From Frustrated Parents to Problem Solvers: The Story Behind TotMap

Hello! I'm Xenia, and like many parents, my husband and I faced a really big challenge when our daughter turned 1.5 years old - finding the right preschool in Portugal. We spent days (yes, literally days!) searching for information, and it was so frustrating! Most preschool websites here weren't very helpful, and many were outdated or didn't work well.

We had to drive around different areas, make many phone calls, and ask everyone we knew. Some schools didn't even have websites! As newcomers to Portugal, this made everything even more complicated. We had so many questions: What teaching methods do they use? How far is it from our home? What are other parents saying about it? Are the teachers kind and experienced?

This challenging experience made us think - other parents must be struggling with this too, not just in Portugal but everywhere! That's how TotMap.com was born. We created a friendly website where parents can easily find and compare thousands preschools and kindergartens worldwide. You can search by location, read detailed information about each school, and see what other parents think through their reviews.

What makes me especially happy is knowing that TotMap helps other parents avoid the stress and time we spent during our search. Instead of driving around for days or making endless phone calls, everything is now in one place.

As a mom who knows firsthand how hard this search can be, I'm excited to see TotMap helping parents everywhere find the perfect preschool for their little ones.

Imagine how easy finding a preschool could be...

Picture Sarah, a busy mom who just moved to a new city. Instead of spending her whole weekend driving around looking at schools, she sits down with a cup of coffee one evening and opens TotMap. She types in her new address and thinks, "Let's see what's within 15 minutes from home..."

In just a few clicks, she can:

"Oh, this school is just 8 minutes away and has a beautiful garden!"

"Look, they teach in both English and Portuguese!"

"Nice - this one has space available for September!"

"Wow, other parents really love this teacher..."

Or imagine Pedro and Maria, who work in different parts of the city. They need a preschool that's convenient for both of them. On TotMap, they simply enter both their work addresses and find schools in the perfect middle spot. No more long discussions about morning drop-offs!

Think about Ana, who wants a specific teaching method for her little one. Instead of calling 20 different schools, she just uses our filters:

"Montessori... check"

"Outdoor playground... check"

"Organic meals... check"

"Under €500 per month... check"

And there they are - all her perfect matches on one screen!

On TotMap, you could:

1. Save your favorites to discuss later
2. Check photo galleries of classrooms and activities
3. See detailed price lists and included services
4. Read about teaching methods and daily routines
5. Find out about extra activities like swimming or music classes
6. Draw your preferred area on the map (Coming soon)
7. Compare up to 5 schools side by side (Coming soon)

We'd love to grow our TotMap community together with you! If you've found a great preschool, please share your experience - your review could really help other parents make their choice. And if you have ideas about how we could make TotMap more helpful, just let us know. Even small suggestions can make a big difference! After all, who knows better what parents need than parents themselves? You can leave your review or feedback right here in the comments, or email us at [email protected]. Every opinion matters!

Have you had similar experiences finding a preschool? I'd love to hear your story in the comments below!