[Bedok/Katong/Marine Parade/Siglap] Preschools

[hope76]

auntieM:

chuaeil:

Hi can everybody share about this Kids n kids school cos i went there but never see any poster of their school. Is it safe cos my hubby said s funny one how come dont even have poster then how do ppl know there is sch inside and my hubby said better check with MOE are they register. Hope that someone can give advice on this. Thank you very much


Eileen

We are still waiting for 'real' parents feedback.. ...
Check out the post counts on this thread de.. ...

Hi Eileen,

I'm a parent who found out abt Kids n Kids through this forum.


My Background:
I was searching for another preschool for my K2 (this year) DS around Nov 2011 and happened to read about the comments from inspirer.

He is in another kindergarten since pre-nur time so actually we were very reluctant to change his environment during his last year of preschool. However, for his K2 year, he will be in this particular teacher's class which always receive negative feedback from parents. As I am very close to one of his teacher, she told me to change him to anther class too.

We called up the kindergarten to request for change but due to too many parents wanted to make a change, the school can't acceed to our request for a change of class hence we make a decision to shift him if we are able to find a good school. (Actually i also dont know why the school is keeping this teacher. One example of negative comment was she actually put pacifier into a kid's mouth as a punishment cos he made too much noise.)

However, we r still unable to find a sch to change so we have no choice and pay up the term 1 fees for 2012.

I read about Inspirer post in this forum around last nov and decided to check out Kids n Kids. To be honest, we are concerned and have our reservation about the environment and small class room but however, we are impressed at the way the principal cum teacher runs the school and we like the curriculum.

I signed my son up for their holiday programme last year and he had a real good time. After the camp, we decided to sign him up for K2 even though we are concern over the environment.

He started school this year by attending 2 schools. The old one in the morning and kids n kids in the afternoon. I compared the work done by both school. For the old school, he is doing the convention way of learning. Doing worksheets most of the time and according to DS, the teacher didn't really go though with the class. (for his old sch, ratio is 1:30 with an assistant teacher who speaks singlish).

As compare to Kids n kids, he seems to learn much more. They are doing project work with a partner. They learn grammar and vocab in writing in exercise book. Science experiments and for chinese, with just 3 weeks in school, he picks up the basic of han yu pin ying.

My son has requested to take him out of the old school as soon as he can after 2 weeks of school. He prefers the way of learning at Kids n kids though he said there is more work.

Currently, i think kids n kids is classified under enrichment centre. As for us, we are not too concern over whether the school is registered with MOE except for the usage of CDA part.

You can call up the school or drop in again. Their operating hours: 830am to 430pm. (try not to go during Friday cos they will be out for field trips most of the time).

I am happy with the school and have intention to move my 2 younger ones (N1 & N2) over soon though i lives around Changi area and the school is in telok kurau.

Lastly, just to share that i understand all of us want the best for our kids. Check out a few schools before you make a decision. All of us have different expectations of our 'ideal' school. The environment is definitely not within our expectation but the teachers and curriculum are good.

Sorry for the long post. Just to share my personal experience.

[hope76]

phtthp:

when you say \"MOE is still a work-in-progress thingie\", it means MOE has not given the green light approval nod for this school to operate yet, so ...


before anyone start to operate a kindergarten, must get clearing from MOE first !

Yes, clearing MOE hurdle not easy. It takes a long time, as the process is tedious, because MOE is thorough & cautious in checking quality of the new kindergarten to be established.

The school is currently listed under enrichment and not a kindergarten yet. They still can run and function as long as they are registered as an education institute. The only tricky part is that parents who want to use CDA to pay for their term fees will not be possible at this point of time.

There are actually a lot of preschools that are not \"so call\" registered with MOE cos they are classified under enrichment centre but still functioning as a preschool and have long waiting list.
e.g. seeds d learning at east coast road

[curioxete]

Hi hope76


Thanks for the sharing! It is certainly helpful to hear about your experience. I am relocating to the east and am currently trying to decide between Kids n Kids and Twinkle Stars Monte.

My concerns re: Kids n Kids are similar to yours.
- The environment is akin to a container classroom, and I don’t remember there being any natural lighting via windows at all. I am also worried that the kindy may run into problems with the lease halfway and given that i am changing my son from his current childcare to another school thanks to the relocation, I really wish to avoid having to change schools again a year or two down the road.
- The principal whom I spoke to is certainly passionate. However, I’ve not seen her teachers during class time. (I wonder if it’ll be possible to observe class in action thanks to the enclosed classroom setup. Very hard to remain inconspicuous.)
- The hours for nursery 1 and 2 are very short - 8.30 - 11.30am. I believe it’s partly due to their limited space and teachers. The principal has to teach two levels - N2 and K2…so naturally the hours for the nursery level cannot overlap with the kindergarteners’.

As for twinklestars, I attended a trial session today.
I believe the teachers are patient and calm, and the school hours are just right - 9am - 3pm. They also have music and gym for enrichment, which is great. Another plus in their favour is the montessori curriculum, and individualised lesson plans. They are also an established and stable setup.

However, I feel they are not as ‘fun’ as Kids n Kids…and they do not seem to have much project work. The principal is also not as eloquent as the principal of Kids n Kids, and i think the classes are slightly larger than that of Kids n Kids.

Sigh. You are right in that we all want the best for our kids. But it’s so tough deciding between two rather good schools which each have their plus and minus points…

Any mothers with comments on twinklestar monte? Many thanks in advance!
(Really glad to have this forum to share thoughts with like-minded mums…)

[hope76]

[quote=\"curioxete\"]Hi hope76


Thanks for the sharing! It is certainly helpful to hear about your experience. I am relocating to the east and am currently trying to decide between Kids n Kids and Twinkle Stars Monte.

Hi curioxete,

Sorry for the late reply as i don't log in often. Yup, your concern is definitely very similar to mine. I have spoke to the principal over my concern and she is definitely aware of the environment. She is looking out too for new place but for sure she will not close down the school cos it's like her baby.

After much consideration, i have decided to switch my N1 over next term though the hours are shorter comparing to where he is now (now: Joisah Monte). I can see the difference in my elder son in term of his interest in learning cos the teacher really trains them well. E.g. my son do not like to write probably and she's the only teacher that i have met that will always remind him to write nicely and i give her permission to erase his work if not written nicely. After 3 weeks, can see improvement in writing :).

If your child is doing fine after the trial at twinkle, why not let him stay put and try out first??

Btw, how old is your boy? Maybe you like to pm me? I can share with you some of the work that my son did for the last few weeks

[Cherrry]

Hi… I’m new here, a SAHM. My girl is now 14mths, gonna start looking for a school for her. So to say, she’s going to be 3yr old next year. But she will only be 25mo, too young for N1 right? Playgrp is a better choice for me now?


Can I hav the contact for Kids n Kids too? Thank u!

[voltes5]

Chicken pox on the rise. NAFA got confirmed case. Any idea which class?

[sweetiepie]

Hi, My girl has been w praise kids for two years, see no progress in Chinese. I hid at corner to observe, my girl just stared outside the window. The teacher dun bother to check on her, just keep shouting "when finish writing can do sth else". she sat on the floor until she was the last one. I did not see teacher approached her but she went to the teacher. Worst, saw her going thru w the class how many stars they have achieved, my girl gets zero star read out all the times. Guess my girl is not motivated to learn from her. Any good half day childcare to recommend? Can I have the contact no for kids n kids?

[curioxete]

hello has anybody got a recent review of mrc katong?? thanks.

[furcheng]

hi, need some advice from any parents out there. my girl (21 months) is currently at mindchamps katong, we are working parents and we have a younger one at home, so my girl is taking school bus from school to home. she just started so she cries very badly everytime on the school bus. does any one have any experience dealing with crying child on school bus?


does anyone have experience with the little big creativity? this school is near our place (walking distance) so want to find out more about this school and if it good, might consider switching so my girl won’t have to sit school bus at such a young age

thanks in advance for any help

[Domique]

Wow had been some time since I last check out this thread as I have found the right school for my son.


Yes he is in Kids and Kids. He is with the school since the start of the term. Already one month and I am seeing him more positive in trying new things and willing to take no for answer upon reasoning with him and no tantrums!

I think it may be due to the low teacher student ratio that quality teaching can be provided. In fact that was the main reason why I enrol my son in that small little school.

Everyday teachers and principal update me with new milestones. I can eel that they really are teaching and not just working, with comparison the previous childcare he was in.

I would advise all parents who are keen to go have a look at the school. Other than the size of class. Do notice how the all children’s behavior. Are they happy? Are they learning? Are they enjoying school?

My son is adjusting very well and very fast to this school. I think most important factor that I look out for a school is that my son must enjoy school. That affects his attitude to schools when he grow up

Feel free to pm me if u need more infor.

Cheers all.