From a small Montessori room to the Balu Kids community

A family looking for the right place

After the pandemic, Olga and Andrey Baluta moved to Bali with their two children and settled in Ubud. Soon after, their third child was born.

Like many parents, they began searching for a pre-school that reflected the values they wanted their children to grow up with — a place that combined strong education with independence, respect, emotional awareness, healthy boundaries, creativity, movement, nutritious food, and a genuine understanding of childhood.

At that time, they could not find a place that brought all of these elements together in the way they envisioned.

So they decided to create one.

It started with two children

On September 1, 2022, Balu Kids began in the simplest possible way: with Olga and Andrey’s two older children, one Montessori teacher, and a single room in their villa.

Montessori was a natural choice for the pre-school years. Olga was particularly drawn to an approach that does not simply teach children information, but helps them become capable, confident and independent human beings.

The environment was designed to encourage children to do things for themselves, make choices, take responsibility appropriate to their age, respect their own boundaries and those of others, and learn through hands-on experience.

Then something unexpected happened. Friends began asking Olga and Andrey where their children were going every morning. When they heard about the small Montessori kindergarten, they wanted their children to join too.

Within the first week, there were six children. Within several weeks, there were twelve. More teachers joined the team, and it quickly became clear that Balu Kids needed a real home of its own.

A campus surrounded by nature

Andrey began searching for a larger location, and eventually the family found a peaceful space away from the busy main roads of Ubud. Surrounded by tropical greenery, the approximately 1,000-square-metre grounds allowed them to create the kind of childhood environment they had imagined from the beginning.

Instead of conventional closed classrooms, Balu Kids developed open bamboo learning spaces that provide protection from the tropical sun while allowing children to spend much of their day breathing fresh air and feeling connected to nature.

Natural materials became an important part of the environment. The classrooms were furnished with age-appropriate teak furniture and arranged according to Montessori principles. Montessori materials were ordered from a certified manufacturer, and teachers continued their professional development and Montessori training.

The result was a place that felt less like an institution and more like a peaceful children’s community. And it remained deeply personal: eventually, all three of Olga and Andrey’s children became Balu Kids students.

A mother’s vision

As a mother, Olga continued to be personally involved in developing the environment, educational approach and culture of Balu Kids.

Her belief is that education is shaped not only by lessons, teachers and materials, but also by everything surrounding a child: the physical environment, food, daily rhythm, relationships, emotional safety, expectations and the community of families around them.

Balu Kids therefore aims to balance concepts that are sometimes mistakenly seen as opposites: freedom and discipline, independence and guidance, creativity and structure, confidence and respect for others.

Over time, this has helped create the atmosphere that defines Balu Kids today — calm, respectful and warm. Children learn to become increasingly independent, build friendships, communicate their needs, navigate disagreements, ask adults for support when necessary and develop confidence in handling everyday challenges.

Knowledge, life skills and the confidence to use them

At the heart of the Balu Kids educational philosophy is a simple idea: knowledge alone is not enough. A child also needs the skills and inner confidence to use that knowledge in the real world. Our methodology therefore brings together three equally important areas of development.

The first is academic development — building strong foundations in mathematics, English, reading, writing, science and other age-appropriate subjects.

The second is practical life and self-development skills. Children learn independence, responsibility, organization, communication, cooperation, problem-solving and everyday skills that help them become increasingly capable of managing themselves.

The third is social and emotional development. We help children understand and express their emotions, communicate their needs, recognize and protect personal boundaries, respect the boundaries of others, manage conflicts, build healthy relationships and develop confidence in their own voice.

A child may know the answer to a mathematics problem or develop strong reading and writing skills. But education becomes truly meaningful when that child also has the confidence to ask questions, communicate an idea, create something new, cooperate with others, make a decision and express what they think and feel.

A team that grew with Balu Kids

One of the most meaningful parts of the Balu Kids story is its team. Several members of the teaching and support staff have been part of Balu Kids since its early years, and the team has grown professionally as Balu Kids has grown.

For Olga and Andrey, this continuity is especially valuable. Children thrive when the adults around them feel connected, respected and committed to what they do.

Balu Kids works to maintain a team culture based on friendship, mutual support, respect and professionalism — the same qualities we hope children will learn through their own relationships.

Healthy food is part of education

From the beginning, nutrition was treated as part of children’s development rather than simply a service provided during the day.

Lunch is served buffet-style, allowing children to see different foods and gradually develop independence in making choices. Meals include whole-food sources of carbohydrates, vegetables, quality proteins and healthy fats, with both fresh and steamed vegetables offered regularly. Chicken and eggs are sourced from a free-range, halal farm.

The kitchen also prepares its own nutrient-rich bread using ingredients such as soaked chickpeas and lentils, flax, sunflower and chia seeds.

We avoid choosing ingredients simply because they are inexpensive. The quality of cooking oils, proteins, vegetables and drinking water matters to us. Many dishes are oven-cooked rather than heavily fried, and Balu Kids provides Cleo drinking water rather than lower-cost alternatives.

Our philosophy is simple: if food supports a child’s growth, energy, concentration and wellbeing every day, its quality deserves serious attention.

Rest is important too

A healthy childhood is not about filling every minute with activities.

Children who still need daytime sleep have a dedicated quiet rest period in a comfortable sleeping room. Relaxing music creates a peaceful atmosphere, bedding is changed regularly, and cleanliness is carefully maintained. Children who no longer sleep are offered calm, age-appropriate activities instead.

This balance between learning, movement, concentration and recovery is an important part of the daily rhythm at Balu Kids.

Learning through the brain and the body

The educational philosophy of Balu Kids has also been influenced by Olga and Andrey’s experiences as parents before moving to Bali. When their oldest son was two years old, he attended a kindergarten that incorporated an educational approach developed by a Japanese specialist. One element that particularly stayed with the family was learning to play the pianica.

They later introduced pianica lessons at Balu Kids as well. Playing the instrument combines breathing, articulation, listening, finger coordination, rhythm, memory and the simultaneous involvement of different physical and cognitive skills.

This reflects a broader principle: children should not spend their childhood sitting at a desk for long periods. Academic learning is balanced with movement, outdoor activities, team games, creative work, logic and thinking games, music and opportunities to explore the world physically.

Children learn with their minds, hands, bodies and senses.

Growing up with Balu Kids

Over the years, Olga and Andrey have watched children leave Balu Kids and successfully adapt to new environments, countries and education systems. Many families continue to remember their years at Balu Kids with great warmth, and for the founders, this remains one of the most meaningful measures of what they have created.

Four years after those first two children walked into a tiny Montessori room, Balu Kids has entered its next chapter. In 2026, the Balu Kids Primary Education Program opened.

The Primary Education Program intentionally remains small, with approximately 20 children, allowing teachers to know their students closely and give meaningful attention to each child.

As children grow older, academic expectations and discipline naturally become more structured. Yet the principles remain the same: independence, curiosity, responsibility, emotional awareness, respect, healthy boundaries and the confidence to think for oneself.

Today, Olga and Andrey’s two older children have grown out of kindergarten and attend the Balu Kids Primary Education Program, while their youngest continues his journey in the pre-school. For Olga, this means Balu Kids is still the place she chooses for her own children every day.

Balu Kids today

What began with two children, one Montessori teacher and one room has grown into an international community of children, teachers and families in Bali. Balu Kids has changed, the campus has grown and the children who inspired its creation are growing up.

But the original idea remains surprisingly simple: to create the kind of place where the founders wanted their own children to spend their childhood.

• A place where children are respected, but also learn respect.
• Where they are given freedom, but also understand boundaries.
• Where independence grows alongside responsibility.
• Where academic knowledge develops alongside practical life skills and emotional intelligence.
• Where children do not simply learn information, but gain the confidence to use it, question it, communicate it and transform it into their own ideas.
• Where creativity, movement and self-expression are considered essential parts of development.
• Where healthy food, peaceful surroundings and caring adults are considered part of education.

And where children can grow into confident, capable, independent and kind human beings — ready not only for the year ahead, but for life beyond the classroom.

Freedom with structure

Growing up in Bali gives children something very special: space, nature, movement and a great sense of freedom. At the same time, Olga and Andrey have always understood that Balu Kids is preparing children for a much wider world.

Our students may later continue their education in different countries, cultures and educational systems — including environments that are significantly more structured and academically demanding. We want them to enter those environments feeling confident, adaptable and prepared.

For this reason, freedom at Balu Kids always develops alongside discipline, responsibility and respect for structure.

Discipline without fear

We believe that discipline does not need to be built through fear, pressure or constant adult control. Especially during the pre-school years, children can learn to follow rules through a relationship based on trust and respect.

At Balu Kids, the teacher is not simply an authority figure whose instructions must be obeyed. A teacher is a trusted adult — someone a child can rely on, ask for help, learn from and respect. At the same time, teachers provide clear expectations, consistent boundaries and understandable rules.

We treat children as active participants in this relationship. Whenever appropriate for their age, we explain why a rule exists, how our actions affect other people, and what responsibility comes with being part of a community.

This creates an approach that is gentle, but structured; respectful, but consistent; free, but not without boundaries.

What children take with them

Children gradually learn that following a rule does not mean losing their freedom. Rules can protect them, protect others and allow a community to function safely and respectfully.

They learn to listen and follow instructions without being driven by fear. They learn to respect adults without being afraid of them. They learn to recognize their own boundaries while understanding that other people have boundaries too.

They also learn that their feelings and opinions matter, while discovering that being part of a community means considering the feelings, needs and rights of others. For us, this is an essential part of preparing children for life beyond Balu Kids.

We want a child to leave our environment with both inner freedom and inner structure — able to express themselves, think creatively and protect their boundaries, while also being capable of following rules, accepting responsibility, respecting others and adapting confidently to different environments, cultures and countries.

This balance between freedom and discipline, individuality and community, confidence and respect is one of the central principles of the Balu Kids approach.