Blüm classrooms are intentionally designed to harmonize Montessori principles with the expressive framework of Reggio Emilia. Natural materials, considered proportions, and a calm visual rhythm create environments where learning feels purposeful rather than overstimulating.
Materials are thoughtfully selected for their quality, longevity, and pedagogical value—supporting focus, independence, and deep engagement while inviting creativity and exploration in meaningful ways.
Blüm is grounded in the structure and independence of Montessori and the inquiry-driven, expressive framework of Reggio Emilia. Together, these philosophies shape classrooms where students are trusted, guided, and deeply engaged—through rhythm, repetition, and meaningful exploration.
Every Blüm space is intentionally prepared. Natural materials, considered proportions, and visual calm invite focus rather than distraction, allowing students to move through their environment with confidence, autonomy, and purpose.
Learning at Blüm unfolds through carefully designed daily rhythms that balance freedom and structure, movement and stillness. These routines support emotional regulation, concentration, and a sense of belonging within the classroom community.
Meals at Blüm are approached with the same care as curriculum. A thoughtfully curated, seasonal menu—including warm breakfasts, lunches, and refreshments—supports wellbeing, independence, and shared ritual, reinforcing respect for the body and the learning day as a whole.
Blüm operates as a fully licensed early learning academy, overseen by Alberta Education and Childcare, meeting provincial standards for health, safety, and program integrity.
Blüm’s programming is a proprietary synthesis of internationally respected Montessori pedagogy and the inquiry-driven framework of Reggio Emilia—an approach that aligns closely with Alberta’s provincially recognized Early Learning and Care Framework. This integration ensures learning experiences are developmentally grounded, research-informed, and deeply responsive to the student.
Classrooms are intentionally free from screens and digital media, allowing students to engage fully with thoughtfully curated materials, quality literature, and hands-on learning experiences. Natural and open-ended materials—such as stones, wood, textiles, and loose parts—are regularly incorporated into play, visual arts, and creative exploration, supporting imagination, problem-solving, and expressive thinking.
Blüm’s educators are carefully selected for both their professional training and their alignment with our values. Each educator is individually certified by the Government of Alberta and maintains current requirements for police clearance, vulnerable sector screening, and first aid and CPR.
Beyond these foundational standards, Blüm educators engage in ongoing, philosophy-aligned professional development. Training spans Montessori pedagogy, Alberta’s FLIGHT framework, brain development and regulation, loose parts play, children’s yoga, and American Sign Language, among other areas. This depth of preparation ensures students are guided by educators who lead with intention, presence, and respect for the child.
We can’t wait to join Blüm. We did our due diligence. Blum is new but sounds like they are investing in their people.
— Father, Infant Classroom
Blüm’s curriculum is intentionally designed for families seeking depth, beauty, and meaning in early learning. Rooted in Montessori principles and informed by Alberta’s Early Learning and Care Framework, our approach balances structure with inquiry, independence with collaboration, and focus with creativity.
The result is a calm, purposeful learning environment — free from screens and digital distractions — where students engage deeply with materials, ideas, and one another.
Behind the scenes, Blüm classrooms are maintained to the highest standards of health and safety. Our daily rhythms include thoughtful cleaning and care practices aligned with Alberta Health Services regulations, ensuring learning spaces remain fresh, calm, and well-kept.
This work is intentionally unobtrusive — supporting wellbeing without interrupting the flow of the day.
Blüm classrooms are curated with the same discernment families bring to their own homes. Materials are thoughtfully sourced from respected suppliers such as Coco Village, Lovevery, Grimm’s, and Melissa & Doug, alongside authentic Montessori works and open-ended resources.
Natural textures, muted palettes, and non-toxic wooden materials take precedence. Students regularly gather natural elements during outdoor time — stones, pinecones, branches — which are later reintroduced indoors as provocations for art, construction, and inquiry.
This is a classroom designed for focus, beauty, and respect for the child.
Blüm’s programming is the result of years of study, refinement, and lived classroom experience. Each learning environment — and the curriculum that guides it — is intentionally designed to support hands-on exploration, deep focus, and the development of real-world skills.
Rooted in the Montessori method and informed by the Reggio Emilia Approach®, students are viewed as capable, curious individuals with inherent potential and agency. Learning unfolds through meaningful materials, purposeful work, and the many “languages” through which children express understanding — movement, dialogue, construction, art, and relationship.
This integrated approach allows structure and freedom to coexist: clear daily rhythms paired with open-ended inquiry, order balanced with creativity, and guidance offered with respect for the child.
Time outdoors is woven into the daily rhythm at Blüm, not treated as a break from learning. Students spend meaningful time outside each day, engaging their senses, observing seasonal change, and building familiarity with the neighbourhoods that surround them.
Nature is both a classroom and a companion — extending learning beyond the walls and grounding students in the world around them.
A predictable, well-considered daily rhythm creates a sense of calm, confidence, and belonging. Blüm’s routines are intentionally designed to support Montessori-sensitive periods while allowing space for curiosity, independence, and deep focus.
Guided by monthly learning themes and developmentally aligned outcomes, each day unfolds with purpose — supporting natural discovery rather than rushing it.
Kindness at Blüm is not performative — it is practiced, modeled, and expected. Students are guided to approach one another, their environment, and themselves with respect and care.
Educators embody this value through tone, language, and presence, reinforcing kindness as a daily way of being and a foundation for meaningful relationships.
Blüm’s daily rhythm includes a dedicated rest and quiet period from 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. While many students continue to benefit from a daytime nap, we recognize that sleep needs naturally evolve with development.
Students are never required or pressured to sleep. Our classrooms are intentionally prepared to support both rest and quiet, wakeful activities in a peaceful environment that respects each student’s individual rhythm and developmental stage.
Students spend time outdoors each day at Blüm, using attached play spaces and participating in neighbourhood walks to nearby parks, gardens, and community spaces. Outdoor time is thoughtfully woven into the daily rhythm to support movement, exploration, and connection with the natural world.
Blüm offers a seasonal, chef-prepared menu made fresh daily using whole, nourishing ingredients. Students enjoy a warm breakfast, lunch, and two refreshments, with offerings such as bone broth soup with quinoa, tofu fried rice, lentil stews, Greek yogurt with granola, baked oatmeal, and fresh fruit. Menus are refreshed quarterly to reflect the seasons.
Yes. Blüm offers a Kindergarten program for eligible students, delivered within our licensed early learning setting and grounded in Montessori and Reggio Emilia principles.
As a licensed provider of childcare in Calgary, our Educator-to-student ratio is governed by the current Child Care Licensing Act. As such there is one Educator per every four infants (12 to 18 months), one per every six junior preschoolers, one per every eight Preschoolers (3 years old) and one Educator for every ten junior kindergarten children (4 years old). Our Educator team is also supported by dedicated Assistant Educators and a robust Leadership Team.
The Academy’s curriculum is planned for full-time attendance, and for optimal learning and integration into the Blüm community, our program does not offer any part-time, drop in or casual options.