Comparing English Enrichment Programmes

[adafew]

[quote]Must sign up by which date to get the discount?


Thanks ![/quote]I think before end of 2009.

[adafew]

Hi Yong HL,


I agreed at the end of the day, we parents do not want to press our kids to go for enrichment which they dont enjoy, since it will also mean they will either drag their feets to go or that they just follow the momentum and dont benefit them at all. I am blessed with that my DS1 is quite ‘open’ to go for enrichment classes. He seems to enjoy them as well.

I just started his enrichment classes 3 months before his P1 next year, and I think language have to do with more reading too… so dont need to press them too much.

[MMM]

Yong HL:

Hi MMM,

may i ask where is your k1 going next yr and why you aint impressed with MA? Thanks

Hi,

I am putting my K1 at Lorna Whiston.

My girl has attended 1/2 year phonics program at Jan & Elly. So she knows all the sounds of alphabets and they are also starting on blending. I contemplated between J&E and ICR previously before we started on J&E. I was thinking of ICR because of convenience. But J&E was something that was test and trusted given that my 2 older kids went through the program. I spoke to someone from J&E (I know the PIC given that my older kids studied there), she related to me that quite a no. of their students are from ICR and some going for last minute crash course. She mentioned that iCR focuses on sight words rather than phonics understanding.

My K1 will still continue J&E phonics. This is a solid program but they will only complete in K2. Phonics alone is not sufficient IMO so I was looking for another program to supplement this. I was keen on reading, writing where eventually by P1, the child is able to write in sentences.

My older kids are in BC, so I thot of sending her to BC. I didn't choose BC in the end because looking at their K1 coverage, I felt that it will duplicate what my girl is doing in J&E. That is not what I want and no point wasting $ on that.

I went to LW, happened that the admin person let me speak to a teacher who was teaching nursery class at that point. She shared with me what the kids do. She told me their phonics content is about 20% which I think is fine in our case. She also showed me some of the writing kids are expose to by end K1. So I am pretty happy with what i see. In addition, I am sending her to parkway and happened to have some friends and relatives who put their kids there and they are happy too.

For MA, I spoke to the PIC at hougang. Wasn't impressed with what he told me and haha his verbal communication :roll: So I didn't even bother to go down and have a look.

Depending on how LW goes, I might consider BC when my girl is K2. I wanted it to be a natural progression for her when she goes to P1. Heard that LW is stronger in pre-school and not primary school.

[KSP]

CrazyDad:

I think this is a waste of money. I spent $4000+ on one of my kid when he was young. Now also speak very very good Singlish.

This is a very good one!!! The best ever in KiasuParents forum.

I keep laughing :rotflmao: :laugh: when I saw your post. Sorry but I just can't control myself..... :salute:

You can pay 4k for a highend English enrichment class but bottom line is still the environment in both school and home - and they are priceless!!!

[MMM]

Oh yes, I also looked at learning cycle (previously literacy circle). All native speakers and my older kids attended some creative writing camp before and they also enjoyed themselves. But for my K1’s level, their focus is purely phonics, again this is not what I want. But I saw their materials for those K2 (assuming already has good phonics background) and I found it very solid too.


I spoke to one of the teachers during my kids’ camp. Was sharing with him on the perfect tenses challenges,etc… He said that for english/ language learning, there is no school that dare to promise overnite success. This is because language learning evolves over time through speaking, reading, etc… One of my kids’ teacher from BC also told me this before. She said some parents send their kids to BC hoping to see immediate results. She said this will not happen and parents need to be realistic.

For primary level, do note that BC is not the place where your kids will be drill for examinations. During the course (I can only comment on P1 and P2), you may find that they may not be 100% following school syllabus (eg. preparing kids for compo writing, grammar drilling, etc…). Or there won’t be any moment where they will give your kids some top school/ BC prepared test papers to test their std/ prepare them for school exams. This is not going to happen. If you expect this, then BC is not the place to go. Bear in mind that it is an enrichment program and not a tuition centre. So you need to be clear on what you want.

But what BC does though is fun learning through themes. So kids will do things like crossword puzzle, word searches, listen to some stories and answer questions related to them. Kids look forward to their lessons in BC as they find it fun and interesting. So this will indirectly lead to greater interest in learning the language. IMO, this will probably lead to longer term sustainable interest in the language as compared to drilling.

So parents, be clear on what you want and what you are getting.

[Yong HL]

Thanks MMM and adafew.


i have signed my dd up for the weekday class at BC. I am looking forward to the class and see for myself the benefits of it after hearing so much gd comments on it

U guys any idea whether BC opens up the 2nd half class to existing students b4 opening to public? I hv signed up for the 1st half only, thinking try out 1st.. oh no! now i got to worry about her place in 2nd half of the year! :roll:

[MMM]

Yes, they usually open up 2nd half to existing students before opening to public. However, alot of us usually sign for the full year to secure the timing.

[Yong HL]

Thanks MMM... now i got to that i can secure a place for 2nd half...

[Atan]

Hi, has anyone sent your kid to BC's creative writing holiday class? Any comments?


I am considering sending my DS to P2 course at Marsiling branch next yr since Napier does not have wkday courses. Understand that it is at a CC. Any of yr kids are there? How's the facilities n teachers there?

Tks v much!!

[Engkidz]

I am researching where to send my 10yo. I hear LCentral (previously Literacy Circle) is almost like ICR but the exam skills prog much better.

I like ICR the way they teach phonics. My frenz son do very well with reading but I want my daughter to focus on oral (she very shy timid type) and compo.

Lcentral has 8 centres…anyone have any feedback from them? I am not interested in British Council or Lorna Whiston. Or can recommend elsewhere?