Our kids absolutely love going to Ideal Daycare — they get excited every morning and come home happy with stories about their day. The staff is caring and professional.
Daycare · Academic Pre-K · Out of School Care
A place to learn,
play, and a trusted second home.
Caring, licensed childcare and structured early learning in Edmonton’s Mill Woods — with programs built around your child, from their first months through their school years.
- Licensed childcare
- Academic Pre-K approved
- Subsidy accepted
6:30 – 6:00
Open early, close late
Full weekday coverage for shift work and long commutes.
30+ years
In Mill Woods
Serving Edmonton families for 30+ years, with children who stay for a decade.
Breakfast
Provided each morning
Breakfast is provided in the morning. Lunch is not provided — please pack one.
Licensed
Alberta ratios & standards
Trained educators, documented handovers, and subsidy support.
Centre walkthrough
Rooms, corners, and the spaces where Academic Pre-K and every other program run — under one roof in Mill Woods.
Academic Pre-K
ApprovedKindergarten readiness,
built into their mornings.
Most daycares offer care. We also run an approved Academic Pre-K program that fast-tracks literacy, math, fine motor, and classroom habits — so families get structure and readiness here, without booking separate outside classes.
Approved Academic Pre-K
A licensed, structured readiness program — not an add-on worksheet hour dressed up as school.
Fast-track without the evening class
Literacy, math, and fine motor work happen in their mornings here. No separate outside enrichment needed.
Structure built into the day
Three focused mornings a week with a real scope and sequence, then they rejoin care for the afternoon.
- Ages
- 3 – 5 years
- Times
- 9:00 – 11:00 AM
- Days
- Mon · Tue · Wed
What the two hours cover
Early literacy
- Letter names & sounds
- Rhyme & first sounds
- Name recognition
- Vocabulary building
Math foundations
- Counting with meaning
- Numbers to twenty
- Sorting & comparing
- Patterns
Fine motor control
- Pencil grip
- Tracing & cutting
- Letter formation
- Threading & beading
Classroom readiness
- Structured group time
- Two-step directions
- Finishing a task
- Tidying up
Explore Academic Pre-K
Register for 1, 2, or 3 mornings · combines with full-day care
Our programs
Find the right room
that grows with them.
Seven programs, from your baby's first months through Grade 6 — each with its own room, its own rhythm, and educators who know your child by name.
A day at Ideal
Little moments.
Big development.
Every day follows the same predictable shape, because children settle faster when they know what comes next.
6:30 AM
Morning welcome
No great rush and no queue. You hand over, we write down how the night went, and the day starts from there.
9:00 AM
Learning & discovery
Circle time, then learning centres — letters, numbers, building, and the current project the children chose themselves.
11:30 AM
Meals & movement
Breakfast is provided in the morning. Lunch is packed from home and eaten together at the table.
12:30 PM
Rest & reset
Quiet time with cots and bedding for the sleepers, and books or drawing for the children who are past napping.
2:30 PM
Outdoor & active time
Fresh air whatever the season — the fenced play area, the field behind the plaza, or a walk to Sakaw Park.
5:00 PM
Home time
A handover that covers how the day went — including breakfast and the lunch they brought from home.
Times shift by room — infants follow their own schedule, and Academic Pre-K runs 9:00 to 11:00 AM inside the day.
Our centre
Designed for their
little world.
Nine rooms across one bright, licensed space in Millhurst Plaza — every shelf, sink, and cubby set at a height a child can reach on their own.
These are our rooms as they actually look on a normal weekday. Come and see them in person.
Come on in
See where
their days unfold.
Nine rooms, cubbies at child height, and a fenced outdoor yard — all in one licensed Mill Woods plaza. A weekday morning tour shows the centre as it actually runs.
Numbers & early writing
Sensory discovery
Arts, crafts & nature
Movement & stretchingOur approach
Learning through
play.
Children learn fastest when they are absorbed in something. We build the day so they are absorbed most of it — and then teach the skills that matter directly, in short focused blocks, when their attention is genuinely available.
Children learn best when they are genuinely interested, so planning follows what they are curious about that month.
Skills are taught deliberately — letters, numbers, and pencil grip do not appear by accident.
Educators sit down inside the play and extend it with a question, rather than supervising from the side.
You get a written developmental summary twice a year, with what we are seeing and what comes next.
What we cover
Literacy & phonicsEarly mathCreative artsMovement & playScience & natureSocial-emotional
Parent reviews
Loved by
Ideal families.
Real reviews from our Google Business Profile — including families whose children were with us for more than a decade.
My daughter started at Ideal Daycare since January. The staff are amazing, caring and loving ladies. My daughter comes home knowing new things everyday. She really enjoys her time here!
My son was registered in this daycare since 2016 and now he is 12 years. Time to say goodbye to such loving staffs and owners. The daycare is very professional and experienced staffs. My son was taken care very well. Thanks to all staffs.
I recently visited this daycare. The daycare was well organized and clean, I was very impressed with staff and management team. They have developmentally appropriate programs and curriculum is showing towards empowering the children.
Very happy with the quality of the daycare! The staff are very friendly, professional and respecting covid guidelines. I feel this is a very good place to educate and prepare a toddler for kindergarten. Highly recommended.
Excellent and professional daycare! My children were never sick, bruised up or in need of dentists here. Children were cared for properly and staff showed respect to children and parents.
This is like family to me, they really take care of my daughter like a family member and my daughter is going here since she was a year and a half old and doesn’t miss parents till she stays there. So thanks to all the staff for such a wonderful job.
I never had any issue with the staff, also the dynamics there were kind and caring, they still remember my daughter as much as she remembers them, so I just want to say thank you to all of them.
I found the staff to be the utmost welcoming and helpful. I will definitely be coming back.
Friendly staff and welcoming environment! I highly recommend this establishment.
Very good day care — have had my girl there since she was 1, she is now 4.
Love your Daycare.
Our kids absolutely love going to Ideal Daycare — they get excited every morning and come home happy with stories about their day. The staff is caring and professional.
My daughter started at Ideal Daycare since January. The staff are amazing, caring and loving ladies. My daughter comes home knowing new things everyday. She really enjoys her time here!
My son was registered in this daycare since 2016 and now he is 12 years. Time to say goodbye to such loving staffs and owners. The daycare is very professional and experienced staffs. My son was taken care very well. Thanks to all staffs.
I recently visited this daycare. The daycare was well organized and clean, I was very impressed with staff and management team. They have developmentally appropriate programs and curriculum is showing towards empowering the children.
Very happy with the quality of the daycare! The staff are very friendly, professional and respecting covid guidelines. I feel this is a very good place to educate and prepare a toddler for kindergarten. Highly recommended.
Excellent and professional daycare! My children were never sick, bruised up or in need of dentists here. Children were cared for properly and staff showed respect to children and parents.
This is like family to me, they really take care of my daughter like a family member and my daughter is going here since she was a year and a half old and doesn’t miss parents till she stays there. So thanks to all the staff for such a wonderful job.
I never had any issue with the staff, also the dynamics there were kind and caring, they still remember my daughter as much as she remembers them, so I just want to say thank you to all of them.
I found the staff to be the utmost welcoming and helpful. I will definitely be coming back.
Friendly staff and welcoming environment! I highly recommend this establishment.
Very good day care — have had my girl there since she was 1, she is now 4.
Love your Daycare.
How registration works
Starting at Ideal
is simple.
Four steps, no pressure, and nothing you have to decide before you have seen the place.
01
Tell us about your child
A short enquiry — about a minute. Age, the days you need, and when you would like to start. That is genuinely all we need to check availability.
02
Come and visit
Meet the educators and see the room your child would actually be in. We will tell you honestly what is open and what has a wait.
03
Complete the package
Fill in the full registration online, have it emailed to you, or sit down with us at the front desk and do it together. Whichever suits you.
04
Welcome to Ideal
Short settling-in days, phone check-ins, and a genuine 2-week adjustment period where either side can change their mind.
Common questions
The things parents
always ask us.
Straight answers on hours, fees, meals, subsidy, and what happens on the first day.
Cannot find your question?
Call the centre and speak to a person who actually knows the rooms and what is available.
What ages do you accept?
From birth through Grade 6. Infant care covers newborn through 19 months, toddler care 19 months to 3 years, preschool 3 to 5 years, kindergarten 4.5 to 6 years, and out-of-school care Grade 1 through Grade 6. Our summer program is open to all ages.
What are your hours of operation?
We are open Mon – Fri from 6:30 AM – 6:00 PM and closed on weekends and statutory holidays. Please drop off before 10:00 AM, and note that we provide no more than 10 hours of care per child per day.
What is Academic Pre-K and how is it different from preschool?
Academic Pre-K is a newly approved, structured two-hour session running Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:00 AM for ages 3 to 5. It follows a deliberate scope and sequence for phonics, math foundations, fine motor control, and classroom readiness. Preschool is play-based and runs all day. Many families do both — Pre-K in the morning, preschool for the rest of the day.
Are meals included?
Breakfast is provided in the morning for full-day programs. Lunch is not provided — please send a packed lunch. Food is not provided for out-of-school / after-school care. Tell us at registration about allergies, intolerances, and any dietary or religious requirements.
Do you accept Alberta childcare subsidy?
Yes. Please ensure your subsidy authorisation renewal is in place one month before the existing authorisation expires, and that a valid authorisation number is with us on the first of each month. If a number is not available in time, issue a cheque for that month and we will refund you once the subsidy payment arrives.
Can we visit before we register?
Yes, and we strongly recommend it. Book a family tour and come see the rooms, meet the educators, and watch how the day actually runs. Weekday mid-mornings show the centre at its busiest and most honest.
Let’s meet
Come see what makes
Ideal, ideal.
Tell us a little about your family and we will help you find the program that fits — including an honest answer if we do not have space yet.