, traditional Montessori school for Isabella and Matéo!
They settled in extremely well. It was such a smooth transition from Le Soleil.
I couldn’t thank you, Miss Chao and Miss Eloïse enough for the care and labour of love you put into our children’s lives. Your hard work and dedication didn’t go unnoticed.
Our children loved you and your school and the safe and beautiful environment you created for all the children in your care. It is heartwarming to see the special bond that you have with all the children!
We were extremely sad to leave Vancouver but had to go back to Europe, as you know, for professional reasons and will make sure to come say “Bonjour” to you when we come back to Vancouver!
À bientôt

Le Soleil Montessori Children's House provides students with an authentic traditional Montessori learning experience. Students are able to strengthen their knowledge and skills while building independence and confidence in a safe and clean environment. The staff are passionate, hard working, and experienced professionals. Our children have greatly benefited from their time at Le Soleil.

We have both our children at the school, and our children have blossomed under the care and education of Mdm. Edith and Ms. Chao. They have been very supportive and encouraging to our children, and our children continue to be self-sufficient and they love to learn.

The montessori program works for us as we have observed how our children thrived under the structured curriculum while allowing them to explore what interests them. Our oldest completed the 3-year montessori program, and we have seen how she was able to adapt to the public elementary curriculum.
She has now emerged as a leader in the classes that she has been enrolled. Our youngest will be going to the third year of the program, and we look forward to seeing him develop.

Very strict style. Perhaps even unkind or lacking in compassion around different children's temperaments/medical conditions and different parenting styles. Not culturally aware or sensitive. Maybe a good fit for some families, but wasn't for ours. Poor communication with families on behalf of the staff. Our child struggled significantly at this institution but quickly blossomed when moved elsewhere.

It’s concerning that adults running a facility that should be nurturing, respectful and kind can be so extremely rude when interacting with parents. Speaking with Edith was very off putting and I wouldn’t trust them with my kids.