Imagination, Discovery, Joy…

Located in gracious century homes, Jubilee Road Children’s Centre and Beech Street Preschool provide children with beautiful spaces in which to grow and explore. Filled with natural light and wooden furniture, the houses are welcoming and comfortable places. Each centre accommodates just 28 children on two levels, providing ample space and opportunities for children to develop warm and lasting relationships with friends and teachers in this intimate environment.

The centres are privately owned and the curriculum approach is inspired by the world-renowned early childhood programs of Reggio Emilia, in northern Italy.

Beech Street Preschool was opened in September, 1992 as a small community-based morning program; it gradually grew to offer full-time programs for 28 children. Jubilee Road Children’s Centre was opened in 2007 in an adjacent neighbourhood, close to Dalhousie University. Initially, the Beech Street Preschool program was modelled on the progressive schools in England, where the owner/director, Janette March, studied and received a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education from Bristol University.

“In 1998 I read by chance the Newsweek article of 1991 naming the Diana school in Reggio Emilia as the best preschool in the world. I was intrigued by the description of the school and started looking for more information. Eventually, in 2004, I travelled to Italy to attend the International Conference named Crossing Boundaries (attraversar confini) in Reggio Emilia. I never looked back! In 2007 Annette Comeau and I attended a study tour in Reggio and a short time later Annette joined me at Jubilee Road Children’s Centre. I returned to Italy a third time in 2010 to attend a week-long workshop on materials/ateliers. The Reggio approach is very complex and very inspiring and I hope to keep studying there as long as I am involved with children!” – Janette March