Preschool Insights and Experiences

[secretlove]

Thank you sis hunny, subukan ko bukas. Siguro naman magsasawa rin siya kalalaro no?

[hunny_ally]

Excited pa kasi yan. Why don't you ask the teacher to usher her inside the room? At that age, lalo na when in school, teacher authority trumps over parental authority. Mas madaling mapasunod ni teacher

[mishyewarians]

hello mommies...
       does anyone know any good reputable school (except MCA, i had read negative comments about this school) inside fort bonifacio? how much is the tuition fee and do they accept late enrollees?... 

       looking forward for a concern one........... thanks

hi sis, i heard and read also negative feedbacks about this school. the daughter of my friend's friend studied here and transferred to a big school after 2 yrs.ang hirap naka adapt nung bata and hindi makahabol sa lessons sa new school nya.i dont know rin baka naman nasa guidance din ng parents.i dont know really.

ang ayoko lang sa school na to, based on my own experience, is wala silang maayos na parking or drop and go area ng mga buses nila. nag ca-cause talaga ng heavy traffic sa area na yan always! kaya kami, pagpupunta sa affair ng school ng son ko, iikot pa kami sa may market2 na lang instead na dyan dumaan!

[wkt]

hay im so stressed.  parang sasabog talaga ang puso ko sa frustation

first day of school ng daughter ko today sa PAUW-UP CCC, ok na sana ang lahat kaya lang ang laki ng problema ko sa school bus service.  when we applied pa lang sa school na-confirm naman namin na may available school service na nagca-cater dito sa area namin.  hindi ko naman siya ipipilit na i-enroll doon kung wala kaming nahanap na service.  in fact nakapag-down na kami for the month of july, sabay today sinabihan kami nung nagse-service na HINDI NIYA KAYA ihatid-sundo ang anak ko dahil ma-traffic daw pala sa area namin. sa totoo lang, nag-backout siya dahil kami lang ang kumuha ng service nya for the afternoon class.  nagdahilan na lang talaga siya na kesyo matraffic daw.  my goodness, parang nabawasan talaga ako ng kalahating-litrong dugo sa kunsumisyon habang naguusap kami.  pero ano pa, hindi ko naman na mapilit yung may-ari/driver. ang dami nyang dahilan, kesyo daw para masundo yung anak ko in-time kailangan daw nya bitawan yung 3 bata na hinahatid nya from UPIS at yung pag pauwi naman, hindi daw nya kaya magpa-balik-balik ng UP ng ganoong oras.  grabe talaga... anyway, binalik naman nya yung downpayment namin pero less P200 na kasi daw wala siyang dalang pera.  magwi-withraw pa daw nya pero i doubt kung ibabalik pa nya yun.  grabe talaga.

napakalaking problema talaga ang binigay sa akin nung service na yun.  ang matindi nun, wala ng ibang service provider na nagcacater sa area namin. nagtanong-tanong na ako dun sa ibang provider sa PAUW pero hindi daw talaga eh.  parang ang option na lang is mag-commute yung anak ko with the yaya everyday.  napakahirap naman nun, given na mahirap makakuha ng taxi from PAUW mismo.  papano pa nkung umuulan?  malayong lakaran pa naman bago makaabot ng main road na dinadaanan ng ikot and even with that, mahirap talaga.

malamang ipu-pullout ko na lang yung anak ko sa PAUW.  sayang naman ang uniform nya at maganda pa naman sana sa PAUW.   i just hope na makuha naman kami ng malaki-laking refund.

pasensya na kung napahaba mga sis, but i just need to let this out a bit. sobrang sama talaga ng loob ko about all of this and kanina pa ako naiiyak dahil sa sama ng loob.

[marose17]

^ Hi sis!  Wala ka bang ibang transpo options?  What if mag-hire ka ng driver arawan lang?  Gaano kalayo ang school sa house ninyo?

Mga kids ko noong first year of preschool nila, sila lang din ang sakay ng service sa pag-uwi (hinahatid namin sila sa umaga).  Mas mataas ang bayad namin considering one way lang (2k per child +600 for the yaya na kasama nila).  Pero hindi naman tumanggi ang proprietress na sunduin sila porque sila lang 2 ang susunduin sa time slot nila.  Laking pasasalamat ko din kasi kahit mahal ng konti eh mas mura pa rin kesa mag-hire kami ng family driver.  Ngayon, 3 na silang sabay-sabay sa time slot nila hahaha.

[wkt]

^buti ka pa.
pareho kasi kaming may work ni husband so we really need to get someone
na maghahatid-sundo sa daughter ko.  sana nga may mahanap kami na arawan lang.  we are in himlayan area ng tandang sora and may kalayuan din talaga ang UP from our place lalo na kung commute.  i think 1-way trip ng taxi from our place to UP is around P120+ thereabouts.  so in one school year nasa 29k din yun, plus the issue pa of getting a sure ride from UP PAUW pabalik dito sa amin.  so stressful...

[DV]

wkt, sa UPIS ka kaya mag-scout ng school bus (pwede ka ring magtanong sa Miriam or Ateneo)? Mas maraming operators dun baka merong dumadaan sa area nyo. O kaya kung may kilala kang may taxi business baka pwede kang humingi ng monthly rate. O kaya baka pwede pang pakiusapan ang school na ilipat ang anak mo ng time slot.

[wkt]

nakahanap na kami ng ibang school bus service, thankfully.  atleast di na namin kailangan i-pullout yung daughter ko sa PAUW.  nag-school to school kami last tuesday kakahanap ng service and thank God "naawa" sa amin yung isa sa mga nakausap namin originally from PAUW din.  UPIS na lang talaga ang service nya pero sinali na lang din yung daughter namin.  ay grabe thank You Lord!  (OT: ang UPIS pala 4 days na lang ang classes -- tues to friday lang sila)

anyway, super happy na talaga kami at naayos na ang lahat.  everything went well during my daughter's attendance sa PAUW.  2 weeks kasi na staggered ang classes nila (MWF lang) since nagstart ang pasukan last monday then after that regular classes na. my daughter is in pre-nursery (3.5 years old) and enjoy naman siya sa class nya.  2 1/2 hours lang naman pati ang class nya.  while they are still in "staggered class", half lang nung class yung pumapasok dun sa MWF class and then the other half will attend TThF.  sa friday full class na sila and i think they are a 19 students in all.  madami ano?  nagulat din ako na ganun pala sila kadami but anyway, ok lang yun for me.  i still like PAUW.  very maaliwalas yung place and i like the teachers too.

side kwento, before kami nakahanap ng ibang magseservice dumaan kami ni hubby sa bloomfields learning circle sa troy compund dito sa tandang sora.  i was considering na dun na lang ilipat ang daughter namin sakaling i-pullout nga namin yung daughter namin from PAUW.  progressive school sila and per head teacher/owner Teacher Belle, open enrollment pa din sila.  tuition fee is around P35-36k+, depende kung full or partial payment.  BLC is in a residential area na talagang bumpy and narrow yung daan, pero di naman mahirap hanapin.  the school is a 2-unit apartment-type na house with 2 floors (yung may stairs dividing the sala & kitchen/dining area, then may cr and laundry area sa back -- ganun). may playground sa gilid which is about the size of a 4-car garage. hindi daw muna sila nagpapalaro sa playground these days to be on the safe side.  baka daw kasi malamok.  definitely spacious yung classroom ng BLC as it makes use of 2 areas -- yung pinaka sala then yung kitchen/dining area.  the kitchen/dining area has the board and then yung sala area parang activity area nila.  the rooms are air conditioned altho hindi ganun kalamig and medyo "kulob", parang comfortable naman yung mga bata.   Teacher Belle is really nice and accommodating and Teacher Myra who was teaching the pre-nursery/nursery class seems very competent too.  behaved din yung mga bata.  i think nasa around 15 yung students dun sa pre-nursery+nursery class nila. ni-combine na nila coz same lang naman daw ang turo. mas konti yung students na nasa prep class nila.   i think BLC is a quite a good preschool but anyway buti na lang di namin kailangan mag-transfer from PAUW. God is good!

[marose17]

^ All's well that ends well.   

[kiz_me1109]

I'll be enrolling my son to a preschool next year. So as early as now, hubby and I are scouting for the best school. We live in Cavite. We are first time parents so we are a liitle bit scared pa of the thought na babiyahe siya ng malayo everyday to school.

So we started looking for the closest school sa area namin. I found a preschool - Angelsville Early Learning. We checked the school kanina. Nursery-Kinder-Prep lang ang hina-handle nila. They have a maximum of 15 students per class with 3 teachers and 1 yaya in every class. So parang 3 isto 1. Na amaze ako. Well lit and airconditioned yung room. Yung may ari ng school sa loob ng nursery room yung mini office niya. And naka observe siya talaga kung pano tinuturuan yung mga bata. She's a preschool teacher for 20 years at Elizabeth Seton. Proressive yung way ng pagtuturo. Ang linis ng classroom. Kompleto sa gamit - toys, sound system, tv, books, etc.

2 1/2hrs lang yung class ng nursey and 3hrs for kinder and prep. English yung language na gamit nila but they started to teach kids in tagalog din kasi utos daw ng DepEd. 

Yung bathroom sa loob din ng classroom and malinis siya.

Mukhang nagustuhan naman siya ng anak ko. hehe

Tuition fee is 6k plus inclusive of books and notebooks.

They have a 1 week summer class for free. Para daw makilala na agad ng mga bata yung magiging classmates nila. Para sa totoong class na e hindi sila iiyak kasi naninibago sa environment.

Ok na kaya to? We will still visit other schools na malapit din. Pero as of now, mukhang ok ako dito. hehe

[jhenpretty]

^ As you have mentioned mukhang ok naman. Puro halos positive yung naobserve mo sa school. Aside from that nagustuhan din siya ng anak mo so I think wala naman magiging problem. Good luck sis sa schooling ni baby.

[DV]

My daughter can already write and has a good tripod grip. May homework sila over the weekend to color a few objects. Nagulat ako nung nag-color sya, biglang nag-fist grip. I asked her why she was holding her crayon like that, she said that's how her classmates did it in school. I understand iba-iba ang bata sa pre-school, pero nag-worry naman ako nang konti kasi parang naa-undo ba yung itinuro ko sa kanya sa bahay bago pa sya mag-school. Ginagaya kasi nya yung mga classmates nya. Nagiiba na rin ang pronunciation nya ng ibang words, yung intonation, etc. Paranoid ba ako? What changes did you notice in your children when they started schooling?

[marose17]

^ It depends on the preschool and the teacher talaga, sis.  If the teacher has observed that your daughter already has the proper grip, she should have encouraged her to do so.  Maybe you can write Teacher a note or discuss it when you take your daughter to school or if walang opportunity to talk, sa parent-teacher conference.

As for my sons naman since hindi ko sila pinahawak ng pencil or anything before they went to school for fear na baka maging mali kasi hindi ko matututukan (*I work full time), I can say that preschool helped a lot.  Since they're in a Montessori school, hindi sila nag-start sa pencil and paper exercises agad.  They did a lot of practical exercises to refine their fine motor skills and their grip.  Examples are spooning, buttoning, zippering, using chopsticks, using tongs to transfer materials from one vessel to another, etc.  All of these were undertaken BEFORE they even held a pencil.   The first exercises with a pencil and paper involved tracing using Montessori's metal insets.

Admittedly, late sila dito sa aspect na ito so they underwent occupational therapy last year (age 4 sila) to help refine their grip and strengthen their hand muscles kasi concerned na kami and their developmental pedia as to why weak pa din ang grip nila.  In a few months though, their tripod grip greatly improved and during the second semester, they started writing their name.  So masasabi ko it's all a progression and I am satisfied with how the school and their teachers addressed my sons' weakness in this aspect.  It helped that our dev pedia used to send her kids in the same school so it was very easy to coordinate.  Work in progress pa din ang writing nila but I don't expect naman my sons to have perfect handwriting overnight.   My sons now like writing (sometimes haha),  painting and coloring and I credit the school for not forcing them to work with paper and pencil before they were ready. 

Other changes I noticed with my sons: they became more self-reliant, more confident to speak out, more friendly to other kids and more polite.  I am really happy about their progress in preschool.

If your daughter continues to regress in order to be at par with her classmates (she may be unsconsciously doing so), then you really have to discuss your concern with the teacher.

[DV]

^Thanks, marose17! Actually, before classes started, in-assess muna ang mga bata para malaman ng teachers how to handle each child, tapos ang seatwork nila depende sa skill level nila. This school doesn't believe in grade acceleration kasi baka advanced in other areas but needs improvement in some naman, so to address this medyo individualized ang turo sa bata. So about my daughter's grip, I wanyed to write her teacher a note about it kaya lang nagdalawang isip ako kasi the teacher might think pinangungunahan ko sya o baka isipin nya nagmamagaling akong magulang, na baka hindi nya intindihin ang anak ko since marunong na ngang magsulat. Hindi ko pa matimpla yung teacher e.

I'm also wondering if the fist grip is an essential step in learning to write that my daughter might have missed. At 2 usually naka-tripod grip na sya siguro from observing me, kahit di ko pa sya tinuruang magsulat noon. We also did a lot of fine motor excercises, so mas refined sya in this area; gross motor skills ang mas delayed sya kaya pinag-gymnastics ko nung summer.

Yung goal namin sa pagpasok nya sa preschool is mainly for socialization, since natutukan ko na naman sya sa ibang bagay. But I didn't want naman sana for my child to 'regress.' Maybe I should just wait for the PTC para more proper venue. Thanks for the suggestion.

Great to know your children are doing well in school.

[marose17]

^ The first grip is not a prerequisite in learning to write.  Some kids, like your daughter, could do the tripod grip without going through the awkward first grip.  I have seen this in some of the classmates of my sons, notably the girls, and diyan, nag-panic ako kasi nga my sons were in the first grip pa lang pero yung ibang girls (may isa nga na a few months younger pa) good na ang tripod grip.

If there is an individualized curriculum for each child, all the more that you should call the attention of the teacher.  But yes, it would be prudent to wait a little more.  Just guide your daughter na lang para hindi naman siya mag-regress.  Sayang naman kasi the skills she has acquired through your teaching. 

Huwag kang mahihiya to communicate with your daughter's teacher.  My satisfaction from my sons' preschool is due largely to the fact that there is open and regular communication among the parents and teachers.  For your kid to thrive and develop her full potential, and also to maximize what the school has to offer, you should really treat the teacher as a partner in raising your child. 

[ceejhei]

sis marose17 me too im a working mom. the yaya lang ang nag llook over sa tot ko most of the time. I asked the yaya to ask the teacher kung anong feedback sa daughter  ko, nakakalimutan naman daw niya tanungin. Is it appropriate to write a letter? I really want to talk to the teacher on how my daughter behaves in school.. everyday naman may mga stars siya, minsan 3 stars pa nga.

also i have some question about how they teach the kids.. minsan kasi nagtataka ako, may sagot ang mga books niya, ang direction sa book, put a check mark on the pictures that starts with the letter A. ang ganda ng pagkaka check, parang hindi magagawa ng isang 3 y.o kasi my daughter draws a check mark na parang line lang na slant, yung nasa book ay parang check na kay villar na logo. hehe so i was thinking na baka may one on one sila. gusto ko sana mag leave sa work so i can observe. kaso i can't.

[marose17]

^ You can write the teacher a short note  or an email inquiring about your daughter's progress in school and mention the perfectly stroked check mark.    When is the PTC?  Ako kasi I normally write my observations or feedback in the journals that the school gives every other week.  Or pag urgent nga ang concern ko, I email the teacher or write a short note. 

[Dacian]

3yo na ba starting age sa pre-school dahil sa k-12?  kasi dati 4yo.  ngayon, 3yo na ba?

[marose17]

^ Sis, it is up to you kasi ang mandatory lang naman per the law is Kindergarten (5 years old) - may Republic Act/law na stating that Kinder is mandatory, paki-search na lang last year na-issue iyan.  You may opt to send your child to preschool at 4 years old, in which case, may 1 year of preschool siya before Kinder (2 years of preschool, including Kinder), or at 3 years old, in which case, may 2 years of preschool siya before Kinder (3 years of preschool, including Kinder).  Grade 1 kasi ngayon 6 years old na.

[cldy_1981]

At what age should kids already start going to school? How do you ladies scout and choose as to what type of school you will send your kids to? I was reading up on Waldorf Education and I'm confused with how different it is with a Montessori type of Education?

I live very near Ateneo/Miriam and I noticed that there are a lot of schools there for children but I guess what will be my basis for choosing what will be good for my child?