Preschool Curriculum

[cloubhappy.05320live.05320com]

hi whyme


one suggestion:

enrol in a full day kindergarten. That would be about 6 hrs from abt 9am to about 3. By the time, she reach hm. She may most probably takes a nap ard 4 to 5 and u will be home very soon by evening?

[Funz]

consider full day for your older one now and 1/2 day for your younger one when he is about 2yrs old.


That way, your maid has the morning to do her chores b/4 your younger one is due home. Then pick your girl up by about 5pm which is about the time that most activities will end in childcare centres.

[foreverj]

YingYing:

Hi Buds

I've read some of your really informative & insightful views - many thanks!

Can i ask you if you have heard of St Hilda's Kindergarten along East Coast area? Would you by any chance know if the curriculum is any good ? Care to share your view please ?

I will of course of making a trip down the kindy to have a look & also to speak with the Principal (so far i only managed to speak with the Admin - prefer to speak with Principal) but i would also like to solicit views from people in the know... So if u can share a view or 2 on St Hilda's Kindergarten, that\"ll ve greatly appreciated. many Thanks.

my ex-manager's son used to attend this kindy. at k2, their ting xie is quite tough. eg. tu zi xi huan chi luo bo (the rabbit likes to eat carrot). my ex-manager had to tear his hair every tues/wed night when he goes home and tests his son's ting xie. he said it was a heart-wrenching once a week affair. but he did mention his brother's son who also attends the same school really blossom and flourish under the system as he's smarter by nature.

my take is, it's a school that will probably prepare the child well for p1 academically. but of course parent must do your part too. pls also note this is an anglican (christian) kindergarten n hence i believe they impart christian values to the children. so this wil be a plus point for u if u r a christian.

sometimes even speaking to the principal may not b the same as asking for parents whose kids attend the school. the principal may not be very eloquent at selling the school. the teachers may be good so try to also solicit feedback from parents sitting outside the school waiting to pick up their kids for their honest opinion.

do share your views after the visit

[Mrsbongz]

Hmm.. I've been thinking if I should change my son to a different cc or to send him for enrichment class... Reading so many wonderful posts and contributions have given me quite a lot to consider.. My kids are actually very happy at their childcare, and I like the environment as well as their learning- thru- play approach... But my older boy (K1) is not able to catch up with his peers, and the teachers' command of english isn't that good... in a dilemma now.. quite worried that he is not well prepared for P1..

[octbride]

Insider and All are welcome


Would like to check with you which schools are better. Very lost nw
1. Lorna Whiston
2. Pat
3. Maris Stella
4. St James

[Starling]

Hi Buds,


Thanks. In the end, i decided to give that school a miss and personally i think a half-hearted principal with no passion in her job will not be able to motivate the teachers as well…

Hi Funz,
I am still letting him continue with his current childcare because I don’t wish to switch if I can’t find a kindergarten that i am comfortable with. The reason for enrolling my son in a kindergarten is because I wish to let him have the routine of a school environment.

However, as time goes by, I realise that vacancies are slowly being filled up. I think I have to go back to this project & do some research after stopping at the peak of H1N1 outbreak then.

[Starling]

Octbride


Can understand the dilemma because there had been reviews on some of them.

I personally think that its best to go down & see for yourself the environment first, speak to the principal, etc…by the end of it, you will be able to trust your instinct and narrow down your choices…

But of course, if you had already done that, then I think you need a second opinion…bring your kids along and see how the teachers interact with them, if possible.

[sean wife]

Hi insider,


Do you have any knowledge on the cirriculum at Little Skool House? My 2-yrs old tots have just started to attend the school last week. Understand that they use the approach of reading a book and expanding into other activities based on that book. Letter sounds is only introduced at N2. If my kids already have reasonably good knowledge of letters and their sounds, do you think they are better off in a kindergarten which starts with phonics in N1? Overall, what is your impression of LSH?

Thanks for your advice.

[Starling]

Dear Mummies,

Just an update on K1 curriculum from 2 schools that I have recently researched on. Please bear with the long post.

Background:
My son will be entering K1 next year and I am interested to know what these 2 schools can offer. 1 is an existing childcare & the other is a church kindergarten with good reviews on their chinese language programs.

These are the 2 observations:

Childcare

Learning seems to be very structured and worksheet based. Principal is able to show the full year curriculum such as
English:
Term 1: Grammar, Term 2: Vocab, Term 3: adjectives, Term 4: Proverbs
Math:
Term 1: addition using pictorial approach, Term 2: addition using numbers, etc.
Numbers learn is from 1- 20
Chinese: Not much information shown but from the current standard displayed for N2, I believe their chinese programme is quite comprehensive & the teachers are from China.

Pros: Other than the above, there is phonics after lession 2x per week and external Science teacher that will be incorporated into current curriculum.

Cons: Teachers are seen speaking loudly to students especially those older kids.
There is a after-school care next to the school compound and although the children do not mixed, this is one area of concern.


Kindergarten
Soft -spoken principal who bring me round the school letting me have an idea of how lessons are conducted from N2 to K2. Most teachers (as observed) seem to be local chinese.

From the timetable, lessons are conducted in half hourly slot with daily reading programs and phonics once per week.
There is also music & movement, outdoor and free play once a week.

English (Using Letterland)
Based on thematic syallabus per term. No worksheets was shown, but the topic for each week per term is shown. Does not mention any grammar or vocab. Upon prompting, the principal says grammar will be taught & spelling is only introduced in K2. I did not acquire about writing skills although I understand creative writing is in their syallabus.

Chinese
Curriculum shown is also based on weekly topics. Simple words like parts of body in term 1, etc.
Personally I feel that the words introduced seem to be quite simple but of course that could be the syallabus for the 1st term.

Maths: (Using an Australian syllabus)
Simple addition and subtraction.

Pros: Big space and compound. More emphasis on reading & play. Clean and neat kitchen and toilets.
Cons: Distance and the thought of having to plan activities for after-school programs.

After going through the above, I am still in a dilemma. Although curriculum should not be worksheet based & play is very important in learning, i will be also be taking a chance if I were to switch him to another school. I thought foundation is very important at this stage.

Anyone had any views to offer?

[izu]

Thank you so much for everyones sharing. Altho my bb is only 13 mth old, have found this thread extremely useful in understanding how pre-sch and kindergarden work in spore.


Currently, i place my bb in Baby Inc at Turf City. They mentioned that they are now offering 100% Montessorie teaching at the higher level.

Could anyone advise if it is good to continue there when my child becomes 18/24 mth? Or should i switch her to other centres?

Have also put child on Nanyang Kindergarden waiting list but heard that the centre is plagued by poor standards due to outdated curriculum. Anyone have any experience with this kindergarden?

Finally, what are some of these longer hours kindergarden? Could you please share the names.

Thank you so much.