Search for Preschool

Finally!! An end to a search for a preschool for Ying Ying! Yeah!!! :D

We have planned long ago to send her to a half-day preschool when I resume work next Jan. With just 2mths left, I thought we had better get down to registration soon. I was shocked to find out that one popular church kindy had at least 21 kids on its waitlist for its am session and 9 kids for its pm session. And to be placed on the waitlist is not free ok! - you have to pay a $30+ registration fee for a super slim chance of getting in (unless say you were among the 1st five or ten people).

Actually, I had started scouting for a preschool for Ying Ying a few mths ago but we couldn't settle on one that is ideal to both of us. I shortlisted a few schools which I thought were good but husband felt they were all too far. He wanted one that is close to my in-laws' pl so that it will be convenient for them to pick her up after school - he was quite against the idea of Ying Ying taking the school bus at 2 yrs old even though I told him it is pretty common nowadays. Mil once suggested a PCF nearby but it was too mainstream for my liking.

I liked the idea of a christian kindergarten so that Ying Ying can pick up some values education too. There is a nice small church kindy just next to my in-law's pl. We dropped by to view the place and even met up with the principal a couple of months back. I was so sure of sending Ying Ying there until I heard about their class size. It was a huge class size of 24 even though there are 3 trs (1 English and 2 Chinese) attending to them. The principal said the kids are broken up to groups of 7 for group activities and only come together as a big group at the beginning and the end of lesson. Still, I feel uncomfortable as more kids means lesser attention and opportunity to participate for each kid and also more circulation of germs and viruses. So after much pondering, it's no-go for this kindy. :/

So yesterday I managed to get husband to take time off his busy schedule so that we could go in search for a school and get down to a decision. We went down to a branch of a preschool (they have many branches all over Singapore) that was not too far from my in-law's pl. We didn't have any high expectations before going - it was not one of my top choices and I had not come across any recommendations on that school. Although we often travelled along the road next to the school, we didn't know the school existed cos it was so well-hidden behind the trees and bushes. We thought it would be a small school with poor enrolment. So we were quite surprised to find that the premises were quite crowded with kids and it was obviously a popular school at that. The principal wasn't exactly friendly to us but we quite like what we saw on the whole.

Here are the reasons why we chose this particular school:

1) It is located within an acceptable proximity to my in-law's place. Though not exactly near as compared to the church kindy, it is only a 5-10mins' drive from my in-law's pl. So there was no need for Ying Ying to take the school bus.

2) It is an established reputable school - the school has been ard for 19yrs and the branch we visited has been there for the past 17yrs. Surely its curriculum must be good - otherwise how to survive for so long right?

3) It has an acceptable class size of 14 kids with 2 trs (1 English & 1 Chinese) for playgroups. Even up to K2, the max is only 20 kids to 2 trs. This is unlike most schools which probably will have around 30:2 at that stage. Ying Ying is a relatively shy girl and I am sure she will benefit a lot more in a smaller class.

4) The size of the compound is quite impressive. It's about half the size of a std soccer field. Not bad considering most pte preschools are situated in claustrophobic bungalows.

5) The kids are immmersed in a literacy-rich environment - this is evident in many of the students' work which are being displayed in a creative way even though there is no open house. We even saw a mini stage for performance in one of the K1 classrooms!

6) They have a trained music teacher to take over music lessons for all the levels. There is even a music room too! Some schools conduct all of their lessons in the same room - quite boring right?

7) There is no (steep) staircase to climb (and fall down from) - all the buildings in the school compound are single-storey.

8) The classrooms are cooled by fans and not air-conditioners - I think is healthier for the kids to breathe in fresh air. In this way, Ying Ying will have not problem adjusting when she goes on to primary schools where most classrooms are not air-conditioned.

9) Breakfast and lunch are included - it's good to have Ying Ying eating with her peers. Hopefully, this will stimulate her appetite to eat more and she may be more adventurous to try other types of food. I don't have to worry what my in-laws are feeding her in the day (they always cook the same old food for her).

10) Trs looked young, friendly and energetic - although there are also merits to older trs with more experience. The principal claimed the turnover rate of trs is relatively low compared to other schools.

11) No uniforms all the way to K2! - The principal explained this is to recognise each kid as an individual and not "uniform" so as to speak. Husband likes this unconventional move a lot. He doesn't want to emphasize to Ying Ying the notion that she is going/has to go to school. He prefers to get her to think in terms of going 'somewhere' to have fun. Well, it doesn't really matter to me - actually I thought the idea of Ying Ying dressed up in uniform is kinda cute. haha.

12) The school is not a franchise but directly managed under its HQ - so the sch management has more resources to work with and is unlikely to resort to cost-cutting measures to meet their profit margins. An aunt of mine used to work as a cook in a popular pte preschool. She complained her boss refused to hire extra help even though the sch is short-handed. She was always to 'help out' as a cleaner and sometimes she even had to help the teachers to keep an eye on the kids too.

13) The sch has a rustic 'kampong' feel. There is a bunny corner with 2 black bunnies (Ying Ying stared at them for a long time) and two algaed aquariums outside the office. Though the whole compound looked kinda drappy and in need of renovation, we chose to take it in a positive way. Like what husband says, good things in life need not be new all the time. We don't want Ying Ying to come to expect everywhere to be like posh shopping malls.

Hmmm...so many reasons right? Unfortunately, a major downside is the cost. The school fee was unbelievably exorbitant - $900/mth!!! Though I have heard of one school charging even more expensive fees like $5000 for 3mths, $900/mth is still a big amount to deal with. Even with govt subsidy, we still have to pay $800+. In comparison, the church kindy is only $420 per term (10wks) and I am sure PCF and NTUC are even cheaper than that. I calculated a 4-year education (Playgroup - Nursery - K1 - K2) there would set us off by about $40k after subsidy. My NTU-NIE university fees last time was only about 13-14k! Then there are expenses for other enrichment courses to take into account too. Imagine doubling the figure when no.2 comes along. It's kinda overwhelming and depressing just thinking about it. I feel like I am in debt already. :/

That's why I have gotta go back to work to earn $$$. For sake of quality education for my kids. I am not expecting them to turn out like Einsteins though. I just want put them in an conducive environment where they can achieve their fullest potential. At the end of the day, I would like them to grow up to be well-adjusted individuals - happy, confident, thoughtful, honest and hardworking. Hopefully, this school will help bring out the best in my children.

Now that we have ended our search, we can go on a holiday in peace!!! :D