[Alexandra/Bukit Merah/Queenstown/Tiong Bahru] Preschools

[watermum]

Yup, I paying $700 a month after subsidies, but that is the old price, i think now is $800 ah, they increased the price. Cos my boy is there since infant, what i can say is i like the ratio there, the teacher’s own kids are there too, so the hygience level is definitely good. He is happy to go to school everyday, which is good and best of all is near our place. He just switched to toddler, so far so good, the teachers are helpful in his transition.


Lesson wise i cant mentioned much, cos he just started his toddler class.

Timing wise, Arts Kidz really out, i heard alot about this school too…

[Pigrabbiit]

Hi mummies/daddies,


I'm considering YWCA or Chinese Kindergarten. Has anyone been to the schools recently? Thinking which one to consider.

:thankyou:

[verykiasu]

my son & my neighbr's kid are currently k1

my neighbr's kid is studying at chinese kindy, but i feel the school
didn't focus much on phonics, and i can see the difference between
our kids' phonics knowledge
nevertheless i know the school has a nice indoor playground

[Pigrabbiit]

verykiasu:

my son & my neighbr's kid are currently k1

my neighbr's kid is studying at chinese kindy, but i feel the school
didn't focus much on phonics, and i can see the difference between
our kids' phonics knowledge
nevertheless i know the school has a nice indoor playground

Oic, can I know where is your son currently at? I'm trying to find a school but dunno which one to choose.

[Margaret80]

Hi,


Anybody knows that is there a new childcare centre at Bukit Merak Centre?

[notknow11]

yes called little champions i think

[thebestmumintheworld]

Hi,


My hubby and I checked out the various CCC mentioned in bt merah central area and we finally decided on MMI (bt merah) for our gal in jun. Couldn’t really find it at first but was directed by the security guard to tower 4. We r pretty pleased with the centre. It’s bright and cheery and we like the art decor hanging from the ceiling. The tchrs and supervisors are also friendly (unlike other centres we’ve visited). They’ve also got an indoor play area which is quite cool. In fact, they just expanded into next door unit earlier this year so got more places for kids to enrol.

Anyway, my gal settled in really fast and she’s getting along great.

We visited the new CCC (little champions) at bukit merah central out of curiosity. Found the outdoor playground rather small and the floor is tiles. Kids fall how?

[beanbear]

Just to share that my DS3 went to Arts Kidz for 3 years. My first two kids were at a Montessori childcare but because DS3 had severe allergic rhinitis, I had to put him in a non-aircon environment. That was my primary criteria initially.


Next year DS3 will go to P1. In the past 3 years with Arts Kidz, I’ve been very pleased with both the nurturing aspects as well as the academic aspects of his development at the school. Beyond these factors, I find that the school management has been open. I’ve always had access to the owner of the place & any teacher I wish to speak to. They are very open about you observing what’s going on - transparency is key. My 2 older kids went to one childcare where the Principal is so secretive about their classrooms and I finally withdrew my kids and put them in a different childcare even when they were at K2 because i found out disturbing things happening later on. Henceforth, I placed a lot of emphasis on school leadership & management.

Academically, Arts Kidz operate very much like an international school environment but I feel that DS3 has been well-prepared for P1. The expat teachers are briefed on the expectations of the local school system and they are active with parent communication. Because of the international children profile, I noticed that DS3’s spoken English is wonderful - hardly any Singlish - compared with my 2 older ones.

The other aspects is Cleanliness & Healthy environment. The high ratio of Japanese families enrolled in the school is actually a good thing because I find that Japanese families are very civic-minded about not sending their kids to school when they are sick. DS3 hardly falls sick at this school and there’s hardly any case of HFMD - maybe only once in my past 3 years there and they contained it very well.

I also find that Arts Kidz organizes interesting excursions frequently throughout the year and the costs are kept low for these outings. Sometimes it’s a simple outing to the Health promotion exhibition or Tiong Bahru neighbourhood or it could be to as far as Hay Dairies. They also organise Parent-child outings and family gatherings where you can take other children along. They also organize trips to the Theatre eg by Act3 performances. Very balanced in the choices.

While the school fees may seem a little steep, but it’s all-inclusive - there’s music, art classes conducted by external teachers at no additional charge. Overall, I find it good value and most important, I find DS3 blossoming in maturity, confidence and is very happy to go to school everyday.

All the best to parents choosing a preschool for their child!

[TiggerMummy]

Hi Beanbear


You wouldn’t know how glad I am to read your post. For the past few months we have been debating if we should place our child in Arts Kidz or Lorna Whiston (LW) There isn’t a lot of feedback on Arts Kidz compare to LW.

Our main concern is that no family member will be at home to take care of our child except our helper.

But we love the curriculum. The principal is such an easy person to talk to. She patiently explained to us on how the school works and how she works on the curriculum etc. We were introduced to the owner by her.

Basically the whole school gives a good vibes and gives us a warm feelings. The major setback is the timing and the closure of schools during school holidays.

[beanbear]

Hi TiggerMummy,


Arts Kidz have holiday programmes during June & December - 2 weeks in June & 2 weeks in Nov-Dec. During school holidays, my helper also looks after my 3 kids, many times by herself. I guess it’s a family decision whether helper is trustworthy or not.

Because Arts Kidz run a very full programme (no nap time in the 6.5 hours), DS3 usually comes home quite tired already and sometimes take a short nap or simply take a light snack and play on his own. I find he does not need further stimulation but just rest time.

I’ve had my fair share of visiting and reviewing many many pre-schools & childcare centres since I’ve got 3 kids already. I also visited LW at Alexandra. Quite impressive in terms of teaching materials and teachers and sprawling grounds. But when I worked out the fees, hour-for-hour, I found that Arts Kidz offered better value. I’ve placed my 2 older kids in full-day childcare before but in terms of teaching time, it probably works out to just 4-5 hours. So much time is taken up for naps, bathing, etc and my kids generally fell sick more often. Alot of issues with HFMD, chicken pox, the list goes on.

All the best for your decision!