Barcelona Mum

Tutor Kids (Putxet)

Tutor Kids prides itself in claiming to be one of the only fully compliant guardarias in central Barcelona with all necessary licensing, qualified teachers, fire regulations (fire walls and doors) patio and own entrance. They are trilingual as opposed to openly international, about a third are foreign and English is introduced in P1 and then extended for 2-3 afternoons a week in P2 with singing and activities carried out in English.
Their program is based upon play, song and creative activities that focus non language and communication. They also aim to develop co-ordination skills with formal ball skill activities, including ball kicking, ball throwing and golf. 
C/Musitu 13-15 - 08023 Barcelona - 93 253 10 66 / 645 25 75 53 www.tutorkids.net
 

Comments:
Webcams available and parent interaction encouraged

"What´s great about Tutorkids is the care your children receive. The girls that look after Hugo, our 1 year old, really enjoy their work with the children and delight in telling me how he is developing and what activities they have done that day.  We also have regular reviews on his progress and plans for his development for the following term. Lexi, now 4, also went to Tutorkids and she loved her swimming classes, gym, painting and singing: and she still talks about the staff who looked after her over a year ago!
Tutorkids gives me real peace of mind as Hugo spends his time away from me in a light and airy building purpose built for childrens´safety and development and the webcam means I can log on  to see how he´s getting along at any time. Also as my work hours vary the flexible pay per hour timetable is a real bonus". (TD)

Click here to read the full interview with owner Alex Martin

Recommended by Tiffany Doyne-Titmas

Little Land (Sant Gervasi)

International tri-lingual Nursery in Sant Gervasi based on Wardorf and Montessori education. Small groups. Webcam. 8-5pm Monday to Friday. They also open at weekends for children´s parties. The nursery is also open in August and organizes Christmas, Easter & summer camps.
Ronda General Mitre, 132 , 932092221 info@littlelandbcn.com www.littlelandbcn.com

Comments:
"Estoy encantada con Little Land Bcn. Llegué a Barcelona en Octubre del 2007 y buscaba una guardería en la que fundamentalmente mi hijo tuviera una educación bilingüe inglés-castellano, las profesoras son nativas, me gusta el trato que reciben los niños, la cercanía entre los profesores y los padres, haciéndonos partícipes, en todo momento, de todo lo concerniente a nuestros hijos. Somos informados diariamente de los progresos y actividades de los niños. Podemos ir en cualquier momento a visitar la guardería, otra de las características que me hizo elegir a Little Land es que utilizan el Método Montessori, el respeto al niño y en su capacidad de aprender. Mi mayor satisfacción: Ver a mi hijo ir  féliz todas las mañanas a la guardería, escucharlo cantar las canciones que aprende, ver los trabajos que hace. Ver sus progresos día a día" (MR)


"Our philosophy is based on Waldorf and Montessori methodologies, in which children are driven towards a balanced and clear development of their intellect, towards a rich sense of art and a healthy and active goodwill in a way that their thoughts, feelings and actions confront everyday life's challenges. Children absorb like sponges all the necessary and requiring information for their every day actions. Children learn to talk, write and read the same way they learn to crawl, walk, and run, that is to say, in a spontaneous manner. That’s why we based our ideas by respecting the child’s own capacity to learn. In this way she reaches adulthood with the capacity to face up to living problems" (AG)
 

Click here to read the full interview with Ariana Garí

Recommended by Moira Reyes Romero

The Playhouse

Progressive International daycare centre in Gracia with flexible and part-time options. Parents welcome. Organic food. Open space. Run by British mother of two Sarah Yandell.
Calle Mozart, 10, bajos 933687834 or 661469419 info@theplayhousebcn.net www.theplayhousebcn.net

Comments:
"The Playhouse is a brilliant example of child centred play that works. they let you do the settling in period as long as suits you (in my case 5 weeks!) and are very big on being in touch with the parents, to the point that sarah writes a summary at the end of each day of what they did so you can talk about it with your child (as if she didnt have enough work with her own business and mum of 2!). The food is lovely and organic, the children are happy. Luca had a biting issue when he started there, but with Sarah´s help and consistency we stopped it. They are amazingly committed and capable and I recommend it without any hesitation". (ZK)

 "Child-centred mixture of free play and more structured activities. Based on elements of UK playgroup movement and Montessori (" A child's work is play"). We are not a Montessori school though, that is something quite different. Also influenced by Scandinavian model of early childhood ed. (v. free play based, lots of positive reinforcement, positive "discipline" working on emotions, etc.)" (SY)

Click here to read an interview with Director Sarah Yandell

Recommended by Zoe Koumbouzi

Noah´s Ark (Esplugues)

Trilingual international nursery located in a large house in Esplugues. They are currently registering for this September.
Calle Doctor Ferran, 74 Esplugues de Llobregat Barcelona 934735371 info@noahsark.es, www.noahsark.es

Comments:
"He absolutely loves it and so do we as parents. The director, Gilda, is super. She's flexible with everything. It's all a la carte, so you pay for what you use, which is highly unregular. I can only speak for the baby class, which there is only three at the moment with two caretakers. This is their first year taking babies and she says she's learning as she goes, and she's doing a terrific job. Alex does so many fun things and interacts with the older kids as well. Their facility is phenomenal with lots of natural light, big outdoor playground, garden, eating room, big classrooms and decorated with fun colors. They also have a webcam so I can see Alex at my computer at home/work" (KB)

"At Noah's Ark we believe that every child has an innate desire to explore and learn, so we use this natural curiosity as a starting point for our teaching. We educate children using the "active methodology" model, as integrated approach that enables children to develop emotional, physical, and intellectual autonomy. Our educators are trained to respect the natural rhythms of each child, whilst also encouraging the children to participate in daily routines and develop positive habits."

Click here for the full interview with Director Gilda Beraha

Recommended by Kathy Burns

Blossom International Kindergarten (Esplugues)

Recently opened multilingual international nursery in Esplugues with part-time options, Blosson is based on UNESCO accredited 'Reggio Emilio' philosphy. For children from 4 months to 6 years, opening hours are 9am-5pm (with the possibility of extending the hours in the morning and evening)
Ave. de la Miranda, n° 18-20 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat 902995537 www.blossom-kindergarten.com

Comments:
"Estoy encantada con Blossom. Estuve mirando varias escuelas infantiles, pero las concertadas y las públicas ofrecen enseñanza sólo en catalán, cosa que considero un atraso. Estamos en un mundo globalizado, y es muy importante que todos nos podamos entender con el mayor número de personas posible. Una enseñanza monolingue es, en mi opinión, un atraso.
En Blossom, al ser una educación multilingue, ofrece a nuestros hijos la posibilidad que nos niegan en las concertadas o públicas, que es aprender desde muy pequeños varios idiomas.
El trato que hemos recibido desde el primer día en Blossom ha sido impecable. Las instalaciones, la alimentación, y sobre todo el personal, nos merece la mayor de las confianzas, que es, aparte de la educación que les den a mis hijas, básico. Dejo a mis hijas muy tranquila en Blossom.
Recomiendo a cualquier persona con hijos pequeños, que se pasen por Blossom para conocerlo y apuntarse" (IN)
 

"Blossom’s education is based on the Reggio Emilia philosophy, which sees each child as the architect and constructor of his /her own knowledge, and we adults are their guides. Our activities and workshops are based on the children’s curiosities.
At Blossom we are also well aware that nowadays, languages are the key to opening doors into our futures; for this reason, we begin teaching English, Spanish and Catalan to the children during their earliest years, through linguistic immersion." (Catherine Pucher) 
 

Click here to read the full interview with Blossom´s Catherine Pucher

Recommended by Ines Navarro

Frindel (Diagonal Mar)

International private nursery in Diagonal Mar with emphasis on play and education in open spaces. Parents are allowed to participate. The nursery is mainly Castellano speaking and hours are flexible
Passeig Taulat 228-232 (Bajos) 676572161 www.frindel.net

Comments:
"What I like about Frindel is that they are flexible (we pay for the mornings....and that is from 9.00 - 12.30). Luc never comes in at 9 o´clock because he sleeps so long and then has breakfast etc. He comes whenever he is ready. We basically come and go how it is convenient for us and they don´t make problems out of that. People are really friendly. Luc is always smiling when he goes, which is a good sign. They have a program and do different things to develop physical and mental things. In their window they show every week new things that the kids have made. Also, he is playing there with lots of kids who he knows from our development / community area as Frindel is across the street so many kids from the neighbourhood go there"  (IV)

Click here for an interview with Frindel´s Mariana Suarez

Recommended by Isabelle Vaningen

Bcn Kinder (Gothic Quarter)

Private multilingual (German/Catalan) non-profit Guarderia for children aged 1-6 years in the heart of the Barrio Gotico. Organic food. Outside space and they also have outings at least twice a week. Flexible hours and mixed groups based on the German system. Children are divided into 4 separate groups, adding up to about 50 children in total.
C/Belafila 4 932682578 info@bcn-kinder.org www.bcn-kinder.org

Comments:
The guarderia has an internet-based forum for parents and is considered to be 'educación alternativa'.

Recommended by Julie Haselmayer

Hamelin International Nursery

Hamelin International Nursery opened in 2007 and is based in the Vila Olimpica area of Barcelona. It offers a trilngual education for children up to 3 years.Flexible timetable and extracurricular activities available for children aged 3 to 12 years.
Hamelin Vila Olímpica, c/ Salvador Espriu, 27 (+34) 932241250 www.escolessas.com

Comments:
"Zander started at 11 months and after the initial "adaptation" (aka: 2 week crying period - which I hear's pretty normal ?) he's now loving it!  Right opposite the Hotel Arts in the Vila Olimpica, its trilingual English, Castellano, Catalan and they have a very flexible timetable. I'd guess almost half the kids/parents are "guiri" from various parts of the world so its a nice mix." (LP)

Recommended by Lara Pennington

English Kinder (Sarria)

Sarria-based trilingual (English/Spanish/Catalan) nursery and pre-school from 0-6 years. Parental input into how the nursery and pre-school are run is encouraged.
Iradier 23 Torre Sarria 934173677 secretaria@englishkinderbarcelona.com. www.englishkinderbarcelona.com

Comments:
The school is open in the summer with a private swimming pool for the children (July - September)

Xantala (Poble Nou)

Tri-lingual (English, Catalan, Castellano) nursery based on Montessori philosophy for children aged 1-6 years in Poble Nou. Comes highly recommended. Parental participation encouraged. Hours 8:30am-3pm and there are also part-time options
C/Maria Aguilo 111 664580347 info@xantala.net, www.xantala.net

Comments:
Xantala also offers summer schools

Recommended by Margaret West

Cigronet d'Or

More of a crèche than a Guarderia although you can leave children here all day. It is an open space providing toys, painting and drawing materials. Parents are welcome and couches are provided. There is a multilingual staff. The cost is 5 Euros per hour for children without an adult, 4 Euros per hour if accompanied by an adult. 9:30am-1:30pm and 5-8pm.
Consell de Cent 445-449, entlo 1-A 932469463 www.cigronetdor.com

Comments:
Open during July & August. You can hire the space for children´s parties.

Recommended by Lisa Richardson

Early Performers

Early Performers was established in October 2008 in order to meet a gap in provision for English speaking families, and also those families who want their child exposed to the English language from a young age. The groups are open to children aged 2-6 years. Younger children are welcome to join the Poble Nou sessions, if the parent also stays. The sessions that are currently available are:

Monday 3.00 - 5.30
at Xantala nursery,
111 Maria Aguilo,
Poble Nou,
Group size 14 children
Metro Line 4 (yellow)

Tuesdays 11.00 - 12.30
C/ Carders
El Born
Group size 5 maximum
Metro Line 4 (yellow)

Thursdays 11.00-12.30
C/Carders
El Born

Fridays 3.00- 5.30
at Xantala nursery,
111 Maria Aguilo,
Poble Nou

For more information please contact Lianne on earlyperformers@gmail.com

Comments:
The groups are likely to appeal to the following groups of parents:
Those whose first language is English
Bilingual families
Families whose children do not currently attend public school or are home educated

Recommended by Rebecca Laidlaw