‘Got to leave a legacy’: After 45 years, Montreal pioneer in education takes step back

Most of the children who attend Les Trésors de Marie-Claire in Montreal’s West Island are too young to know exactly who Marie-Claire Martin is and what she has done for the community.

Martin’s journey began in 1980.

After the tragic and sudden loss of her husband, the young mother of two was forced to find a way to support her family. Her love and passion for children led her to open a home daycare.

“We basically put together a little flyer at home and we drew it, went to a copy company, photocopied a bunch of them and went door to door giving out flyers and we started a daycare,” said Karine Martin, Marie-Claire Martin’s daughter.

The daycare eventually outgrew her home and needed its own space.

In the late ’80s, Les Amours de Marie-Claire in Montreal’s Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough was born with a twist on learning languages. It was a rarely-seen curriculum in daycare at the time: French in the mornings, English in the afternoons, with a strong emphasis on arts.

Martin’s vision and business savvy led her to a bigger endeavour: establishing Les Trésors de Marie-Claire in Kirkland.

And later, a full-fledged school followed down the street in the mid-’90s.

The Marie-Claire academy has grown into a 450-student establishment, teaching students from kindergarten to high school with plans to soon start teaching Grade 12.

Martin is believed to be the first Black woman to start a school in Quebec.

“I’ve got to leave a legacy,” Martin said. “For the people of my generation, people of colour, people that are immigrants — that we can make it here. This is a great province to be here, and we can make it if we want.”

Martin is now 78 years of age and has decided it’s time to take a step back.

Her daughter is now the academy’s CEO. Martin also made the difficult decision to sell the daycare in October 2024 but believes her legacy is far from over.