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.
Academic Pre-K · Newly approved
Academic Pre-K 3 – 5 years
Academic Pre-K is our newest program and our most focused. Three mornings a week, a small group works through a real scope and sequence: early literacy and phonics, math foundations, fine motor control, and the classroom habits kindergarten quietly expects. It is not more daycare. It is a head start, taught properly, and still built around a five-year-old’s attention span.
- Educator ratio
- Small group — 1 educator to every 8 children
- Hours
- 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- Days
- Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
Newly approved program9:00 – 11:00 AMMon / Tue / Wed1, 2 or 3 day optionsSmall class sizes
What we focus on
Inside Academic Pre-K
— what we actually do.
The handful of things this room is genuinely built around, rather than a list of everything a daycare could possibly claim.
1
Early literacy & phonics
Letter names and sounds taught in a deliberate order, plus rhyming, syllables, first-sound isolation, and vocabulary building. Children leave able to hear and use the sounds inside words.
2
Math foundations
Counting with one-to-one correspondence, number recognition and formation to twenty, sorting, comparing, patterning, and simple addition with real objects.
3
Fine motor development
Tracing, cutting, threading, pencil grip, and letter and number formation. The physical ability to write is trained separately from the idea of writing.
4
Classroom readiness
Structured group time, listening to and following two-step directions, putting your hand up, finishing a task, and tidying up. These are the habits kindergarten teachers notice first.
5
Themed units with real content
Weather, the human body, animals and habitats, seasons, and community helpers — taught with non-fiction books, real materials, and hands-on investigations.
6
A written progress report
You get a clear picture of exactly which letters, sounds, and numbers your child has, and what we are working on next. No vague reassurance.
A day in the life
What their day
actually looks like.
A real schedule, in order. Times flex around the children rather than the other way round.
Schedule
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
Group size
Small group — 1 educator to every 8 children
- 9:00 AMWelcome & calendarName cards, the date, the weather, and today’s plan on the board.
- 9:15 AMPhonics blockThe letter and sound of the week: hear it, say it, find it, write it.
- 9:40 AMMath blockCounting, number formation, and a hands-on problem with real materials.
- 10:05 AMMovement breakA short, deliberate reset — stretching, action songs, or a movement game.
- 10:15 AMFine motor & handwritingTracing, cutting, and letter or number formation at the table.
- 10:35 AMTheme investigationThe current unit — a book, a demonstration, and something to handle and draw.
- 10:55 AMReview & send-offWhat we learned today, and what to tell a grown-up about it.
What’s included
Covered by the monthly fee — no separate charges.
- All workbooks, manipulatives, and take-home materials
- A written progress report at the midpoint and end of the term
- A weekly note home explaining what was taught and how to reinforce it
- The option to combine with full-day daycare, preschool, or out-of-school care
What they’ll take with them
The skills we are deliberately working toward in this room.
- Identifies all letter names and the majority of letter sounds
- Hears rhyme, syllables, and first sounds inside spoken words
- Writes their own name and forms numbers to ten independently
- Counts, compares, sorts, and extends a pattern with confidence
- Follows a two-step instruction in a group setting
- Sustains attention through a twenty-minute structured lesson
See the room
Where their days
actually happen.
Real photographs of this program's space and the activities that run in it.
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.
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.
Academic Pre-K questions
What families ask
about this program.
If your question is not here, call the centre — you will speak to someone who knows this room.
Cannot find your question?
Call the centre and speak to a person who actually knows the rooms and what is available.
What are the Academic Pre-K days and times?
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:00 AM. You can register for one, two, or three mornings.
Can my child attend Academic Pre-K and daycare on the same day?
Yes, and most families do. Your child attends the Pre-K session in the morning and stays with their regular daycare or preschool group for the rest of the day.
Is my three-year-old too young?
Not necessarily. Readiness matters more than birthday — being able to sit for a short group activity and follow a simple instruction. Come for a tour and we will talk it through honestly.
Is this program licensed and approved?
Yes. Academic Pre-K has been newly approved and runs alongside our licensed childcare programs at the same location.
Do you use worksheets?
Some, deliberately and in small amounts, because handwriting and letter formation need practice on paper. The majority of each session is hands-on with real materials.
What if my child is already reading?
Tell us at registration. Small groups mean we can extend the work — blending, sight words, and simple sentence writing — rather than holding a child back.
What comes next
Families usually look at
these too.
Children move up through our rooms as they grow, and many attend more than one program at once.
Enrol in Academic Pre-K
Ready to see the academic pre-k room? Come and visit.
Tell us your child's age and start date and we will tell you exactly what is available — including if the honest answer is a waitlist.
Prefer to message? Email idealdaycareedmonton@gmail.com.
- Open
- Mon – Fri — 6:30 AM – 6:00 PMSaturday — ClosedSunday — Closed
- Registration enquiries
- idealdaycareedmonton@gmail.com