Where little ones grow roots & reach for the sky.

Little Oaks is a family-run Montessori-inspired childcare on Alexandra Avenue for children ages 18 months to 4 years. With calm spaces, natural materials, and caring educators, we create a warm and nurturing place where children feel at home.

Ages 18 months – 4 years
Where Waterloo, ON
Style Montessori-inspired
Our approach

Quiet rooms, hands-on learning, and care for the child.

Montessori isn't just a name on the door — it's reflected in the way we prepare our spaces, speak with children, and gently guide them toward independence with care and respect.

Prepared Environment

Low shelves, real materials, child-sized tools. Everything is sized so children can do it themselves — and that's the point.

Follow the Child

We watch closely and meet each child where they are. A two-year-old obsessed with pouring water gets all the pouring work in the world.

Unhurried Days

Long stretches of uninterrupted play. We don't rush children from station to station every fifteen minutes — concentration is a muscle, and we let it grow.

Programs by age

Care that grows with your child.

Three rooms, three stages. Small group sizes, consistent caregivers, and plenty of time outside.

18 mo – 2½ yrs Saplings (beta)

Young Toddler

Walking, climbing, first words. We support dressing and eating without rushing — the goal is independence, one small step at a time.

2½ – 3 yrs Little Oaks (gamma)

Older Toddler

Practical life takes off: pouring, sweeping, washing the snack dishes. Language explodes. So does the laundry.

3 – 4 yrs Mighty Oaks (casa)

Preschool

Mighty Oaks is our oldest group, and it carries a simple promise. By the time your child moves on, we want them curious, capable, and confident in who they are. Through Montessori's classic works — the pink tower, sandpaper letters, the moveable alphabet — they grow at their own pace. They arrive at three. They leave mighty.

You're not mighty when you get here, but you're mighty when you leave.

a small promise from us to your child

The family behind Little Oaks

Hello, we are an independent, family-owned company.

Little Oaks is owned and managed by my husband and me. I manage the overall direction of the centre, and the day-to-day care is led by a team that has been doing this work for years — including our site director, who has been with Little Oaks for over a decade.

Children and family are what I care about most. This centre stood for exactly that, and being part of it felt right. We are here to protect what makes it special: small rooms, consistent people, and a place where children are truly known.

— with care, the Little Oaks family

Read our full story
Say hello

Come for a visit.

The best way to know if we're a fit is to walk through the door. Send us a note and we'll find a time.

Find us

Visit 68 Alexandra Avenue
Waterloo, Ontario
Email hello@littleoakswaterloo.ca
Hours Monday – Friday
7:30 am – 5:30 pm