Reply to Preschool programme by Gifted & Talented Education on Thu, 14 Sep 2023 06:31:47 GMT

Spyrakle — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 06:31:47 GMT

Has your boy started school yet? Which one is he attending?

We are keen to send our son to Gate Junior too but we are torn between Limau (nearer to home) and Dhoby Ghaut. We love their curriculum but we were also disappointed to learn that Limau was a Kindy and not a childcare.

Reply to Preschool programme by Gifted & Talented Education on Sat, 17 Jun 2023 04:22:36 GMT

mama_momo — Sat, 17 Jun 2023 04:22:36 GMT

I recently sent my boy to GATE junior preschool. He used to have school refusal +cries and screams daily for the past 1 year attending the previous PCF childcare, so we pulled him out.

From my understanding, in order to attend GATE's preschool, the child need to pass their admission exam. They accept kids with IQ 120 and above. If just joining their enrichment class or holiday camps, then no admission exam is needed.

Holiday camps teach similar content as the normal preschool lessons, just more intense as the days/timing are shorter.

My 3 years old boy passed GATE's admission exam and has his IQ tested. He attended 2 weeks (actually just 6 days in total) GATE's holiday camp, and will be attending full day preschool once school term starts.

Teaching Content:
From the material he brought back home, kids are exposed to simple science experiment concept like \"circuit\", \"lever\" and \"stability in a building\" early. They are also introduced to non-verbal reasoning (IQ Math). My boy enjoyed these 2 areas a lot and he starts looking forward to school This is very important to us after going through a difficult year dealing with his morning tantrums daily.

As for English, GATE merges English with social studies, art, music, literature and cooking. My boy was exposed to more advance topics like famous artists and countries around the world, which is way beyond what he has been reading at home. For a 3 year old whose niche area is Math and science, he cannot appreciate the reading content as much as I do, but he still enjoys the hands-on activities A LOT! (Yes, English is not just reading and comprehension but with creating music, art pieces and sushi making! <3)

In just 6 days (7 hours a day), he has exposed to 6 different topics, the amount of information being taught (and the amount of preparation the teachers have done) is huge. Of course for a 3 year-old, he may not be able to grasp everything, but he still talked about certain concepts and words he learned in those 6 days so I guess the teachers have made the lessons stick in the kids' head well. so thumbs up!

Schedule:
They have 3 campus:
Dempsey (9:30am-4pm, preschool that follows MOE school calendar)
Dhoby Gaunt (7am-7pm, childcare)
Limau garden (childcare, timing not sure)

$$$$:
The 3 campus charges differently:
Dempsey Range: $2400- 2800 (holiday camps: $750- 900 per week which is opened to public as well)
Dhoby Gaunt Range: $1800-2300
Limau garden (not sure)

I realized not many posts on this school in Kiasu parents forum, so I just say my views for you all to decide when choosing preschools for your kiddo. Hope this helps :grphug: