Comparing Chinese Enrichment (Primary/Preschool)

[maisy]

Dear Fellow Parents

My child is coming to 3 years old (born in 2006) so rightfully should be a Nursery-1 student. My problem is because he is a year -end child, when compared to his peers who may be born in Jan- July 2006, he is still a "baby" as he has yet to turn 3 and hence is not able to handle separation anxiety as well as tho who had already turned 3 since 6 months ago…etc etc…

He only recently managed to attend halfday playgroup on his own (after 2 months of crying) - i left him on his own from 2nd day onwards … as i was told the earlier i let go , the quicker they adjust …but yet , he went on to cry for 2 months even tho i only sat in on 1st day (even the 1st day i sat in 1 hr out of the 3 hours…hahaha)…

my question is : for such Chinese Enrichment classes, eg Hua Langauage / Tien Hsia … do they allow parents to sit in for at least the 1st 3-4 lessons ? My child comes from a complete English-speaking environment , where both sets of grandparents are english-speaking as well … as such, i am aware of the importance of starting him early on Chinese Enrichment so that when he reaches Pri 1, he won’t find Chinese foreign or worse, finds it a chore.
That said, my concern is what if he ends up crying and the centre forbid me to sit in with him ? He has recently managed to settle in in PG after 2 months of crying …and the last i want is to "frighten" him w more separation anxiety…but yet i m aware of the benefits of early introduction of the chinese language… I recently wanted to sign up for trial at Tien Hsia but upon hearing the reception said i cannot enter the class at all, i changed my mind as i was worried my child will not be able to handle all that stress …

I am in 2 minds because
(1) I am mindful of the separation anxiety / stress level he is going through…and i m mindful of not introducing more of it , if he is not ready to take on more stress…; AND

(2) As he is turning 3 this yearend … he effectively will be 4 yrs old by January 2010 (if going by calendar year…and not by month of birth)… and i can say by then , he will still not be able to utter a single word of chinese even tho he will be N2; much less to understand the language… hence, there is a pressing need to start soon, if not now…

(3) Finally , do they really forbid parents to sit in? Even if the child is crying his lungs out & tearing the roof apart ?? Or has the receptionist at Tien Hsia misrepresented certain policy by mistake?

Can any kind parent please enlighten ?
What should i do? (To me, the most ideal is if the centres allow me to at least sit in for a few lessons…then i will hv no qualms but to sign my kid up right away )
Thank you v much!

[ChiefKiasu]

maisy:

... my question is : for such Chinese Enrichment classes, eg Hua Langauage / Tien Hsia ... do they allow parents to sit in for at least the 1st 3-4 lessons ?...

Most of these services do allow sit-ins for special cases where the child is unable to adapt to the environment for the first few lessons. They certainly do not want a crying kid to distract the rest of the class. Some of the smaller outfits, eg. Forever Education in Katong Mall, allows parents to sit in anytime they want. You might want to consider such outfits first until your child is used to the classroom environment before moving on to services that have policies against sit-ins.

[titank]

ChiefKiasu:

tcdl:

... Aftering reading through the whole thread, I am still rather confused as to which is the best for my kids...

That's because everyone's situation is different and you need to map the feedbacks to your own needs.

I believe your requirements are close to mine: 1 younger pre-schooler and another in Primary school. Also staying in the East.

We only have to worry about Chinese so far for our children, because we are an almost entirely English-speaking home. Somehow, we did not manage to institute a Chinese-speaking discipline despite our many sparodic efforts.

You are right in focusing on the composition writing part, but don't forget the oral and comprehension parts either. IMO, Molin and Tien Hsia are amongst the top enrichment services you can have for Primary Schoolers, although I'm not sure they are as effective for pre-schoolers. I note that some of the community, such as MMM, has got good experience with Molin for her 4yo kid.

For pre-schoolers, I focus on getting my daughter used to sounds and characters. So I send her to Yuquan for the Chinese idioms class and Berries for the daily communications skills. I have had excellent results since we started her last June when she was 3. She can rattle off Chinese idioms and even recognise quite a few Chinese characters now. Understanding them is, of course, a different story . But the idea is to get them used to the sounds, so that when they encounter them in future, the \"right brain\" learning will merge with the \"left brain\" understanding. She enjoys both Berries and Yuquan... so the only problem is the waking up early on weekends and the hit on our wallets

Chief KS,

You started go Berries & Yuquan for age 3 daughter? Now think until head big big to select which one for my DD where would be so call Age 4 in 2010 (Birthday Not Yet Over).

[maisy]

ChiefKiasu:

Most of these services do allow sit-ins for special cases where the child is unable to adapt to the environment for the first few lessons. They certainly do not want a crying kid to distract the rest of the class. Some of the smaller outfits, eg. Forever Education in Katong Mall, allows parents to sit in anytime they want.

Thanks Chief. Actually I was pretty keen to try out Tien hsia or Hua Language ... While I've heard rave reviews abt Tien Hsia, I have not heard much about Hua Language .... Actually Hua Language (marine parade outlet) timing suits my child better..... Do you (or any parents here) have any experience with Hua .... is it worth trying out? Do they hire native teachers just like Tien Hsia? And would u know if they allow sit-in?

BTW, Will check out Forever Education too .. thanks

[ChiefKiasu]

maisy:

... Thanks Chief. Actually I was pretty keen to try out Tien hsia or Hua Language ... While I've heard rave reviews abt Tien Hsia, I have not heard much about Hua Language .... Actually Hua Language (marine parade outlet) timing suits my child better..... Do you (or any parents here) have any experience with Hua .... is it worth trying out? Do they hire native teachers just like Tien Hsia? And would u know if they allow sit-in?


BTW, Will check out Forever Education too .. thanks

In truth, there is no right-or-wrong enrichment programme... just right-or-wrong teacher for your kid. And whether you as the parent are willing to put in 15mins a day to review the classes with your child to do the necessary reinforcement. Always check out the chemistry between your child and the teacher.

[maltbibi]

My child’s kindy is offering Chinese Immersion Programme for K1 next year. How is the Chinese Immersion Programme as compared to Berries’ standard?


Pls share with me your views.

Thanks.

[titank]

maisy:

Dear Fellow Parents

My child is coming to 3 years old (born in 2006) so rightfully should be a Nursery-1 student. My problem is because he is a year -end child, when compared to his peers who may be born in Jan- July 2006, he is still a \"baby\" as he has yet to turn 3 and hence is not able to handle separation anxiety as well as tho who had already turned 3 since 6 months ago....etc etc...

He only recently managed to attend halfday playgroup on his own (after 2 months of crying) - i left him on his own from 2nd day onwards ... as i was told the earlier i let go , the quicker they adjust ..but yet , he went on to cry for 2 months even tho i only sat in on 1st day (even the 1st day i sat in 1 hr out of the 3 hours..hahaha)...

my question is : for such Chinese Enrichment classes, eg Hua Langauage / Tien Hsia ... do they allow parents to sit in for at least the 1st 3-4 lessons ? My child comes from a complete English-speaking environment , where both sets of grandparents are english-speaking as well ... as such, i am aware of the importance of starting him early on Chinese Enrichment so that when he reaches Pri 1, he won't find Chinese foreign or worse, finds it a chore.
That said, my concern is what if he ends up crying and the centre forbid me to sit in with him ? He has recently managed to settle in in PG after 2 months of crying ...and the last i want is to \"frighten\" him w more separation anxiety....but yet i m aware of the benefits of early introduction of the chinese language.... I recently wanted to sign up for trial at Tien Hsia but upon hearing the reception said i cannot enter the class at all, i changed my mind as i was worried my child will not be able to handle all that stress .....

I am in 2 minds because
(1) I am mindful of the separation anxiety / stress level he is going through....and i m mindful of not introducing more of it , if he is not ready to take on more stress...; AND

(2) As he is turning 3 this yearend ... he effectively will be 4 yrs old by January 2010 (if going by calendar year..and not by month of birth).. and i can say by then , he will still not be able to utter a single word of chinese even tho he will be N2; much less to understand the language... hence, there is a pressing need to start soon, if not now....

(3) Finally , do they really forbid parents to sit in? Even if the child is crying his lungs out & tearing the roof apart ?? Or has the receptionist at Tien Hsia misrepresented certain policy by mistake?

Can any kind parent please enlighten ?
What should i do? (To me, the most ideal is if the centres allow me to at least sit in for a few lessons....then i will hv no qualms but to sign my kid up right away )
Thank you v much!

Hai maisy,

Same as your case I also have a DD born in 2006 but like on 2nd half of 2006. Being trying to think whether to get into chinese enrichment program in Jan 2010 or Jul 2010.

Simply to put there are too many chinese enrichment centre & wonder where can find a good teacher & training centre.

[titank]

Any good feedback on Berries (Pandan Valley)? Notice that the class size is like max 12 with 2 Teachers.


They told me the Teachers are registered with MOE but can I ask whether they have Diploma or Degree from which University or College?

[Busymom]

tcdl:

Hi Busymom,

How's the new Paygroup class you sort of help to organise in Hua @ United Square for your 2.5yo ? I, too, have a 2.5yo boy whom I am currently looking around for a Chinese Enrichment class.

Do let me have your view of the class. Thanks.

Regards[/color]

Hi tcdl

Just saw your message. So far, it has been DH who attends the class with DS. I haven't been going myself as I have another class to attend with DD. :oops: Will be going first time this Sat and will give you first hand account after the class, ok?

So far, DH doesn't have anything bad to say about it (but then again, his Chinese is worse than my DD in K1 ). From other parents that I keep in touch with, the mothers do have some comments ranging from lesson not so interesting, pace is slow, to the floor mats being very old and dirty. Fathers... are generally the silent lot! One father did think that the class has started his child speaking more in mandarin at home, and to him, the class has served its purpose. For us, we share the same view. The words that they taught in the class are simple words which DS already knows. However, by having one of us going to the class with him, it had sort of made him more willing to reply to us in Mandarin whenever we speak to him in Mandarin, and even more so with DH as he attends the class with him.

Some of the first batch of students, for various reasons, did not continue into the 4th term, which started last week by the way. For one of them, the class was really too elementary. On the other hand, I have also heard that there were some who could not really speak too. So the standards among the children vary and I guess it isn't easy for the teacher as well.

In case you child is turning 3 this year, you could try out the other more established centres for the 3yo class. If your son is 2 this year, like DS, there really aren't many choices for this age group. The other one that is available is JG. I think they do accept 2.5 yo onwards into their Chinese Edudrama.

[bobianah]

maisy:

Dear Fellow Parents

My child is coming to 3 years old (born in 2006) so rightfully should be a Nursery-1 student. My problem is because he is a year -end child, when compared to his peers who may be born in Jan- July 2006, he is still a \"baby\" as he has yet to turn 3 and hence is not able to handle separation anxiety as well as tho who had already turned 3 since 6 months ago....etc etc...

He only recently managed to attend halfday playgroup on his own (after 2 months of crying) - i left him on his own from 2nd day onwards ... as i was told the earlier i let go , the quicker they adjust ..but yet , he went on to cry for 2 months even tho i only sat in on 1st day (even the 1st day i sat in 1 hr out of the 3 hours..hahaha)...

my question is : for such Chinese Enrichment classes, eg Hua Langauage / Tien Hsia ... do they allow parents to sit in for at least the 1st 3-4 lessons ? My child comes from a complete English-speaking environment , where both sets of grandparents are english-speaking as well ... as such, i am aware of the importance of starting him early on Chinese Enrichment so that when he reaches Pri 1, he won't find Chinese foreign or worse, finds it a chore.
That said, my concern is what if he ends up crying and the centre forbid me to sit in with him ? He has recently managed to settle in in PG after 2 months of crying ...and the last i want is to \"frighten\" him w more separation anxiety....but yet i m aware of the benefits of early introduction of the chinese language.... I recently wanted to sign up for trial at Tien Hsia but upon hearing the reception said i cannot enter the class at all, i changed my mind as i was worried my child will not be able to handle all that stress .....

I am in 2 minds because
(1) I am mindful of the separation anxiety / stress level he is going through....and i m mindful of not introducing more of it , if he is not ready to take on more stress...; AND

(2) As he is turning 3 this yearend ... he effectively will be 4 yrs old by January 2010 (if going by calendar year..and not by month of birth).. and i can say by then , he will still not be able to utter a single word of chinese even tho he will be N2; much less to understand the language... hence, there is a pressing need to start soon, if not now....

(3) Finally , do they really forbid parents to sit in? Even if the child is crying his lungs out & tearing the roof apart ?? Or has the receptionist at Tien Hsia misrepresented certain policy by mistake?

Can any kind parent please enlighten ?
What should i do? (To me, the most ideal is if the centres allow me to at least sit in for a few lessons....then i will hv no qualms but to sign my kid up right away )
Thank you v much!

Hi maisy
I too have a DD born year end 2006! I also have the same worries as you about DD being the youngest in class since at this age, a couple of mths can make a lot of difference in terms of development.

I sent my DD to Berries a few mths ago as my whole family speaks English (so yes, ability to speak mandarin is a potential genetic defect! Haha!). My girl was very clingy the first few sessions and Berries did allow me to sit in with her a few weeks. I notice that they allow other parents of young children to do the same. So, in this area, I felt that Berries was very accommodating and understanding.

I also realised that the timing of the class played a part.
- is it close to their nap time?
- is it just after their nap time? They can also be cranky when they are just fresh out of a nap.

The solution for me was to pick the class time that they are most awake. For my DD, it was morning. After a few weeks, she did settle into class and nowadays, she's very eager to attend Berries and would actually ask to go to class early or any day of the week! :lol:

Every child is different and I hope you will find a solution for your case. Good luck!