Pre-school fees

[phtthp]

hi ConcernedDaddy,


may i ask which new Cherie Heart branch childcare is this ? what kind of enrichment(s) in the afternoon after kids' nap time (around 1 pm -3 pm) & after tea break, from 3.45 pm onwards ? do they have Montessori Maths as an afternoon enrichment in their list ?

Thanks!

[ConcernedDaddy]

The school is at Bishan/AMK. Here's their website

http://www.cherieheartsnurtureloft.com.sg/about.html

My kid is in playgroup only, so I am not sure if they are offerring enrichment classes for the higher levels yet. I think all Cherie Hearts do not do montessori maths though, but I could be wrong there.

[DesertWind]

ConcernedDaddy:

I am paying 500 a month after subsidy for Cherie Hearts currently. It is a new school which just opened though. But my kid gets to enjoy the brand new facilities as well as a nice big indoor playground. Went for their orientation and their teachers are experienced.To me, that is value-for-money without breaking the bank.


Around that school, there are a few new schools opening as well but they quoted me 900 after susbidy! What perplexed me is that they were branding themselves as upcoming \"top range premium\" childcare with overseas branches opening etc. Looks nice and swanky from outside and there was certainly plenty of marketing talk. When i visited their interior, I was disappointed that their playground area were tiny, severely inadequate and safety protection were not even installed!

Here's my take. While generally true, high fees does not equate directly to quality. Parents should be discerning to observe for themselves what they are paying for. I want good quality so I am prepared to pay more than the entry level 300+. My personal budget is 1K max for preschool, but most importantly, I want to feel that the fees I spent goes to benefit my child directly in the form of better and safer facilities, more toys and play aids etc. Definitely not to fund marketing/branding, nice swanky exteriors (but average quality interior facilities) or overseas expansion etc etc.

Agree.
:goodpost:

[DesertWind]

KZYPmum:

Hmm... $2000 per term of 4 months is expensive? That's $500 a month which is nowhere near the $1100 for chiltern house per month, if you are talking abt high end half day pre-schools (as compared to full day childcare)......

That's right!

My ideal budget is about SGD700-800 per month (before or after subsidy is OK). For this, I am looking at the mid-range child-care centres and higher-end kindergartens. There is a difference in the number of hours hence the child-care centres are expected to be priced higher comparatively speaking.

While there is (or should be) some correlation between the price and quality, this is not always the case hence parents must know what we are paying for. Do we know what we are paying for while shopping for a pre-school? Izzit the large premises regardless of indoor or outdoor? Izzit the quality of the teachers, class size, teacher/children ratio, or enrichments?

For me, I feel nowadays parents are looking for HIGH ENGAGEMENT of their kids and that is where they are willing to pay if they think their kids will be more involved, have fun and learn much in the process. Conversely, compared to the most basic one-way teacher to children teaching in a traditional kindergarten for 2-hrs and then go home. There is not much of other stimulation or engagement of the kids otherwise hence fees should be low.

For those charging high school fees, naturally parents' expectation will go up. If I find that the above mentioned areas are not up to my expectation, then I will not just pay blindly. Basic things like safety can even be compromised and that is straightaway out for me.

Like what ConcernedDaddy said, if one can find a pre-school charging around SGD500 (after subsidy) with good, clean, nice environment and good teachers, that is really value-for-money!
:celebrate:

[ConcernedDaddy]

wow…hot topic.


When the top schools blatantly keep increasing prices due to strong demand, every other average school will try to emulate their marketing strategy and rebrand themselves as "premium". Daddies and mummies… be discerning and spot the important areas from marketing hype.

A case in point. During first day parents/child orientation, I commented to the director that my son’s class has a set of very interesting big plastic building blocks (think lego bricks X 10 times larger). It was different from the other schools I visited where all ages play with the standard type wooden blocks. The school director explained that she felt those plastic bricks are much lighter and safer for the younger kids in playgroup. Wooden blocks can surprisingly be dangerous as the young ones are not as dexterous yet with their hands nor do they know how to control their strength properly yet. However, those bricks are not available in Singapore so she had to pay a lot more to import them for her younger classes. Well, I thought the director might be a tad too paranoid but her attention to detail and safety is really much appreciated. Not that I am expecting my child to be totally accident-free during school (kids are kids anyway - DS runs around a lot), but it gives me great comfort that the school has actually quietly invested in the important areas to try to minimize the probability of accidents.

[tootgirl]

I personally believe that a child’s early childhood education eventually shaped his character later on in life. Where I meant education, i not only meant the one that he receives from his preschool but that given by his parents. For this reason, when selecting a preschool for my child, budget is the last on my list of criteria. I don’t specifically look at how good a school curriculum because at the end of the day, it is the human touch that makes a difference. When I choose a preschool, the vibes i have about the educators largely influence my decision. Next on my list is the physical environment. Since I particularly want my child to have lots of nature exposure so those centres in commercial building are No-No for me.


These are my 2c cents of thoughts. Of course, the location plays a big part too. I live at the central area so don’t make sense for me to send my child to schools in other regions.

[phtthp]

my friend withdrew her N1 son from an expensive montessori childcare centre (ccc), costing > $1k school fees per month in Bishan. I feel that this montessori ccc deserve to be highlighted, so that parents are aware & wake up to the truth that - expensive childcare doesn't necessary equate to being good ...


on paper, the montessori curriculum looks attractive!
the montessori curriculum explained on paper, in theory in this school states nicely that everyday the child will have hands on montessori lessons individually. My friend was happy to hear that. Ah! that's what she wanted her son to benefit from - a good montessori hands on curriculum, esp. for Maths.

Yes, indeed the classroom does spend 1 hr per day hands on montessori material, but in truth - how is it really spent ? it's only 5 minutes per child hands on montessori per day. Because it happen that the staff are short handed in this ccc, there are 12 kids there.

so (12 kids * 5 mins per kid hands on daily ) => 1 hour everyday.
my friend observed silently what's going on, for she spent first week there. That's how she discovered the awful truth.

another horrible truth she found out. One day, her son fell down and cried. His form teacher did not even bother to attend to his cries. guess what the form teacher did ? she just walked over him, step across, walk over to the other side, and grabbed an apple to bite & ate apple, while the poor boy still crying. My friend happen to be in another room, observing silently. The form teacher didn't realize that my friend was watching her all these while.

my friend felt very cheated. She's paying more than $1k per month school fees in this child care ... her son only receive only 5 mins per day hands on montessori individual work, and the form teacher with such apathetic attitude! In the end, she withdrew her son from this child care. And doesn't trust montessori childcare anymore.

[Snow Crystal]

phtthp:

my friend felt very cheated. She's paying more than $1k per month school fees in this child care ... her son only receive only 5 mins per day hands on montessori individual work, and the form teacher with such apathetic attitude! In the end, she withdrew her son from this child care.

Oh dear so nightmarish :rant: Luckily your friend went in to observe. In fact your friend should report to the Ministry which accredits this CCC :spank: They are obviously riding on the Montessori brand to seek high fees :moneyflies:

[micollh]

i feel the teacher is the essence of a so called good childcare/kindergarten… it may be good by some feedback, but due to turn over, by the time our kids enrol, the good ones may not be there so we have different opinion of the so-called good schools… not all teachers are caring/commited/love kids… so sometimes, i feel it’s by "luck" if the teachers are good. Some are good but never feedback to parents on child’s development or lack of parent-teacher communication… so … it’s all depends…

[happy to be mum]

hi there


please correct me if i am wrong. We are talking about pre-school, those few hours class and not whole day childcare here right? Was reading the post and some parents mentioned pre-school fees after working mum subsidy? I don't remember pre-schools have working mum subsidy, thought only applicable to childcare centers?

I just want to make sure just in case I can claim subsidy for a few hours pre school class