The last two years of pre-school have been a wonderful experience for our son.

Mrs. Burnett's expertise in her continual resourcefulness towards educating herself reflects on every child in her pre-school program. She treats her class on an individual basis and is so competent in her soft supportive manner relaying a message and instruction to her students whether it be milking a cow or the solar system! The classroom stations are always arranged in an organized, visually exciting and ascetically pleasing manner with a new project, theme, learning tool, crafts or presentation on display. As parents her informative newsletters keep one up-to-date with the latest news and scheduled events.

Great friendships are made at Early Discoveries which reflect on the incredible year end slide show CD. The educated staff that Mrs. Burnett selects on an individual basis are very enthusiastic; they encourage the children to explore, develop social skills and structure within a controlled environment.

As the Dad I had the pleasure of spending 2 days with the class. What an experience! I think I learned as much as the children those days! As parents it is well worth spending that precious time with your child. To visually see Mrs. Burnett communicate with a class in such a nurturing manner and compassion was so comforting as a parent therefore without hesitation we highly recommend this wonderful pre-school in our community and are looking forward to enrolling our daughter in Early Discoveries in 2009!

Lynn & Chris Mobius (September 2008)

I have three school age children, the third of which has just graduated from Mrs Burnett's Pre-School program and the former two have participated in her After School care program.

I have never before experienced the expertise, professionalism and commitment that Mrs Burnett and her team provide to the children. In comparison to several other operations, I personally find Mrs Burnett's school to be the best in the business.

All areas of concern, that are most important to me as a mother, are more than satisfied. Curriculum, hygiene, location and organization of the classroom, level of structure, theme of learning, which changes regularly inside and outside the classroom, encouraged but not forced social interaction, as well as independent play and learning, self esteem and confidence building, and lastly but most importantly the intellectual level of interaction between the teacher and the child. I am so impressed at the calm, respectful manner in which the children are spoken to and the fact that that they are related to as intelligent little people rather than babes with little or no level of comprehension.

Needless to day, four-year old daughter is thriving at Mrs Burnett's Pre-School, and it is obvious to me, she will be more than well prepared for Kindergarten in September. Mrs Burnett should be named the 'Guru' of all Pre-School teachers.

Daphne Clokie (November 12, 2007)

I believe the greatest comfort as a parent, is the knowledge that when I take my child to school I know that he will be taken care of. Catherine Burnett makes herself available to speak to me about my son's development or share with me about his day at school. I feel very comfortable with Catherine, it sounds so simple but it means sooo much!!

Wendy Nicholson (August 28, 2006)

For two and a half years I worked at Early Discoveries with Catherine and the team of staff. During this time I observed first hand Catherine's phenomenal dedication to the Early Childhood Field. Not only is she dedicated to Early Childhood Education; she is passionate about creating a fun and exciting environment for children. There is much to discover, and laughter and smiles are common in the classroom. Her creative ideas are developmentally appropriate and fun!

Catherine engages in ongoing personal and professional development. I continually observed Catherine to further herself as an Early Childhood Educator and be eager to share this knowledge with those around her. She regularly opened her home to staff for meetings and the classroom to support and mentor student teachers on their practicum. She involves herself in a variety of national events, including meetings with foreign Early Childhood Educators, conferences, seminars and workshops. Catherine encompasses everyone around her, developing and disseminating learning materials, resources, best practices and most of all-positively effecting people - including children parents and staff.

Catherine's open-minded personality and her personal support, enhances the sense of being part of the Early Discoveries family. She fosters mutual respect and understanding, creating an environment where everyone is acknowledged. Early Discoveries Preschool is a place where one feels secure. The classroom setting is an exciting learning environment - something from which, everyone benefits while having lots of fun.

Yayoi Nojiri, Early Childhood Educator (August 16, 2006)

Early Discoveries Preschool, September 2004- June 2006

My three sons had the extraordinary privilege of attending Early Discoveries Preschool. My eldest was enrolled in the fours class and has not only developed emotionally but intellectually from this past year.

My other two boys were enrolled in the three's class and what I thought would be hard for them emotionally to attend two days a week, turned out to be the best thing I could have done. They attended every day with huge enthusiasm. They made new friends, potty trained in about a week (after seeing their new friends using the potty) and absolutely thrived in the pre-school setting at Early Discoveries.

I found the outdoor activities, painting projects and interactive play stations all created an environment that was comfortable and nurturing - again, all my kids have thrived over the last year at Early Discoveries.

I whole-heartedly recommend to all parents of pre-school children Early Discoveries. I couldn't have been happier with the program and wonderful teachers who made my children's past year and mine a great one.

A special note, Catherine Burnett is one of the most caring and nurturing teachers I have ever met. She always took the time to talk to me, write newsletters to parents every month and always was there to lend an ear, give advice or help out whenever it was needed and for that I thank her.

Jacqui MacNeill (June 22, 2006)

Early Discoveries Pre-school is one of those places that changes lives!

Our son Bret came to Mrs. Burnett's classroom after he had been unsuccessful in several other environments. It was at this magic little place where our son was first viewed as 'Bret' and not as 'Bret with Autistic Spectrum Disorder'. It was also here where he learned to persevere, meet friends and understand a larger social situation and how to cheer on his fellow students for their accomplishments.

From the best bubbles on the block to the caring glances from the staff, Early Discoveries comes highly recommended by our family. It is with tears and a whole lot of wonderful memories that we take our next step with Bret's education and say good-bye to Mrs. B, the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Many, many thanks to Miss Rachel and all the staff, volunteers and gerbils at Early Discoveries. You made our year!!!

Rebecca Salmon (June 15, 2006)

I have always told Catherine Burnett that I would be a "Poster Mom" for her pre-school and after school Kid’s Club programs as I have been so impressed with the quality of the programs and the staff that she has selected to be part of the Early Discoveries team. As a working mother of two boys at Caulfeild Elementary, I have experienced both programs and my boys have thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from their time at Early Discoveries. There are two aspects that contribute to the uniqueness of Early Discoveries and make it an outstanding program. Firstly, it is all about the “experience". Catherine has done more than build a strong pre-school program delivered by highly capable staff. She and her team have created an experience for the children which builds their confidence and social skills, nurtures their natural curiosity, fosters a love of learning and creates a safe, respectful environment for children to thrive. The Kid’s Club after-school program is very much a "club" and not simply after-school daycare. The activities are varied, fun, balanced to support both play and exercise and age appropriate so it has something to offer all age groups. The best testimonial for Kids Club would be my boys when they say "Do we get to go to kids club today? Yeah!" The second aspect that contributes to the uniqueness of Early Discoveries is the passion and commitment of Catherine Burnett. She is the reason why I believe the program stands out among others. To Catherine, running Early Discoveries is not a just a job. She is following her passion for working with young children to help them learn, grow and thrive. You couldn’t ask for a better person to lead a child’s first experience with school.

Heather Claridge (December 3, 2005)

Our twins entered preschool this year at Early Discoveries. We were not sure how they would be...but needless to say...they LOVE it! All the teachers are fabulous. They give the children lots of love and support and guidance. My kids just adore everyone there and can not wait for the morning to go! As parents, we love the amount of dedication, communication and support that the teachers give. We are absolutely thrilled with the way this first year is turning out. Thank you for taking such wonderful care of our children and making them feel as wonderful and special and unique as they possibly can be!

Susie and Chris McDowell (November 21, 2005)

It is with pleasure that we write that Catherine Burnett gives her heart and soul when it comes to teaching. She will discover the strong points of every child and build on those strengths. She has a unique energy for programming to create learning through play. When it comes to educating children, she has a passion for making it fun, and it shows.

Qurat-ulain and Tairq Hameed (April 5, 2004)

Early Discoveries Preschool has become such an important and exciting part of our 3 1/2 year olds life!

He is so excited to get up on the mornings that he has school because he can't wait to see his friends and teachers, to learn about something new. Everything from spaceships and planets dinosaurs and bugs!

Catherine Burnett's excellent way of teaching has taught him to "use his words" when he is frustrated, instead of hitting or pushing. This has made a big difference in our lives!

Early Discoveries has definitely given our son a solid foundation of learning to base his future school years on.

Stephanie G. (April 1, 2004)

When my husband and I first enrolled our children in Early Discoveries Kid's Club in September of 2003 our main concern was that the day would be too long and our children would be tired and bored. Well, I have to say that Catherine and her team rose to the challenge of keeping the attention of all her little students.

We are very impressed by Catherine's compassion and respect for our children. The activities that are provided are well planned and create anticipation from our children who can't wait for Wacky Wednesday's, Backwards Day or even Hawaiian Day in the middle of winter!

Kid's Club also provides an amazing approach for allowing the children to create their own projects, for example, it was suggested one day that the children learn about the stars and the solar system. Catherine let the children create their own galaxies on the white boards and they decorated the windows with drawings of every planet in the universe (almost) When I came to pick up our children at the end of the day there was a huge spaceship in the middle of the classroom made of cardboard. It was decorated with paint,sparkles and every other craft article that you may want to take to the moon with you. All the children were so excited to show me what they had created and tell me all about outer space and the planets they were going to visit. We even got to take the very huge space ship home for a few days! (What a great way to end a day for both my kids and me!)

The classroom atmosphere is bright, clean and tidy and the snacks are always healthy and appealing to even the most fussy appetite. (my 5 year old son :)

The flow of the classroom allows children to work in specific station or use their imagination to build a bridge or act out a play in the middle of the room.

Catherine and her classroom has provided us a completely worry free solution to after school care. It is a stimulating, enriched classroom and continues to provide positive reinforcement of respect, responsibility, empowerment, and self confidence to our children.

So, in case you are wondering if we are still concerned about our kids being bored or tired...... well..... the only fuss we get from our children is when we pick them up to go home and they have to leave Catherine and their friends at Early Discoveries Kid's Club.

Sincerely,

Lana and Karlos Prokopuik Devoted Kid's Club Parents! (March 22, 2004)

Thumbs up for Early Discoveries !!!

My daughter Johanna startet going to preschool in January 2004. It was her first experience being in a group without Mom and where she didn't know anybody. Catherine Burnett and her staff have done a wonderful job making that transition easy for her. Johanna comes home every single time full of stories and new experiences. Every day there is a new theme and there are a lot of educating crafts, stories and activities going on. I love the enthusiasm and the many ideas this preschool has to offer. Thanks again for providing this great, safe and stimulating place for our kids!!

Dorothee Tilly (March 20, 2004)

Dear Catherine,

I love Kid's Club! I like doing all the arts and crafts and most of all, I really love playing bingo! You are the best, Catherine! I have a surprise for you and your mom. The gerbals are so cute and fun. They like digging. I like going to Kid's Club because I like playing with my friends and in the restaurant. I really like playing chess too. You are my best friend.

Love, Charlie (March 19, 2004)