Leafbud Montessori has been the most beautiful addition to our family and particularly for our child.<br>The enormous privilege to feel so safe leaving your child with someone so nurturing, present, observant, is one I’m deeply grateful for.<br>Natasha’s completely holistic approach to guiding and educating children in her home environment has been so enlightening and beautiful. Our child has been supported through loads of transitions in this wonderful family environment with care, intention and presence.<br>As a parent, the reading and writing learning outcomes that many child care centres project were never important to me when finding somewhere and someone to be with and guide my child during the times I could not. The care, the focus on nature and our environment, health, collaborating with kindness and peace, developing a sense of self and nurturing guidance while being away from mum and dad were areas I was deeply considering. Above all, a deep feeling that my child was safe.<br>However, as a very impressive evolution of my child’s time at Leafbud, the development in numeracy, literacy, present observance, and truly so many other skills is very impressive regardless! Our kid loves learning and truly is so curious about everything. Constantly wanting to write words, learn numeracy skills, practice mastering new skills is really cool and very impressive. This is self-led and so beautifully guided and supported in the Leafbud environment with such a beautiful sense of presence and intention and the process is blossoming. Our child is so ready for school in so many ways after the Leafbud journey. It’s incredible.<br><br>The children engage in regular gardening and cooking and growing in a beautiful hands on way incorporating the Montessori approach. And the calm and peaceful environment within Natasha’s home with a group of 3-6 year olds demonstrates this.<br>Not to mention the very little occurrences of sickness that happens not just in family daycare but in the specific Leafbud environment because the children are involved in taking care of their environment with a sense of grace and courtesy that respects each other and Natasha.<br><br>Natasha is a wonderful maternal figure within her family but that lends to the Leafbud families too. The nature walks are so special, the family picnics, the outings, and the connection with likeminded parents and families is something to treasure.<br>Natasha has opened our family up to so many opportunities for further growth and connection through her experienced insight from her work as a doula, a Montessori educator, homeopathic practitioner and a mother. She is also an engaged member of her community.<br><br>Natasha is able to follow the children’s individual curiosities for learning and ways of collaborating, communicating and connecting with one another and respects their unique developmental processes to enable them to understand who they are and express themselves to grow and feel safe.<br>The many connections our child has made not just to trace letters but looking at our role in our small environments and the world at large, connecting animals with words, noticing small intricate details and feeling motivated to ask more questions is so cool.<br><br>We have truly loved every moment of Leafbud and I actually feel sad that this wonderful time is coming to a close, for now.<br>We could not be more grateful to have been a part of this beautiful community and learning environment for the last two years.<br>It is something that I will forever be so thankful for.<br>From our family to yours, THANK you Natasha.

I have been watching my granddaughter thrive at Leafbud for 2 1/2 years now, and I could not be more impressed! It is a safe, happy and inspiring environment that fosters trust, self-worth and creativity. Eilis is always so excited to go and I love seeing her confidence and curiosity blossom. The crafts, nature explorations and baking, among other activities, have been truly a magical journey for her (and a treat those of us who can taste the bread they bake at the daycare!). Eilis has been given the best preparation to start big school next year. I am hoping my grandson will be next in line to attend Leafbud too.! Hand on heart, Leafbud is a beautiful space for all the little ones and truly a second home for the little ones. Love love love this place!

Thank you, Natasha! Our daughter has emerged from her first 5 months of learning with Natasha with confidence. She’s a confident learner, a confident socialiser, a confident speaker, a confident sharer, a confident toilet user, a confident ‘putterer’ away of toys, a confident suncream user, a confident puzzler (code for ‘can get through 24 hours without Bluey’), a confident baker of bread! Natasha, first & foremost creates a nurturing space, opening the doors to a deeper/holistic learning, where curiosity in process is fundamental. Allowing the children to discover the joy in doing. The only downside is that my daughter now knows more continents than I do.

Leafbud is just wonderful. We have been so lucky to have both our daughters attend this magical place. The warm, creative, nurturing environment which Natasha has created is amazing. Our daughters loved every minute of it, and we saw them each rapidly develop socially and cognitively through their Leafbud experience. Now that both our daughters are in school we love coming to the picnics and reconnecting with the Leafbud community. Thank you Natasha for bringing Leafbud to life!

How lucky are we to have been part of the Leafbud Montessori family? Natasha is such a special person; she has such a wonderful, positive and calming energy - and that energy has created a truly welcoming environment; one that instills in little ones such confidence, independence, calmness and curiosity. If anyone is considering a Montessori approach to their child's first few years, then I truly can't recommend Leafbud enough. Thank you so much for welcoming us into your wonderful community, Natasha!

Our 3 year old daughter has been attending Leafbud for nearly 5 months and it has been a wonderful experience for her as her first group childcare environment. Natasha made the transition unbelievably smooth with visits beforehand at our home and at Leafbud. Our daughter runs in every morning excited to see what activities Natasha has set up for the day. Pet tadpoles and stick insects, baking and cooking, arts and crafts and nature walks to the local park are some of her favourite parts of being a little Leafbud. Natasha puts so much love, care and creativity into Leafbud. We have visited a few times and it is beautiful to see the calm, nurturing and joyful atmosphere that she has created. Natasha’s communication with us is excellent and she has always been very open to feedback and working with us to make our daughter comfortable and happy. Thank you Natasha!

Natasha is a one in a million Educator and we are reminded of this each day that we take our child to Leafbud family daycare. We are inspired by Natasha’s work and the learning environment she has created; Leafbud blends the best parts of Montessori, mainstream and other education forms and is stimulating, nurturing, safe and loving. Natasha, you have made something truly exceptional and we are very lucky to have you caring for our child so expertly!

We could not be happier with having found Leafbud! Our 2.5y old son loves it, he thrives in his development nurtured by Natasha's experience and warm approach, as well as the beautiful and inspiring environment that she creates for the children. From playtime, to baking/cooking, learning activities, music and all the way to little nature experiences the kids learn how to appreciate themselves, others and the environment. Natasha's communication with us parents is excellent, we always feel very well informed and she is always there for questions which we certainly had lots of after a not so great first daycare experience somewhere else. On top of that, we also really enjoy the little community with the other parents. They are all lovely human beings as well, and every now and then Natasha creates opportunities to meet everyone over a picnic or a joint activity. As I said above: we couldn't be happier, thank you Natasha!

Our son started at Leafbud this year, and we feel very fortunate to have found Natasha. She is an educator who prioritises nurturing relationships and provides children with consistent, emotional support to thrive and develop a strong sense of well-being. Natasha delivers a holistic approach to learning, evident through her innovative experiences at Leafbud: cooking, dance, yoga, cultural and indigenous perspectives, nature walks, etc. She is a responsive educator, valuing individual strengths and capabilities and supporting each child's individuality. Our son adores her, and we love the community we have found at Leafbud. She is a fountain of knowledge which I regularly tap into; it is the perfect place for a child to grow. Baby brother is on the waitlist for 2026!

Leafbud has been such an incredible journey for our family. The growth we have seen in our daughters confidence, social and emotional connection has been incredible. Natasha is inspiring, nurturing, and drives curiosity and a love for learning. Our daughter is always excited to go to Leafbud in the mornings and cannot wait to share her adventures when she comes home.