At Park Royal in West Vancouver the other day, I offered to hold the elevator door for a group of the most lovely, well-behaved children I had seen in ages. Their three teachers graciously declined my assistance, saying that their safety protocol was to hold the door themselves. Very impressive. Hmmm. Polite uniformed children, good behaviour and professional adults. They had to be.. Yes.. When I asked – all was confirmed. They were from CEFA.
Core Education and Fine Arts is Canada’s first Junior Kindergarten School. It was begun by Natacha Beim, a vibrant and brilliant teacher who saw a need to prepare children more thoroughly for kindergarten. Internationally (in France, England, China, Japan and many other countries), pre-kindergarten programs are standardized and children are given essential tools that set them in good stead for future education. The CEFA program is unique in Canada because it follows the international standard for pre-kindergarten learning. Parents have the choice of enrolling their preschoolers from 2-5 days per week, and classes run from 7:30 – 6pm. It is highly recognized for its leading academic program, as well as its excellent curriculum in the fine arts and athletics, designed to develop and challenge young children intellectually and physically. The well-rounded and flexible offerings enable a child to acquire knowledge in many different ways, as no child learns in exactly the same way as another.
“The decision to participate is the child’s, which emphasizes one of CEFA’s goals: to give the child autonomy and responsibility over his or her education ( I learn because I like to learn ). Creating a passion for learning in life is an essential step in your child’s learning path.”
UrbanMommies toured one facility (there are currently 9 in BC) and we were super-impressed. Arts are explored, languages are learned, and children are taught at their own pace but within a beautiful structure that apparently results in the exceptional behaviour I witnessed in the elevator.
Drama, Yoga, French. Culture Immersion (who wouldn’t want to try on clothes from all over the world?).. The school also includes a a gym painted to resemble a circus, a cinema, art room and library. A resident chef prepares breakfast and lunch for teachers and students, and a fitness trainer is also on hand. Despite the uniforms, chef and excellence, the place is not in the least bit snooty – just in case you’re wondering.
“Each child has a schedule, drawn to reflect his or her unique abilities and made up by CEFA in consultation with parents. The schedule is broken up by play times, family time, project time, relaxation, naps and movies as well as breakfast and lunch. Every week, the children can also look forward to field trips.”
One of the great things about CEFA is that because it is an educational program, working parents are able to deduct tuition expenses to a maximum of $7000 per year, per child. This amount is directly deducted from the earnings of the lower income-earner in the household when filing your taxes.
Creating Renaissance-kids, exposure to fitness, languages, arts, an international learning standard, a chef and naptime too. Heaven. If only every child throughout Canada could have the opportunity to develop in such a special environment! We’ll cross our fingers for more expansion and keep you posted. In the meantime, I’m off to yoga. Must not be eclipsed by my preschooler.
Photo features Ms. Natacha Beim and was provided by CEFA.
For other approaches on schooling, check our Waldorf and Montessori articles.
My kids go to cefa and absolutely love it! So glad you could visit!
I am absolutely disagree with this. My kid went to cefa in North Vancouver. First I thought they were very good, but after a while I was totally disappointed as they just thought about their own business. Their class was small AND THEY SHARED A TINY CUBY WITH TWO KIDS. Whenever I got there to pick up my baby, he was totally wet and they said they couldn’t handle it! He loves to play with water. and the play area is on the parking lot which is not good for kids as they smell gas and I saw many other issues which I can’t explain them all and most of their good teachers just left cefa to find another place to work…
[…] Beim, a vibrant and brilliant teacher who saw a need to prepare children more thoroughly for kindergarten. Internationally (in France, England, China, Japan and many other countries),pre-kindergarten […]
Cefas amazing just wish they paid their employees more!!
I’ve heard some mixed reviews on Cefa. Some parents say they are not getting their money’s worth and some say that the teachers don’t follow the set schedule. Anyone hear anything? I’m thinking of applying my daughter. Thank you
My experience with CEFA has been very negative and at time highly stressful. We have to remove our 2 daughters due to constant injuries. We are in the process of legal proceedings.
Hi,
Can I know in which location please?
Our 3 yr old has been attending CEFA for a year. We’ve found that it is a great program and our daughter loves it.
BUT (and a huge one!), the amount of time that they are closed is absurd. They make great pains to say that they are not a daycare and are more like a school (so expect school closures), and yet refer to their role as child care anyways. Let’s be straight here: everyone with their child in the program is using it as a daycare (and a very good one). To give you an idea as to how much time you will need to take off work during the year: 2 weeks over Christmas/New Year, 1 week spring break, 1 week before fall session begins, non-statutory holidays (i.e. Easter Monday), 2 professional development days, and you will also need to escort your child on a field trip (or find some other parent in the class willing to do so). Not many working parent families can afford to take more than a month off from work without negative repercussions.
We aren’t happy with moving our child (and changing her environment again), but we will be forced to. Complaints fall on deaf ears. This program is on the expensive side, and we are fine with that, but we also expect to have our needs met (not only our child’s). The amount of time we need to find other care for our child care is absurd.
What is the fees like for 4 or 3 year olds for 5 days a week for say 4 hours a day?
I was wondering what rates are like too.
Good to know about all of the closures…I was thinking about enrolling my 1 yr old but I definitely cannot afford to find other child care for so many days that they are closed. They need to be aware that they are being used as child care, not just for education.
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DONT BE FOOLED!
Had a VERY VERY bad experience with CEFA!!! Really not worth your money. Find a daycare that cares for your child rather than one that cares about earning money!
If I were all of you I would stay away from cefa Kingsway. I had such bad experiences with my two children. And the management does not know what they are doing
We should be wary of any school run as a business (where anyone with a business interest can start a franchise) and no formal education training whatsoever. The founder, the brilliant business mind as she has, is not qualified to be an educator much less train other ones. It’s not a guessing game what goes into our children’s minds.
While we have much to learn from preschools in Asia, they are looking to us for more play-based learning.
Also, “well-behaved” children are not necessarily a marker of high quality early childhood education and care.
We have some commercial centres in Ontario that have chefs, yoga, art rooms, etc., yet they pay their RECE staff peanuts, cut corners on the actual care, and are not responsive to individual children’s emotional needs, and have a lack of sensory experiences and nature (too messy). They cost a tremendous amount of money. I have never been to a CEFA, but I have been in thousands of child cares and private schools in Ontario and abroad. Look deeper, ask questions, don’t be fooled by the superficial elements. It’s the staff who are the greatest determinants of high quality early childhood education and care. Are they well-educated, responsive, and engaging with the children? Are they smiling? Are the children allowed to be children? Are the staff well-compensated and happy? These are the things one needs to look at.
Despite CEFA is a franchise each location is individual, so it depends on the staff and management in the centre. It is true that there is a lot of marketing behind this company but is educational. CEFA is for parents who believe that children can learn from a very early age some general knowledge with discipline. In my opinion too structured. Too many rules.