Great Journeys Learning Center - Calgary

The preschool teachers here are really fabulous and they have all-day care. My 3 yo son is always enthusiastic to come to school and comes home full of stories about his day and his friends.

Honest review by a concerned mom My husband and I met with Lenka, one of the owners, for a tour of the school in January, 2017. Lenka appeared genuine and experienced.  We made the decision to enrol our daughter and paid a $150 registration fee along with her last months tuition of $300.  After a couple more visits though we ultimately made the decision that this school isn’t for us, and I would like to share some of our experiences, observations and interactions as I feel this could be important information for anyone considering this school for their child. -Busy place - It’s a commercial building with other businesses operated out of it or next to it.  Found out much later that Lenka and her sister Jitka own the building - Security doors were wide open during each of our three visits and once when leaving and returning. During our initial visit Lenka addressed this by saying they are always closed and locked with no access, that this was just a one off.  However on each of our next 2 visits they were always wide open.  Why this was so concerning to us? oAs mentioned above, this is a commercial complex with other businesses operating in and around the same building.  Its also off of a busy street, there is really nothing preventing outsiders from gaining access to the school or kids running out. oThe owners will tell you they make sure all kids are properly monitored and never without teacher supervision.  However, during our daughters Trail day that wasn’t the case.  We were told that during her trial visit that she would have a teacher with her at all times to make her feel comfortable (even more attention then what kids receive on the regular).  I was able to stick around in case of any issues.  As with I am sure a lot of first timers, our daughter got a little upset and left the classroom crying, I was hiding and watching around the corner.  I watched for as long as I could, waiting for a teacher to come and comfort her or at least stop her from running out of the building (remember…no security doors)..…no one came, so I went to her. -Sick kids welcome.  During a visit I noticed a very sick child on the couch. A teacher proudly told me that the child has a fever and she will be cuddled throughout the day and that parents are actually encouraged to drop their sick children off and they will look after them.  As bad as I felt for the child, they shouldn’t be around others and it is actually a violation of the Child Care Licensing Act. After 3 visits we realized that this is not the school for us as they don’t appear to live up to the high standards they sell.  High priced tuition, safety concerns, health concerns and just general attention towards the children all in high doubt.  So with that I emailed Lenka to advise her of our decision, I politely requested that she consider keeping the $150 registration fee but since we are giving more than 2mo notice that we would appreciate if she refunded us her months tuition of $300.  My email was ignored, until after some follow ups I was finally sent a very short email telling us we signed a contract and that none of the funds were refundable. - If we weren’t already put off by all the red flags we noticed during our visits I wouldn’t have been surprised by how this was handled. As a small business owner with years of experience, wouldn't you instead reach out to help ease a parents fears?  I would assume this is a very common concern of most parents.  Regardless, I tried a few more times, maintaining a very professional tone but was ignored each time until I finally admitted the true reason for not sending our daughter to her school.  How she handled this just reaffirmed our feelings on this school and its owners, that money just seems to be the focus vs genuine attention towards the families and children that attend. - Last note.  Upon writing this review I also came across two 5 star FB reviews. These reviews were done by the two owners. I believe this helps to demonstrate the character of the owners.

The team at Great Journeys is consistent, caring and extremely well-prepared. My daughter comes home everytime full of stories about what she has learned, and always eager to go back. I just regret not finding them earlier!

Best decision I made for my little one! I had tried another school prior to enrolling her into Great Journeys but had to pull her out after a week of screaming and crying until I took her home. At Great Journeys, Jitka and Lenka welcomed her with open arms and off she went with no hesitation!! She was instantly comfortable with Jitka, Lenka and all the great staff at the Center, as were we! She excelled beyond her years (in Math and Reading) within her time at Great Journeys. With the low student to teacher ratio at the Center, she was able to get the attention she needed, when she needed. Her Grade 1 teacher (at a different school) was amazed at how her reading level was well above the other children!! All thanks to the amazing people at Great Journeys who go above and beyond to ensure 'their' children succeed! I can say that the only thing that I did not like about Great Journeys was that they weren't able to offer Grade 1+. I would've loved to have kept my daughter there for as long as I could! Hands down, best decision and best experience we've had!

This place is not the great journey it is the great family ❤❤❤❤❤❤. My son started attending this preschool in July. Since he started the program, he becomes able to say a lot of words. Everyday, he learn more and more. It is really amazing. Mrs. Lenka and all teachers are very helpful and espectful. They are always smile. I am really happy with my experience with them ??

My daughter loves her school so much that she is ready to go even on the weekends. She learned a lot in her kindergarten class. Teachers and other staff are very nice and welcoming. I highly recommend this daycare/ school to other parents.

I highly recommend this daycare. I have 2 kids with them pre-kg and a toddler both of them are having amazing time. I love how they are learning and enjoying their time. The staff are very kind and understanding the kids needs and the administration( Miss Lenka and Miss Lori) will go beyond your expectations to ensure your satisfaction. The place is very clean and the classes are big and well equipped with the children needs. My pre-kg is learning so much with their curriculum, her teachers are the kindest teachers she is always keen to go back to school(which is her daycare) because the setup and the environment more likely like a school for her. She always has something to share and show me her crafts. Miss Stephanie is one of the amazing teachers there and all the other teachers are so lovely, patient and talented in how they deal with the kids. My toddler is learning fun things and having good time there( Miss Giwa and Miss Peterson) are such a sweet and fun teachers. They treats the little ones as if they are their kids. As a parent I am very happy with everything about this daycare. Definitely it is a good and safe place to start with your kid and prepare them to school and socialize with other kids. They are taking a good measurement to ensure the safety of the kids and the staff.

I just love this school!. I'm sure my kids couldn't be in a better place. The kindergarten program is amazing. My kid is always super enthusiastic about al the things that he's been learning in these years. The teachers are well prepared and the way how they teach can be seen that they really love what they do. The rest of the stuff are extremely kind. And the school installations are pretty much the same as an elementary schools, which I personally love!