[Ang Mo Kio/Bishan/Thomson/Toa Payoh] Preschools
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ConcernedDaddy:
Sharing my experience.Open house for CherieHearts this weekend. I saw they are offering 15% discount on fees, but pls check out directly with their school as I cant be sure.
http://www.facebook.com/cherieheartsnurtureloft
Tea session? They are providing free tea, treats, goodie bags and children activities. Hmmm, looks like Patricia Koh their new CEO is injecting some interesting ideas.
My child is enrolled here for sometime.
Most of the teachers are warm, mature and the responsible kind.The operator is knowledgeable with kids as well.Overall Im quite satisfied with what was taught. My child (playgroup level) came back with the usual.. songs, speaking mandarin sometimes, knowing how to use excuse me, thank you, cover mouth when coughing, counting etc. Observation is quite a number of half day kids there, so end up its not as crowded as alot of centres.
This school is open concept.. can be a little distracting. Curriculum i think is just alright, the usual activities for kids, but not totally engaging, interesting or extensive. I think it gets boring if the child attends full day. There is rather big indoor playground but.. no such thing as water play, sandplay or outdoor activity. They are good carers for children, in all the time there, mine only came back twice with very small light scratch and they are able to tell me how it happened and have applied ointment by the time i fetch, . I think some centres wont even know or mention when your child comes home with bruises.. saying its normal pushing, snatching toys?
However, they are not very proactive with things like toilet training or giving feedback. Esp giving feedback on individual child.. Nothing when you pick them up and nothing on comm book either.
You can ask, but its very straighforward answer.. no volunteering on extra information.. so a lack of passion there.. if you know what i mean.
I will not trust them to deliver the curriculum well as i think its very much subjected to the capability of different teachers.
still alright for playgroup, but will be abit worrying if you are having a kindergarten child enrolled with no other enrichment of any sort.
I have heard of caelum junior.. anyone willing to share their experience with this centre? -
Hi,
Glad to see that this thread is active. I have visited quite a few schools in this vicinity. Here is my brief take on them:
1. Agape @ Midview City
Operator is very polite, very helpful. Premises are much bigger than Cherie Hearts, with separate classrooms for different classes, not open-concept. Curriculum is average, they use story-based curriculum and can see clear learning objectives pasted on the walls. Small indoor playground, and an empty room for enrichment like wushu and gymkids. It also has interactive board for lessons from PG onwards. I was very drawn to the school, but alas, it is fully aircon and being in an office building, some rooms don't have any windows for airing the rooms at all.
There is also hardly any outdoor, water or sand play. Decided against the school mainly cos of the last two points.
2. Our Junior Schoolhouse @ Westlake
One of the most well-organised preschool I've seen, with bright, airy and spacious classrooms for every class, a big music room, well-resourced learning corners, age-appropriate developmental materials and toys, a grassy play area with several play structures, buggy cars and trikes on concrete floor, two big water tubs and a large sandpit, as well as a varied curriculum that includes pretend play, cookery, art (but doesn't seem like alot of craft), show n tell, and daily varying physical activities, etc. The only thing was, I didn't get to observe the teachers for long, caught some snippets of teaching. The students looked engaged enough. Class sizes were small and students generally seemed well-behaved. The principal has been with the school for several years, rising from teacher to principal, so she's very familiar with the school and gave us tips on how to settle our child into the Playgroup class for the first couple of days and what to expect in the first 2-3 months.
3. Nobleland Arts N Learning Place
Double-storey, outdoor play area with play structures, buggy cars and garden looks okay, but waterplay is in a very small sink. First level holds PG and N1, a music room, dining and art areas. Feels abit dark and smells abit musty one of the days I visited. Toilets are very worn down. Mainly foreign teachers. Was willing to look past the physical and about to sign up with them to try out their arts curriculum and also Kindermusik, but maybe it was Fate, after 3 unsuccessful attempts to meet with the Principal (unwilling to come abit earlier to meet us and assigned an assistant teacher who knows nothing about the curriculum!), obtain the forms (made appointment to go down at 4pm, realized the whole school had only 2 teachers left to organise birthday party, supervisor and principal were both not there AND the forms were LOCKED UP. They promised to email me the forms that evening, even checked my email address to make sure it's correct, in the end never sent and never called me after that even though I had told them I WAS GOING TO SIGN UP), etc., realized the school is super unfriendly and stand-offish. Couldn't take their attitude and can't believe how such attitude can translate to good teaching and caring for students. So we were quite happy that we didn't manage to sign up.
4. Sunny Bunny Montessori
School looked bright and airy. Curriculum sounded very good when director explained and showed me the materials. She kept emphasizing they do full, authentic Montessori. After that I heard from a couple of parents that their Montessori is only one hour (not sufficient as actual Montessori advocates three hours for the child to be able to freely explore). Was quite interested, so deliberately dropped by a few times to observe since they were at HDB and have opened windows. Most of the time I dropped by, I always heard a baby wailing away. The playgroup and infant care teachers usually tend to their own group and only when someone approaches the window to look in then they help to carry the baby. One baby is always playing by himself in a cordoned corner while the playgroup kids play with each other. The poor lone baby looks quite sad sometimes but again, the playgroup teachers seldom engage him, only when I walk closer after a while, then they approach him. There's also a fierce Chinese teacher who will shout and adjust the children's dance moves very roughly (I was watching for awhile, the girl was not even deliberately being naughty!). Conclusion: Felt that the fees for the supposed Montessori are not really justified and teachers are not very caring. Axed!
PS: Oh, and the infant side sometimes don't wash hands before meals (tea break of bread/cake which the baby holds with fingers)! Yikes!
5. Caelum Junior
Pictures look really interesting, seems like the new school is very active in making the curriculum creative and taking pictures of the fun activities they do. Operator is supposedly experienced but seems unsure. The testimonials sounded very good but you realize they all talk about the same teachers as they are time-shared. Also, the principal is also teaching some of the classes and even though the testimonials were good, I saw her speaking sloppily in Singlish to the kids during a colouring practice. Not very professional and not worth the high price tag.
6. Shooting Star Child Development Centre
Director is a Chinese. Very impressive knowledge about childhood development at least at the PG level. Kids seemed very (TOO) well-behaved. PG kids almost all toilet-trained! PG classrooms are very big, but the Nursery and Kindergarten classrooms are very small. Principal is quite new and very fierce and impolite. The second time I popped by to visit, she curtly said, \"Coming to visit the school again? Wait first, I am busy.\" and all she did was walk into the centre and LOOKED at the children who are tended to by 2 grumpy teachers.
7. Happy Family Childcare Centre
Pretty big, again, separate classrooms with dedicated teachers (no time-sharing). Curriculum generally looks good, teachers look alright. They seem to do very comprehensive health checks which is good. Operator is friendly and knowledgeable. They have an open space outside for assembly and concert practice. They also have access to a nice outdoor playground and is in very pleasant surroundings unlike most HDB type of centres. Again, only downside is it's air-conditioned.
8. Helios Preschool
Operator seems very unknowledgeable. Ask one question, give half an answer. Very hesitant, passive, and appeared very inexperienced. They claim they do Montessori, but when I asked, she said, \"Um...no, we don't do full Monty...we do other things...but we cover all 5 areas of Monty...\" School is also air-conditioned and open concept. Kids look bored. While it is well equipped with indoor playground and climbing wall, so what? Just the operator alone doesn't justify the high school fees. I was dying to end the conversation after 5min and leave, but stayed only to be polite, but also regretting every question I asked cos she would just hesitate and give a tentative, \"Um...yes...\"
9. Educa/Cambridge CDC @ Thomson
I liked this school. Operator is very experienced, except she speaks pretty broken English. (\"We train them to be very well-speaker\"). Curriculum sounds interesting, craft work is very impressive. But I think the curriculum may be a bit ambitious, and I didn't think it was really necessary to spend more money every year buying readers for N1, N2 levels etc. Nevertheless, the inquiry-based curriculum and the spirit in which they hold field trips sound interesting, esp for the older classes. Classrooms are generally quite big, but some are over-decorated, so they look abit cluttered. I noticed that the menu has mainly cabbage for veggies cos the operator says the kids like cabbage! Greens are served on the side only for those who want....School fees are not cheap either. Two downsides, fully air-conditioned (pity cos they are in such a nice big bungalow!), and kinda crowded and hence noisy after 5pm.
Anyway, no offense to anyone. Just sharing my impressions. Quite a few schools I visited more than once, as I was really serious about finding a good school (airy physical environment, good teachers, average to above-average curriculum) for my boy. But I guess since demand always exceeds supply, the childcare centres can afford to charge unjustifiable high fees.
I'm still considering between Agape, Our Juniors' Schoolhouse, Educa and Happy Family. Now that I've done my part to share, would any kind parent give me more feedback on the above schools - both positive and negative? TIA!
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Hi blingbling,
Did u when for Wharton Preschool open house? I missed it.
How do u find the curriculum, the teachers & principal?
I m looking into PG for my ds, would like to have more info.
Thanks for your feedback. -
ConcernednConfusedMummy:
Hi,
Glad to see that this thread is active. I have visited quite a few schools in this vicinity. Here is my brief take on them:
1. Agape @ Midview City
Operator is very polite, very helpful. Premises are much bigger than Cherie Hearts, with separate classrooms for different classes, not open-concept. Curriculum is average, they use story-based curriculum and can see clear learning objectives pasted on the walls. Small indoor playground, and an empty room for enrichment like wushu and gymkids. It also has interactive board for lessons from PG onwards. I was very drawn to the school, but alas, it is fully aircon and being in an office building, some rooms don't have any windows for airing the rooms at all. There is also hardly any outdoor, water or sand play. Decided against the school mainly cos of the last two points.
My take : I was going to visit this centre before deciding.. but i called a few times no one picked up, left a message nobody called till months later.. so cant comment much.
2. Our Junior Schoolhouse @ Westlake
One of the most well-organised preschool I've seen, with bright, airy and spacious classrooms for every class, a big music room, well-resourced learning corners, age-appropriate developmental materials and toys, a grassy play area with several play structures, buggy cars and trikes on concrete floor, two big water tubs and a large sandpit, as well as a varied curriculum that includes pretend play, cookery, art (but doesn't seem like alot of craft), show n tell, and daily varying physical activities, etc. The only thing was, I didn't get to observe the teachers for long, caught some snippets of teaching. The students looked engaged enough. Class sizes were small and students generally seemed well-behaved. The principal has been with the school for several years, rising from teacher to principal, so she's very familiar with the school and gave us tips on how to settle our child into the Playgroup class for the first couple of days and what to expect in the first 2-3 months.
My take: I emailed the principal Deborah for an appointment but i informed her i would not be considering because its really a little far from my place. Is this the one opp Mount A? Seems like its quite a good fit based on your observation.
3. Nobleland Arts N Learning Place
Double-storey, outdoor play area with play structures, buggy cars and garden looks okay, but waterplay is in a very small sink. First level holds PG and N1, a music room, dining and art areas. Feels abit dark and smells abit musty one of the days I visited. Toilets are very worn down. Mainly foreign teachers. Was willing to look past the physical and about to sign up with them to try out their arts curriculum and also Kindermusik, but maybe it was Fate, after 3 unsuccessful attempts to meet with the Principal (unwilling to come abit earlier to meet us and assigned an assistant teacher who knows nothing about the curriculum!), obtain the forms (made appointment to go down at 4pm, realized the whole school had only 2 teachers left to organise birthday party, supervisor and principal were both not there AND the forms were LOCKED UP. They promised to email me the forms that evening, even checked my email address to make sure it's correct, in the end never sent and never called me after that even though I had told them I WAS GOING TO SIGN UP), etc., realized the school is super unfriendly and stand-offish. Couldn't take their attitude and can't believe how such attitude can translate to good teaching and caring for students. So we were quite happy that we didn't manage to sign up.
My take: Only went as far as telephone enquiry.. I encountered the same thing! The principal made some excuse and kept postponing the visit. I wondered why they even bother with advertising if thats how they are going to treat prospective customers.
4. Sunny Bunny Montessori
School looked bright and airy. Curriculum sounded very good when director explained and showed me the materials. She kept emphasizing they do full, authentic Montessori. After that I heard from a couple of parents that their Montessori is only one hour (not sufficient as actual Montessori advocates three hours for the child to be able to freely explore). Was quite interested, so deliberately dropped by a few times to observe since they were at HDB and have opened windows. Most of the time I dropped by, I always heard a baby wailing away. The playgroup and infant care teachers usually tend to their own group and only when someone approaches the window to look in then they help to carry the baby. One baby is always playing by himself in a cordoned corner while the playgroup kids play with each other. The poor lone baby looks quite sad sometimes but again, the playgroup teachers seldom engage him, only when I walk closer after a while, then they approach him. There's also a fierce Chinese teacher who will shout and adjust the children's dance moves very roughly (I was watching for awhile, the girl was not even deliberately being naughty!). Conclusion: Felt that the fees for the supposed Montessori are not really justified and teachers are not very caring. Axed!
PS: Oh, and the infant side sometimes don't wash hands before meals (tea break of bread/cake which the baby holds with fingers)! Yikes!
My take : I only walked past the centre, appear run down to me.. and dim as well. I dont like the feel of the centre.
5. Caelum Junior
Pictures look really interesting, seems like the new school is very active in making the curriculum creative and taking pictures of the fun activities they do. Operator is supposedly experienced but seems unsure. The testimonials sounded very good but you realize they all talk about the same teachers as they are time-shared. Also, the principal is also teaching some of the classes and even though the testimonials were good, I saw her speaking sloppily in Singlish to the kids during a colouring practice. Not very professional and not worth the high price tag.
My take: Seems impressive when you looks at their testimonials.. and very active in the fb page where u can see the activites they are doing, overall very promising! Of cos the fees are not cheap though. One plus point: you dont have to fork out extra fees for enrichment and field trips. Its all included in the school fees.
6. Shooting Star Child Development Centre
Director is a Chinese. Very impressive knowledge about childhood development at least at the PG level. Kids seemed very (TOO) well-behaved. PG kids almost all toilet-trained! PG classrooms are very big, but the Nursery and Kindergarten classrooms are very small. Principal is quite new and very fierce and impolite. The second time I popped by to visit, she curtly said, \"Coming to visit the school again? Wait first, I am busy.\" and all she did was walk into the centre and LOOKED at the children who are tended to by 2 grumpy teachers.
7. Happy Family Childcare Centre
Pretty big, again, separate classrooms with dedicated teachers (no time-sharing). Curriculum generally looks good, teachers look alright. They seem to do very comprehensive health checks which is good. Operator is friendly and knowledgeable. They have an open space outside for assembly and concert practice. They also have access to a nice outdoor playground and is in very pleasant surroundings unlike most HDB type of centres. Again, only downside is it's air-conditioned.
My take: I actually visited the place twice and i felt its not bad. But the second time i popped by was during lunch time.. and the whole centre reeks of cooking smell.. Its not a big place and is air conditioned so the smell really hits you hard. I really wanted to leave as soon as possible then.
8. Helios Preschool
Operator seems very unknowledgeable. Ask one question, give half an answer. Very hesitant, passive, and appeared very inexperienced. They claim they do Montessori, but when I asked, she said, \"Um...no, we don't do full Monty...we do other things...but we cover all 5 areas of Monty...\" School is also air-conditioned and open concept. Kids look bored. While it is well equipped with indoor playground and climbing wall, so what? Just the operator alone doesn't justify the high school fees. I was dying to end the conversation after 5min and leave, but stayed only to be polite, but also regretting every question I asked cos she would just hesitate and give a tentative, \"Um...yes...\"
My take: they offered a five day trial then. I brought my then 20 month old for a visit.. trust me they are just business people trying to run a child care centre, almost no knowledge on children. They will tell u how clean is their airconditioning.. they have filter system, they pay their teachers well, their teachers are very good and experienced. and what they bought for the centre facilities etc..If you ask them about curriculum or quiz them on children behaviour, u can be assured of a very blank look followed by a reply which hardly makes any sense.
9. Educa/Cambridge CDC @ Thomson
I liked this school. Operator is very experienced, except she speaks pretty broken English. (\"We train them to be very well-speaker\"). Curriculum sounds interesting, craft work is very impressive. But I think the curriculum may be a bit ambitious, and I didn't think it was really necessary to spend more money every year buying readers for N1, N2 levels etc. Nevertheless, the inquiry-based curriculum and the spirit in which they hold field trips sound interesting, esp for the older classes. Classrooms are generally quite big, but some are over-decorated, so they look abit cluttered. I noticed that the menu has mainly cabbage for veggies cos the operator says the kids like cabbage! Greens are served on the side only for those who want....School fees are not cheap either. Two downsides, fully air-conditioned (pity cos they are in such a nice big bungalow!), and kinda crowded and hence noisy after 5pm.
My take - I have a friend whose child is in there.. and he is always complaining about having to pay and pay.. They make them buy alot of extra stuff.. and excursions gotta pay $70 i heard?!! Also, they keep increasing their intake.. so there might be overcrowding. And when there was a HFMD outbreak, it spread like wildfire, his child was one of victims and had to stay away for a month to recuperate.
Anyway, no offense to anyone. Just sharing my impressions. Quite a few schools I visited more than once, as I was really serious about finding a good school (airy physical environment, good teachers, average to above-average curriculum) for my boy. But I guess since demand always exceeds supply, the childcare centres can afford to charge unjustifiable high fees.
I'm still considering between Agape, Our Juniors' Schoolhouse, Educa and Happy Family. Now that I've done my part to share, would any kind parent give me more feedback on the above schools - both positive and negative? TIA!
Good luck with your choice!
Oops just realised my comments are blended in with your quote.. hope you find it a wee bit useful! -
Hi decollette, thanks for your comments! Most of our views are quite similar, I guess it’s really not too difficult to tell which centres are really out there to make money huh…;p
So which school did you enrol your kid in? -
And to answer your questions, yes, OJS @ Westlake is opp Mt A. So when are you going to visit? How old is your child? Whereabouts do you stay? Cos quite a few buses go to OJS, which is walking distance from the double bus-stop at MacRitchie. Physical environment-wise, I really felt OJS is quite rare with its big space and lotsa natural light. Cos I actually visited about another 6-7 more schools - Star Learners, Cherie Hearts @ Midview and Westlake, Red Schoolhouse, Sparkletots at Bishan St 23 and 24(?), and walked past some others. OJS environment is really nice and big (too bad they don’t make use of their big grassy area to do some gardening, but Nursery and above go for fortnightly nature walks at MacRitchie! Nice!). Though I was told the curriculum includes alot of activities, they are mainly integrated in the English and Chinese classes, so timetable-wise, these are not differentiated. My other concern is that their student portfolio mainly has students’ work and slightly less evaluation, compared to some other schools like Agape/Educa/Cherie Hearts which include work samples. But they do give 2 photo CDs a year, hopefully these are really representative of what they do from time to time.
Based on your comments, I guess I will likely axe Happy Family as well. Basically, axe all the aircon schools, that leaves very very few choices. Haha. As for Educa, I do note there are material fees for many classes. I didn’t know they increase their intake often. -
There is also a Our Juniors’ Schoolhouse @ Balestier nearby Thomson Medical Centre opposite Ibis Hotel at Irrawaddy Road. Walking distance from Novena MRT.
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ConcernednConfusedMummy:
Hi there,And to answer your questions, yes, OJS @ Westlake is opp Mt A. So when are you going to visit? How old is your child? Whereabouts do you stay? Cos quite a few buses go to OJS, which is walking distance from the double bus-stop at MacRitchie. Physical environment-wise, I really felt OJS is quite rare with its big space and lotsa natural light. Cos I actually visited about another 6-7 more schools - Star Learners, Cherie Hearts @ Midview and Westlake, Red Schoolhouse, Sparkletots at Bishan St 23 and 24(?), and walked past some others. OJS environment is really nice and big (too bad they don't make use of their big grassy area to do some gardening, but Nursery and above go for fortnightly nature walks at MacRitchie! Nice!). Though I was told the curriculum includes alot of activities, they are mainly integrated in the English and Chinese classes, so timetable-wise, these are not differentiated. My other concern is that their student portfolio mainly has students' work and slightly less evaluation, compared to some other schools like Agape/Educa/Cherie Hearts which include work samples. But they do give 2 photo CDs a year, hopefully these are really representative of what they do from time to time.
Based on your comments, I guess I will likely axe Happy Family as well. Basically, axe all the aircon schools, that leaves very very few choices. Haha. As for Educa, I do note there are material fees for many classes. I didn't know they increase their intake often.
My child is at Cherie hearts Midview for few months already. My experience has been rather positive so far. I can see you are leaning towards the non airconditioned ones..As mine is only attending half day, I can accept that its fully air conditioned.. the kids do get to stretch out abit at the indoor playground though. Its a shame that there isnt sand play, outdoor time, and I can imagine for a full day it will be not as engaging. OJS is a subsidiary of cherie hearts, so they should adopt the same curriculum. I do think children need outdoor time to thrive and is good for their immune system.. at the same time, mine is allergic to mosquito bites, he will get a swelling that is so horrible for days once bitten, so Im a little wary and will try to minimise outdoor time. Otherwise lots of repellant haha..
Seems like you could go ahead with OJS.. are you planning on putting your child full day? I did not visit Educa..cos my friends comments were so negative.. and who likes to pay so much. and everything being compulsory fees. Yea i do get work samples after end of each term from the school... and parent teacher conference is twice a year. -
Hi mummies & daddies
Any feedback abt My First Skool in Bishan? I know bishan has a few MFS. Which one is good? -
OJS started off as Pat's Schoolhouse associate, then got bought over by Cherie Hearts Pte Ltd but they do not share the same curriculum or core values/vision etc. Actually this whole management ownership thing is very confusing...haha. Now they are all under G8 anyway, but they are just being managed by them while retaining their own curriculum. After visiting so many schools, I feel that most schools of the $800 and below price range after $300 subsidy don't have vastly different curriculum. What's important is the teachers...Minor differences like PG or PN start learning phonics, got cookery or not, got outdoor play, sand play, water play or not, exist, but my veto factor is really having pleasant, safe and conducive learning environment, big space, hopefully some sunshine in the classrooms and good teachers. The last point can only tell after having the kid spend some time in the school.
Decollette, I'm happy for you that you found a suitable school for your child. Half-day I'd definitely be less stringent with the physical requirements, you're right. Thanks for sharing!
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