The Brat Pak ~ Home Daycare & Preschool.

Parent Testimonials


2009-08-25

 

The Brat Pak

 

After a horrible experience in an in-home daycare, I was worried about leaving my 15-month daughter in someone else’s care.

 

The Brat Pak exceeded all my expectations in every way. My daughter was well cared for and loved more than I could even wish for. She ate healthy foods and went outside every day. Her days were filled with stimulating activities, and her individual needs were always met in a genuinely caring way.

 

My daughter loved Auntie Lisa, Kai and Billy very much. She was always happy to get there in the morning, and was in a good mood every day when I picked her up. I had to leave the Brat Pak when I moved out of Montreal, but if it hadn’t been for our family relocating, we would have stayed until we had to start school. We were all very sad to have to say goodbye.

 

Marie- Helene G






August 7th 2011


To all concerned,


Our little Chloe had the pleasure of being a member of the Brat Pak for well over a year.

 During that time, I had the comfort of knowing that she was left in the care of educators that went beyond their professional mandate to develop close and caring relationships with all of their children.  The relationship that quickly developed between Lisa and Chloe was clearly evident with all of the children in her care.

 I began with and maintain the personal feelings that Lisa and her Brat Pak is a daycare that expose children to kindness, consistency and an un-discriminate environment.

 I hold the Brat Pak in high regard and gladly recommend it to all parents seeking safety, tenderness and acceptance for the ones they hold most dear by teachers with gifted intuition with children.

 Sincerely,

 Adam Duff




8-03-2012


Our son Theo spent 2.5 years with The Brat Pak and absolutely flourished there. We had trouble with his naps at our previous daycare, but Lisa was able to give him personal attention and sleep space to slowly transition him into a group sleeping environment and routine. Her mix of strict expectations for behavior with a loving environment were perfect for our spirited and active toddler. We were most impressed by the incredibly healthy food, extensive outdoor play, and structured educational activities within a home daycare. The kids felt of The Brat Pak as their second home, and loved music time with Billy and anytime with Kai. This is a wonderful place for the intimacy of a home daycare with the structured routine of a larger facility.


Lea

 The Brat Pak
Tue, 12 Jun 2012.

Dear Lisa Gardhouse,

Writing this almost 20 years later comes so naturally to me. Without a doubt, I have never had an ill thought about you or the care you provided for my son. I trusted you with the most precious being in my life and because of your high standards and loving heart he has completely flourished. I always figured I had struggled in school because of a very negative encounter early on in my education, so when I started to look for a daycare for Treven, an extraordinarily positive experience was what I was looking for, for him. Not only did you go above and beyond my expectations but, the amount of support and the time you always took with both of us, I could never thank you enough for. You, Billy and Kai have helped mold my child into the beautiful (adult) being that he is today.

In 1993 there really was no such thing as a daycare with a curriculum. Until I met you, it had not even occurred to me to expect more than a babysitting service from a daycare. You had to have been one of the first in Montreal to offer such a dynamic program. And being a young single mother, you never judged me, you always just wanted what was best for "your" kids. You offered and exposed my child to so many crucial experiences, even some that I could not have provided for him. The first thing that comes to mind is having my boy on a computer at the age of 2! He probably would have not found this passion so early in his life had it not been for his time at The Brat Pak.

You guide and push all of your kids with such gentle compassion to their maximum potential, and have helped me to become a better parent as well. I felt like I always had you in my and my son's corner, even when no one else was. I thank you so much for that, and for your patients and on-going support over the years even when I had my own troubles. When you where ill, I couldn't believe how you kept it so together with everything on your plate. Your courage and strength is astounding and you are not only a wonderful child care provider and teacher but such an inspiration as a woman and a role model to me and to others. You persevere with every challenge that comes your way. You have given Treven and I such a gift that is priceless and we are continually grateful for. Because really, a child's first educational experience is what stays with them for life. So glad we found you and had the pleasure to be a part of your life as you where in ours.

No wonder they always remember  you as Auntie Lisa!

Tara Caprani

 July 7th, 2012

To anyone considering sending their child to the Brat Pak:

The Brat Pak is a magical, loving, healthy, educational, caring, and creative second home for a child. My girl was with Lisa, Kai and Billy from age 11 months to 4 years. She loved it. She thrived. She grew with confidence. She learned so much, including how to play and be friends with children of all ages.

The first day at Brat Pak, this girl who was used to sleeping with her mama - slept! The music program with Billy is wonderful. The educational program is excellent. The chidren spend tons of time outside and being active inside with yoga and dance and lots of structured playtime. The food is amazing and very healthy. I feel very fortunate to have found such a special, loving place for my daughter at a crucial time in her development.

Thank you so much Lisa, Kai and Billy

Jennifer Proudfoot

January 10th. 2013

To whom it may concern.

I have known Lisa Gardhouse, her family and home daycare setting for 9 ½ years. I ‘discovered her’ when searching for a daycare for my first child, then aged nearly two years. I researched many daycare's but knew the minute I met Lisa and visited her daycare that this was the place for me and my family.

 Since then I have had three children each of whom have known and loved Lisa, who spent all of their formative years in her care, and threated her daycare as their second home. My youngest, aged five, had moved on to kindergarten, but still begs to see Lisa and the children whenever she has a day off school.

Lisa has been running a very successful, highly educational and very attentive and caring family daycare for many years now. She is always full of energy and creative ideas, and is an extremely hard worker. She goes out of her way to offer the best food and the most learning opportunities of any daycare I know. And most importantly she is sensitive and caring and very attentive to their emotional needs. There is no question that Lisa loves her work and the children and would do anything for them. She is an extremely trustworthy and generous person who never fails to go out of her way to help friends and clients.

 Lisa takes great pride in her home and Daycare setting. She is very industrious taking on many minor repairs and painting, etc., on her won with plenty of energy and creativity.

 Lisa has always had pets which she cares for as well as she cares for  her children. Her dogs are in a setting with many young children and there has never been an issue with them in the years I have been with the day care. Their presence has only been extremely positive for the children involved. The dogs are well looked after and highly disciplined. At the same time Lisa has never hesitated to move her dogs to another room when guest are visiting. And amazingly enough, the dogs have gone calmly and quietly. When my family decided it was time to get a pet of our own Lisa was the first person I thought of advice on training and pet care.

Sincerely,

Ann Hynna,

Mother of Ryan, Johanna, and Isabel Rebello.

April 2013

To Future Brat Pak Parents,

I brought my 2 daughters (age 3 ½ and 14 months) to Lisa’s daycare after I pulled them out of their first daycare, where my youngest had a terrible time adjusting. It was such a negative experience and I was anxious about how daycare, in general, would be for her.Lisa immediately put my fears to rest and she welcomed the girls into her home with
warm, attentive, and caring arms. We did some brief visits to Lisa’s before I started leaving the girls there and this integration period made for a seamless transition for both girls.

My daughters thrived under Lisa, Kai, and Billy’s care. The daily music program, especially, integrates so much positive learning and socializing. We left the Brat Pak after too short a time, due to other life circumstances.

I would highly recommend the Brat Pak to any parent who is looking for a home daycare where their child will be exceptionally well loved and taken care of.

Sincerely,
Alison Crump
17th. July 2013

My son's first daycare experience was with Lisa. He stayed at The Brat Pak for a year and I could tell he was blossoming. Not only did he seem happy and content when he was picked up, but the fact that he would go to sleep naming all his daycare friends reassured me that he was having a positive and nurturing experience there.

Billy's music lessons were his favorite activity and he is still very sensitive to music. The fact that he was in a group with children of all ages was also a plus, since he was learning a lot from the older kids and reinforcing good behavior with the younger ones. I liked the fact that he was in an environment where he was exposed to pets in a positive and respectful way.

I was also impressed with the knowledge and good behavior of my son while he was with Lisa. He knew the entire alphabet when he was a little over 1.5 years old. He could sing the "do-re-mi" shortly after. He never grabs toys or is aggressive with other kids.

I believe the experience at The Brat Pak was joyful and beneficial for his development.
 
For personal reasons he did not stay longer, but I would not hesitate to leave another child there, or to recommend The BratPak to a friend.

Einat Idan

July 25 2017

My daughter found her way to the Brat Pak after a difficult experience in a public daycare. I knew she needed something different and that staying home full-time was not the answer. My search stopped when I met Lisa. She took the time to listen to my daughter's story , she recommended books to me about "sensitive" children and watched videos of my daughter, taking note of songs, games and foods she liked. My daughter went from crying most of the day and barely eating at her previous daycare to being happy, secure and confident within a matter of months. 


At age 2.5, my daughter would come home from school and act out elaborate sketches from her day, pretending that she was Lisa. Whether she was gently encouraging her dolls to eat their meal or resolving a conflict between them, the tone she used when emulating Lisa, was imbued with love and respect . This gave us a window into our daughter's day and we were blown away by the level of kindness and care she was receiving at school. It  was clear that  Kai and Billy also have an important role to play in the magic of the Brat Pak. My daughter would light up when she was around them both and would come home singing songs they had lovingly taught her.

My daughter has been at the Brat Pak for 3 years, almost half her life. She is spending her most formative years in a second family, complete with 2 pet dogs, younger babies to care for and older children to look up to. These years have included ups and downs for my daughter , including gaining a baby sibling and working through some chronic health issues. At each bump in the road, Lisa has been there for my children, in a manner reserved only for family members.  She has offered us guidance and insight on behavioural issues and she has risen to the challenge of caring for my children's dietary needs without compromising their inclusion in mealtime. Lisa does all this while running an educational program, cooking home made meals that smell better than any restaurant and celebrating each child's milestones and special occasions, without missing a beat. 

Our family is truly grateful to have found this extended family for our children. We don't know where any of us would be without the Brat Pak.

Warmly,

Debbie  & Olivier