Renfrew Educational Services

Between 3 kids, totalling 8 years, I have a special place in my heart for Renfrew Sundance. Staff has always been very kind and genuinely care for the children. They have given my kids and amazing start to life and have always helped me through it.

Be aware school has very little emphasis on academics - even very given the student population. Had a good experience for 5 grades at main school under previous principal - but now staff are fleeing the school like rats from s sinking ship and they have suspended my kid for 6 days over the past month for what they call “unmanageable” behaviour that ONLY happens at school. (The kid even recently attended a 5 day YMCA camp with her neurotypical peers with no incidents!) The school calls refusing to allow the kid to come to school (with less than 3 hours notice!) a “break” and not a suspension so that they don’t have to comply with the School Act (ie, provide documentation or a plan). I have heard more and more stories like mine - be wary of this school!

My three year old twin girls attend Renfrew and absolutely LOVE it! The care, support and encouragement they receive is incredible...even during this pandemic, their amazing teacher (Ms. Kat) and support staff have continued providing them with engaging individualized and group led activities. The daily circle time with their teacher over Zoom is the highlight of their day! They also give us parents practical, easy to follow activities to work on my daughter's speech and motor delays that she loves to do. They even dropped off care packages full of small activities at our house! Renfrew is a welcoming, warm and supportive environment. Their staff are well-trained and generally love the kiddos. It truly is a special place.

My daughter started at Renfrew this past September at the age of 2 years and 6 months. She has complex special needs and I was completely burnt out trying to manage her therapy through the child development center and at home while working full-time and caring for my 2 older children. She was able to join the ISMD program at the Renfrew JMC campus and it has been such an overwhelmingly positive experience both for my daughter and for our family as a whole.In the 6 months that she was able to attend the program 5 mornings/week (before the COVID-19 situation closed schools) she made enormous progress with her gross motor, fine motor and communication/social skills. From the very beginning I was so impressed with the genuine level of care and understanding from the administration, teaching/ support staff, therapists and our bus driver. For the first time I felt like my daughter was in good hands and that they were doing everything possible to ensure that she reaches her full potential. I could finally relax and go back to being a mom instead of a therapist which has resulted in so many positive changes at home.Since COVID-19 we have continued to feel supported by the teachers and therapists through daily zoom circle time, craft kits and specialised equipment that is sent home, and additional programs and suggestions to support her therapy and IPP goals. Although I am sad that my daughter is not able to attend classes in person, she continues to make good progress on her goals. I am looking forward to the time when classes are able to resume and I can't wait to see what the next few years brings for our daughter with the support of our team at Renfrew.

Renfrew’s Specialized Services Program has made a huge impact on our family and we are truly amazed with the great progress our son, Pio, has achieved through it. We will always be grateful to his amazing SSP Team: Dorothy, Donna, Delia, Gina, Kelly and Cathy, and also to Sheila and Jen, for all their dedication, support and compassion in helping our son get a chance at a brighter, happy future! Even through tough times, they have been there to support our family and we cannot thank them enough! May you all continue to be a blessing to kids like Pio!- Frances A.

I am so lucky to have Renfrew, my daughter was diagnosed with Autism at 2 years old and has been attending for almost 2 years and I have seen incredible progress. The staff are dedicated to her success. They are incredibly patient, and caring towards Mila and she has hit major milestones thanks to the aid's, teachers and facilitators. I could not be happier and I would absolutely recommend them to anyone. If you or someone you know had a child with special needs, this is the place for you.

My son Henry has attended Renfrew JMC for the past 3 years. He began his journey there with a severe language delay, and is now leaving as a typically developing child. Renfrew has been lifechanging for our family. The staff, teachers, and therapists are simply the best, and have perfected the formula when it comes to teaching children with exceptional needs. Thank you Renfrew JMC team, we are forever grateful for all that you've done!

An extremely unhealthy/ toxic organization to work for. Persnickety is an understatement. Managers will set you up to fail, use you and stretch you past your limits and will still find fault.They go through employee's like tissue paper and if you happen to be coloured, expect to be spoken to and treated differently than of those who are not. Expect zero tolerance if life happens and there is a snow storm ,you fall sick or your child is sick and needs to be cared for. Expect to be micromanaged, undervalued and contacted on your personal phone on your days off/ sick time. This organization is a mess, ruthless & immoral. They should be held responsible for the abuse and unnecessary stress they cause to their staff. One of the worst workplaces I've ever experienced. If you receive a cold call this place offering you a job - run.

Words cannot express how grateful I am to this school. Renfrew is part of our family. The staff is amazing people who work tirelessly to promote growth in every child by making sure the kids get the opportunity to achieve their full potential. I can truly say that because i have seen how this school changed my son life. Before my son attended Renfrew he had no words but now i he is not only expressing himself but he also reading and writing. In my eyes this is remarkable for child with severe autism. Its amazing the milestones my son reached with the three years he spent at Renfrew.The staff is always ready to support the family regardless of the situation at home or at school(i feel like they are our life line). The staff is excellent from the principals, teachers, therapist, bus driver to the receptionist. They treat every child as if he or she was the King or the Queen of the castle while treating the children all the same.My son is truly lucky to have these guys in his corner I am forever indebted to Renfrew.

My wife and I considerate ourselves fortunate to have both of our children attending Renfrew. One is older and is more severely impacted by Autism and another one younger who is less so affected. One attends Janice McTighe Centre and the other one attends the Bowness centre.Renfrew is the best school of its kind period! Of course, the school is only as good as the people running it. We can honestly say that every employee that we have met are kind, considerate, and 100% dedicated to what they do (I don’t want to call it a job). This is true from management all the way down to support staff. They do everything to the best interest of the kids. They are willing to listen to our concerns and act on them without hesitation. I like the fact that they emphasize team work and make use of communication via email, photos, and phone calls to keep us informed of their progress.