Preschool Curriculum

[kwcllf]

Hi All,


The Straits Time report that I am talking about in now online. Please refer to the following link:

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20090209-120495.html

[onemoreparent]

Thanks a lot for all your replies.


My son was attending workgroup at MMI enrichment center and later I moved him to Maris Stella since I was very impressed with the school.

I read for him and teach him maths and english. He is able to read at 4 1/2 years and to improve his skills, I enrolled him for a phonics class at MMI again. It is definitely helping him I feel.

But I keep wondering what is the school doing? I feel School is the place where they have to be taught most and not home. I feel that we are teaching him more stuff than at school and they spend most of their valuable time at school.

I know its going to be very expensive if I have to move him to a private school and I have to think about my second one as well who is 2 1/2 years old. But I want to do it if it is really worth it for his furture. I am not keen on childcares, since I have a helper.

Only thing I am confused is, is it really worth so much and would they really teach so much.

Any idea by end of K1 what are they expected to know?

thanks again for your valuable replies.

[buds]

If this helps…


Language & Literacy
>Able to read and write 3-letter phonetic words
>Able to know the basic sight words - Can refer to Dolch List
>Able to express oneself in proper strings of sentences
*eg. During show and tell, child can construct at least 5 to 7
grammatically correct sentences independently.
>Able to read simple books
*If Ladybird’s Peter and Jane at least until Bk 4a, 4b, 4c.
*If Phonetic reading bks, shud include all the 3-letter words
*ie. The fat cat sat on a mat… etc (independently)
>Able to read simple instructions (on worksheets)
*eg. Fill in the blanks with the correct answer… etc

[buds]

Thematic Approach


In a year of 12 mths, ctrs may offer themed ideas for their
lessons to be included. As such, children wud receive knowledge
on these themes which are usually :-

Generally Introduced to Sight Words within themes
and also the general knowledge/discussion on topics

>My Family
>father, mother, brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother
>uncle, auntie, cousin, niece, nephew,

>My Home
>kitchen, balcony, living room, bedroom, study roo,
>things in the kitchen : utensils, stove, washing machine, etc
>things in the living room : telephone, sofa, television, etc
>things in the bedroom : study table, bed, mattress, etc
>flats, bungalows, condominiums, teracce houses, etc

>My Neighbourhood

>Parts of my body

>Festivals

>Sea Creatures

>Botany : Flowers, Plants, Fruits,etc

>Animals : Wild Animals, Zoo Animals, Pets

>Occupations : chef, sailor, astronaut, pilot, etc

To name a few…

[buds]

Mathematics Concepts


>Counting 1 to 100
>Writing 1 to 50
>Simple Addition
>Simple Subtraction
>Comparison -weight/height/length
>Patterning
>Shapes and colours
>Simple problem sums
>Understand more and less (1 to 20)

May be more… depending on how much the centre does cover
but for general guideline i suppose this might be okay for you?

Feedback welcome.

[buds]

Heyya onemoreparent,


Talk to the school okay...?
Dun you worry endlessly without getting the whole idea
just yet. You may be worrying over nothing. Maris Stella
has been established for awhile now, they should be able
to explain to you in detail, the curriculum which will be
covered in K1. And ask them what wud your child be
efficient with by the end of K1... Ask to see products of
past graduates or worksheet samples, find out how their
lessons are conducted. You may not need to go for the
eventual switch after all you know if what you find out
from them may turn out to be a positive input on their
part. Give the school a chance to clarify your doubts,
ok dear...

If it helps, you've done good... observing the needs of your
child... ie. sending him for Phonics when you realize your
child was into reading and stuff. The short time he has done
workgroup with MMI wud have covered quite a bit as well.
Then, as a mom, you decided to give your child more of
the structure to give him a taste of the P1 prepz by putting
him in a kindergarten programme. A lotta fun stuff can be
done in 3 to 4hrs, which wud still involve some play time
which as children, they wud still need... Its just that i'm sure
you really wanna know what goes behind those doors during
the hours your child is there.

Speak to the person in charge as soon as you can..
And do update us on how the school has responded
to your queries and worries. Dun wori, every parent
gotta right to be kiasu for their children. As some wud
say, since children are too young to know what is good
for them, its us the kiasu parents who has to help them
secure the \"good stuff\" first....... until they can do it
themselves.

[kwcllf]

Just to highlight this issue to parents. This was published in the ST Forum on 19 Feb. Thought what others think about this.



I REFER to last Thursday’s report, ‘Fast-track course for kindergarten teachers’.

It is good to raise the standard of preschool teachers so that children enrolled in childcare centres can receive quality care and education.

Unfortunately, regulations on the operation of childcare centres are very ‘open’ and this has led to sub-standard services.

When I raised my concerns on how the curriculum was managed at my child’s childcare centre, this is how the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) replied:

'MCYS only provides a broad curriculum framework for childcare centres to develop curriculum and programmes which focus on the holistic development of a child.

'Centres have the flexibility in establishing and delivering the preschool programme in line with their philosophy of care.

‘They also follow the Ministry of Education’s Nurturing Early Learners: A Framework For Kindergarten Curriculum In Singapore as a reference. Centres are guided by the desired outcomes of preschool education in this framework.’

Such ‘open’ guidelines are open to abuse by childcare centres, to the detriment of our children.

Although Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan has said that the Government does not adopt a ‘hands-off’ approach in regulating the preschool sector, there is still much to be done to ensure quality preschool education.

Improving the education level of preschool teachers is important. But MCYS must also ensure the proper and quality delivery of preschool programmes.

[ChiefKiasu]

kwcllf:

...Such 'open' guidelines are open to abuse by childcare centres, to the detriment of our children...

Dear kwcllf, we started KiasuParents.com primarily because of what you have noted above. The pre-school education scene is most unregulated , and it is nearly impossible to get any real comparative and unadulterated information of any particular service. We hope that our little site can give parents an avenue to get such data, or to ask for help from others who may be more familiar with the scene.

[kaitlynangelica]

buds:

Heyya onemoreparent,


It IS surprising to hear your observations.
I've personally had students from Maris Stella
doing our Phonics and Maths enrichment. They
usually do not come without having an already
good foundation.

Mebbe since its only the start of the year now,
the centre is perfecting all the single letter sounds
to go full straight ahead into the next stage of the
3-letter phonetic sounds.

It'll be good to clarify with the ctr first with regards
to your doubts. Find out their side of the story...
Then, you make your assessments and follow up
from there as to whether you should consider the
swap. Tho there may be a need for childcare for
your child judging from your circumstance you may
wanna go easy and try flexi or half day first instead
of full day. If you find the childcare stays true to their
programme outline after a few mths then convert..

There will be ctrs that can promise the skies and the
heavens, but not able to fulfill them.. A trial if you have
a choice to, so you can assess the childcare that you
have shortlisted. What's your spouse view on your
observations, btw?

momresource,
A Montessori environment and curriculum will definitely
cover those soft skills that you want your child to cultivate,
and you dun need to worry abt Phonics and Maths to prepare
your child for the much needed academics as it is sufficient,
subject to the ctr quality and the teacher's passion for teaching
of course. Ctr can have the greatest curriculum but if teacher cannot
deliver time is still wasted lor...

Buds,

Got a friend whose daughter attends Maris stella Kindergarten. she also said it is lousy. Kid learns nothing and worse still,she doesn't know what the kid is learning everyday. If you are refereing to acaedemic preparation, it definitely is not good to prepare the child for p1.

[buds]

kaitlynangelica:

Buds,


Got a friend whose daughter attends Maris stella Kindergarten. she also said it is lousy. Kid learns nothing and worse still,she doesn't know what the kid is learning everyday. If you are refereing to acaedemic preparation, it definitely is not good to prepare the child for p1.

Oh dear kaitlynangelica,

Thanks for your sharing.

Mebbe standard drop...? Too complacent with quality teaching now...?
Oh dearie, me.. And your friend is in K1 or K2? If K2 this year, better
get out soonest possible and find better option if the case is year aft
year, no concrete progress and no positive changes made to curriculum
or visits to principal's office bearing your worries and feedbacks not
attended to and not fruitful..

P1 is hard as it is in normal neighbourhood schools.
Let's not make it harder for our children to adapt with only
bare chest of knowledge charging into Primary education.
It will not begin with a nice experience to remember their
childhood by..

Share more details if you can on the curriculum and its effects.
So we can all weigh in the pros and cons... positive and negative
sides. More heads are better than 1. If really terok, then to swap
while its still early in the year wud be a wise move. Less than a year
to prepare them as of now. Tick Tock... Tick Tock...

:!: