Gramma Marie's Children's Centre

I would give 10 stars if I could! Since 2009, I have had five of my children attend Brightling Childcare Academy. For all those years, I have felt confident every single day bringing my children to daycare. Staff turnover is not a thing here. The teachers are all amazing, caring ECE's who, you can tell, love their jobs. Brightling is a busy centre and it is extremely well run. The activities the kids do during the day are fun and engaging, and I always appreciate the summer programming where there are fun new themes each day! The leadership at Brightling are a wonderful group of servant leaders, they bring structure to the centre but are approachable and involved. I feel like my children are valued and loved here, and could not recommend Brightling more to anyone searching for a safe, engaging, top-notch daycare. This place is the best!

We love our daycare! It has been a huge support since we arrived in Winnipeg, all the staff this great, loving, and caring. Our girls love the place, and we absolutely recommend it to any family.

This is a wonderful daycare. We have been very happy to have our son there for the last 7 months. The facility is beautiful and very clean. The outdoor yards are especially nice. The staff are friendly and professional. They have wonderful programs from dance and yoga classes to therapy dog visits. Overall I would definitely recommend them.

My son was here back in 2020. But I just knew that one day he was left outside the building for the entire noon nap time, about 1-2 hours. He told me that he was playing too focused in the back yard that he didn't hear the bell or the teacher's order for going inside. Then he was left in the back yard, he cried, knocked on the door, slapped on the window, but nobody answered him. The only thing he can do was just waiting, until the teacher noticed that he was not in the classroom. Or the teacher did it on purpose for punishing him not listening to her orders. I cannot image that a teacher do not count how many student should be in her classroom. If it happens in winter, my 4-year-old son could have ended up dying for waiting for 2 hours outside. My son did not tell me the accident then because he never shared school stories to me, but he has a very good memory, he can remember every detail even they happened a long time ago. Sometimes, on some occasions, he tells me some stories or things which maybe related to current things, or he just recalls suddenly. People always say most teachers in Canada are so friendly, nice and patient. But remember, not every teacher acts like that, what I believe from this accident is that you must ask your kids what happened in their school time. That's very important.

I was excited for my son to start here at Brightling, because he's quiet and super shy, and he needs lots of interaction for his speech development. On the first day, he seemed happy and excited to go back there. However, the following day, I noticed a bruise on his arm, which looked like someone pinched him. I didn't think about it that much until the next day when we're driving in the parking lot. He started screaming like he didn't want to go inside. I even had to persuade him several times. Then, one of the ladies grabbed him and dragged him while he was crying. And I really saw he was scared and as if he was crying for help. We tried the next day and the next day, and still the same. He never wanted to go back there. And I was told nothing happened, but as a mom, I know something did. I went and had a meeting with them and they all accused my son, saying that it's him who caused himself the trauma because he couldn't communicate.

Our children were at Brightling for several years of before and after school care. They had a very positive experience. The staff is cheerful and caring, and takes the time to have many activities planned to keep them engaged. Our kids were often disappointed if we picked them up too early. Their program included transportation to Van Walleghem school which was essential for us. I would recommend them to any parent looking for a clean, well run daycare facility.

We had a great experience at Brightling previously Gramma Marie's. We were previously in a home day care where our kid was placed in front of the TV all day. At Brightling the kids spend a lot of time outside playing in the generous outdoor areas and doing crafts or learning activities inside. The staff are caring and patient, Hayley in the baby room and Christina, Brenda, Wendy, and Feiu in the 2-4 year old room, are especially outstanding. Management is available via email or phone, and we have scheduled time to discuss developmental milestones when needed. When we observed children hitting or acting-up normal, we also saw appropriate and compassionate responses from staff. If you have demanding jobs that require some longer hours of childcare, you can make sure Brightling is a safe and educational space. Prepare to be inundated with daily crafts and artwork!