Preschool Curriculum

[magg]

jedamum:

My boy who was at a PCF kindergarten has no reading programme too.

They have to signed up for optional lessons, which I did for their phonics, but wasn't any much help.
What they did in class is basically focus on conversational aspect of English and Chinese and no structured word recognition or phonics programme

Hi JedaMum and EN,

I sent my boy to TumbleTots' rightstart toddler programme where they teach phonics. I attended every lesson with him as it requires parents to participate in the 1.5 hr lesson. I think they use the LetterLand phonics programme. The programme was interesting for the toddlers and well taught by the teachers. Funny thing is now that my son (just turned 3 in Nov 08) could recognise the letter 'e' and says 'eddie elephant!' and makes the phonic sound of 'e' but dunno that the letter 'e' is called 'e'. LOL ... That just shows how impactful the programme is.

There are programmes for up to 4 years old. May wanna take a look at this site. I find the toddlers programme a good bonding exercise and it benefits both me and the tod.

http://www.rightstart.com.sg/index.php?page=programmes#2

[en107rn.01056yahoo.01056com.01056sg]

Hello Magg


Thanks for the feedback & sharing the link. I’m sure a lot of parents will find it useful.

By the way, jedamum & myself, must be in the wrong thread. My daughter will be in P4 & my son will be P2 next year. Jedamum’s son will be in P1 next year.

Guess, our sons survive PCF as for my dd private kindy. We just want to share that not all childcare centre & kindergarten touch on phonics. What insider commented earlier on is actually an eye opener for us.

[raisintan]

Hi insider,


Some are of the view that PCF offers a good set of cirriculum with their established network and following closely to MOE’s guidelines. From your experience, what do you think?

[buds]

Heyya all.


Wanna share a tiny observation from an
unfortunate incident i noticed. This scenario
happened while i was having a quiet lunch
with my 2 kiddies at a neighbourhood Mac Donalds,
which had a nearby Cambridge branch.

Our quiet lunch was interrupted by screaming
ladies. After further observation, little cuties
entered the Mac Donalds, seemingly eager to
celebrate a birthday of some sort.

The ladies were observed to have a China accent
while interacting with the children. It did not seem
like a fun party at all. Apart from the broken English
instructions shouted to the small cuties, the demeaning
method of standing up to shout to a small child down
there looking up at ya... i tell you, my girls were wide-
eyed! While the party was going on, the ladies were chatting
away and left the Mac D staff to co-ordinate on their own.

The children were not brought to wash their hands after the
short games segment and told to quickly finish up their food.
None of the children displayed happy faces, not even half a
smile from the birthday child.

More shouting ensued till after the party was over and the
children had to walk back to the centre, with the China
teachers still nagging away at the kids loudly..

When they were out of sight, my little kiddie said...
\"So poor thing ya mum the children...\" Then, she
squeezed my arm.

Boy, was that a great time for me to quip,
\"That's why, you two are lucky children to have your
mummy stay home and take care of you..\"

Thats when a quick reply came again from the lilttle one..
\"Ya, mum. Its okay, we don't need so many toys. We're
bigger now. So you don't need to go to work or send us
to childcare. Just stay home to take care of us... We like
that better, thanks mum!\"

And followed by an even stronger arm squeeze..
This is what makes my day.. everyday.

:celebrate:

So, for that alone Cambridge was out for me.
All those colourful posters boasting highly interactive
activities and a holistic curriculum plus the option of
various enrichment pgrms all at one stop...
Doesn't work for me.

Theory vs Application?
So very true.

If clothes make the man..
Great teachers are the curriculum..

Yes, do not waste time on the administrators.
They're trained to say what they say. And sell
the centre's pgrm. Doesn't mean the one who
answers your phone inquiry that articulates so
well till it impressed you to sign up mean, that
all the staff INSIDE are like that...

If the centre has nothing to hide, the administrators
themselves will obligingly offer for you to meet up
with the teacher and see a class in action. After which
you may then sign up for a trial to see if your child
responds positively to the teacher.

Montessori Trained teachers may not always display
the ideal Montessorian attitude too. So, be careful
what you pay for. Brand or quality.. A big household
name does not automatically qualify it being good.

Eventually, its still..
1. Teachers.
2. Teachers.
3. Teachers.
4. Environment.
5. Curriculum.
6. Fees.

When in doubt at your first pre-school shopping attempt,
try to opt for those with flexible days/hours kinda centres.
Less commitment for you to put yourself to and less worry
that if your child does not adapt well, you will lose out on
the $$$ put into it.

Reading Readiness?
No one perfect way to teach reading skills effectively.
Importantly, lessons must be fun! And i never fail to end
>with a good teacher. A good teacher has passion in her.
You can feel it when its the ONE. Hehee...

But where?
Happy hunting.

[kwcllf]

Hi All,



I will also like to share my experience on one of the so-called established Childcare Centres chain that never fails to highlight its achievements and awards. It is located near the Bukit Merah Bus Interchange.

During the reent Parent-Teacher Conference (PTC), the China teacher merely rushed through the whole process in 5 minutes claiming she had alot of other work to do. We had to "tell her off" before she grudgingly go through it but still tried to finish ASAP. Worst still, she lost one of my kid’s Chinese work-book. Although she said she would look for it and pass it to us on another day, she never did.

When this was brought up to the Branch Director, she refused to response. Then she got her principal to call me instead and she simply brushed aside the whole matter, saying all the materials had been returned to my kid, which is NEVER the case. What this means is that a bulk of my kid’s work has been lost and we cannot assess what she had been doing!

Also, talking about curriculum, what good is it if it is not carried out professionally or at least, with the right attitude. At the PTC, we were surprised to find out from the teachers that there was no "formal" reading programmes as they claimed that the centre is still relatively "new".

So, parents beware! Check properly before you enrol. The environment may look enticing and "impressive", but what is going on "inside" you have to be careful.

As buds said; "Theory vs Application", I cannot agree more with her. So what with all the achievements and awards!!

[octbride]

hi

any feedback on maris stella kindergarten? I wanted to know if the students graduated from Maris stella are able to cope well academically when entering P1.

Any advise?

[elmomo]

Hi insider,


my girl has started K1 in her childcare centre. For the past few days, it had always been chinese lesson when i asked whether did Ms XXX teach any maths or english.

As the centre is now understaff, so i was wondering is it the right thing to do? The timetable was pasted in the coms book stating the timings for the various lessons but i think alot of times it was not adhered to. For eg…it was stated "creative playtime" from 5 to 6 pm…but 98% of the time the kids were already packed in front of the TV at 5pm.

Am trying to give the benefit of doubt that this week is very busy with the new N1, N2 freshies joining in. I am also wondering is it due to the Chinese teacher going back to China for the CNY period that they are cramping all the chinese lessons.??? But if this thing persist (no other lessons beside maths n english), what should i do?

[elmomo]

Hi insider,


thanks for you advise. Hiaz…i long wanted to withdraw my girl out but daddy is resistant coz my girl had her good friends there.

i saw alot of things in the centre that i am not pleased with and had made some feedback. (i likely will be labelled a trouble maker mum)…They can increase fee without giving parents 2 mths notice. Within 2 yrs there, i think fee had adjusted 2 or 3x already.

they had tv viewing in the morning, and the 5pm thing…their play time i wonder is there or not…and the toys there are the very old type…even little toys from McDonalds is part of the pile lor.

i hunt around my area hoping to change but is worried of whether is the curriculum ok or not. I live in Bt Panjang area.

I zoomed down to YMCA (not the metropolitan ones ) and CitiKids Edventure. YMCA 's environment is very clean which i quite like. Citikids seemed to be quite "new"…their branch in Pickering Street used to be affliated with Pat Sch’s hse, but stopped as of last yr …so don’t know how is their curriculum…you got any insights for me…?

will MCYS "interfere"?

[kwcllf]

Hi elmomo,


You can always call MCYS and they have specific officers in charge of spcific areas.

I can understand your frustration as I have the same experience as yourself. Go ahead to complain to MCYS. Although it may not be easy for them to "see" what is going on day-in-day-out, it is good to put some heat on the centre. … then maybe they will be more wary of their lapses and shortcomings.

[elmomo]

hi all,


tks for the advise. I had wanted to feedback more but restraint myself abit fearing they will "victimise" my girl. Heard from the administrator that they had terminated the service of one girl coz the parents were in disagreement with the centre. I asked her " won’t MCYS interfere meh?. Then she said they had this clause saying they can terminate if they "can’t meet the requirements of parents" lor and usually MCYS will only step in if there is child abuse…

i dun want things to turn so ugly…

by the way…what leeway time frame should i be looking for them to re-adjust back to the normal time table. I heard from one parent that during times of short handed-ness… the priniciple will come to give lesson if he is free…if not free, then no lessor wor and usually it takes around 2 mths to settle down. faint! …last time my girl in nursery, it din bother me so much…but now she is in K1, i am concerend. if kept having this problem of short handed-ness, then my girl is there more of "being babysit" than there to learn. Hiaz…

thought of pulling her out but also scared i make the wrong choice…dun wan her to keep re-adapting to new environment.