From Dawn Till Dusk

(Also posted in the Pinoy Moms Network. To view the other comments, click here)

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Since Nico started joining a Playgroup in Preschool, I observed an improvement in his socialization skills. Unlike before, he is now very enthusiastic at regularly greeting his Dada and me with very sweet “Good mornings!” upon waking up. This was perhaps because he had already adopted the “Good morning” greetings in school. Not only that. He’s span of attention likewise progressed with Nico being more attentive in listening to us while we talk. “We’re going to eat dinner now, turn off the TV,” he’s Dada would say. Then Nico would look at his Dada and confirm if indeed, he has to turn off the TV, “Kain na, off TV na?” And when he’s about to sit down on his chair, he would even be the one say, “Sit down properly sabi ni Teacher”. When he needs help in getting his toys from the storage boxes, he’s now mannered enough to say “Please, get the toy for me Mommy” and even willing to wait a minute of more in cases he needed help while at the same time we are still occupied doing something. “Wait lang anak, Mommy’s still cooking,” I often would say. Then Nico would politely reply, “Ok, wait muna Nico”.

I am truly proud knowing my Son is getting better in his EQ (Emotional Quotient) as it is my belief that just as IQ (Intelligent Quotient) is important, EQ should more so be as equally important. Having been in Preschool for almost three weeks now, I can say that my Nico have adjusted quite well to going to school already. In fact, during his no-school days, he would prod me early in the morning to bathe and dress him up as he assumed he will be going to school. Being excited to be with his peers, listening to his Teacher’s story for the day, doing some playful activities and some singing, it seemed to me that Nico has been viewing learning solely as play. And with these positive developments, I realized having some regrets for getting Nico involved in a Playgroup this late, most especially now that the school year is about to end by March.

By June, Nico will not be a salimpusa anymore as he will be attending the regular Nursery classes already. It will still be about four months from now but being the most alarmed Mom that I am, I am already panicking as to where we will enroll Nico. Of course, we are considering the school where Nico is presently going, it being very near at my workplace, but some teacher favoritism tales of his Nanny continue to be a main factor for us to have second thoughts.

The school, which claims itself to have child-centered activities and multi-media techniques in teaching, also boosts of having child-friendly classrooms—all of them fully air-conditioned, and some playground equipment which are housed in a secured and safe environment. I also particularly like the idea that the school has a low teacher-student ratio (one teacher and an assistant vs. about 7 kids) because at least each of the students can be given enough attention (I surely hope so). Lastly (though this is just mababaw), I love the kids’ uniform. There so cute especially those of the boys’ uniform. I imagine my Son wearing such cutie khakie shorts matched with a fine checkered green polo that’s custom-made for the students of the school by one of my favorite maternity and kiddie boutiques—the Big & Small Co.

However, the teacher’s favoritism is the one thing I do not like. Not only that this inappropriate teacher attitude results to having the other not-so-favored students to have low self-esteem, it also brings about some levels of hierarchy among classmates. Just last Thursday when I dropped by the school to bring in a container box for my Son, I noticed Nico’s teacher playing with only one student during the break. When she saw me stepping inside the classroom, she immediately hooked with the rest of the students as if she was enjoying the company of everyone. So this favoritism left us parents to still be undecided up to now. If we are going to enroll Nico in the Nursery Level, it is expected that the same Teacher will be the one to handle the class.

Since we reside in the Pasig area, some friends of ours have suggested several schools within the Pasig-Ortigas Area and perhaps my husband Jun and I will be going for a visit in these schools by the second week of March. While that is on the wait though, I’ve browsed through my favorite parenting resource online (but of course, it’s from the Baby/Parent’s Center) about ideas/tips on searching for the best Pre-School.

I was pleased with what I’ve researched here and here. But one interesting article that really glued my attention and called for some great pondering was about Preschool Philosophies/Programs. All the while that I’d expected to have gathered key characteristics / benchmarks on what the “Best” Preschool should be, it was interesting and awakening to note that excellent school facilities and good school reputation weren’t enough criteria for me to finally be convinced and go ahead with enrolling my son. More than that, the article says that it is us parents that should determine what type of Preschool program is the most-suited for our child.

Below is the full text of the article:

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The top preschool programs and how they differ
By S. Jhoanna Robledo

Are you wondering what type of preschool is right for your child? Read on to find out the difference between a Montessori and a Waldorf school, for instance, and to pinpoint an early education philosophy that will best suit your child.

The Montessori program
Philosophy
Founded by pediatrician / psychiatrist Maria Montessori in 1907, Montessori school programs (there are over 5,000 in North America) emphasize the importance and connection of all living things, and the need for each person to find meaningful work and his or her own place in the world. Children learn about other cultures, animals, and plants in addition to reading, language, and mathematical skills.

Teachers — or “guides,” as they are called — take their lead from each child, whom they believe will learn at his or her own pace. Montessori programs encourage a child’s sense of independence: Children are always asked if they want to try a task, if they need help doing it, or if they feel they aren’t ready. Guides also like to involve parents closely in their children’s education — the teacher-student-parent bond is carefully cultivated.

In the classroom
The Montessori curriculum focuses on five areas:
• Practical life — Children learn how to tie their shoes and put on their coats, prepare their own snacks and drinks, go to the bathroom without help, and clean up after themselves if they spill something.
• Sensory awareness education — Exercises make sure children use all five senses to learn. For example, a child studying about fall gathers leaves and feels how brittle they are.
• Language arts — Children are encouraged to express themselves verbally and are taught to trace and recognize letters as a precursor to learning reading, spelling, grammar, and handwriting skills.
• Mathematics and geometry — Children learn about numbers through hands-on learning using concrete materials, such as the golden beads that represent the hierarchy of the decimal system, for example.
• Cultural subjects — Children learn about other countries (geography), animals (zoology), time, history, music, movement, science, and art.

All the disciplines are tied together in complementary ways. Toys and other developmentally appropriate learning materials are laid out in the classroom so a child can see what her choices are and then pick a task — called “work” — according to her interests. Work options include books, puzzle games, art projects, toys that test spatial relations, and more. When they’re done, children put their work back on the shelves and move on to something else. The daily schedule allows time for children to play alone or in groups.

Guides work with children as a group and one on one, but most of the interaction is among the children. In a Montessori school, teachers aren’t the only instructors. Older kids often help younger ones learn how to master new skills. That’s why each class usually includes children from a two- to three-year age span.

The length of the day depends on the school and the age of the students. A typical Montessori preschool program runs from 9 a.m. to 12 or 12:30 p.m. Most offer afternoon / early evening care, too.

Who it’s best for
“Kids who want a hands-on learning environment suited to their own needs,” says Chelsea Howe of the Montessori Foundation. Special needs children thrive, especially those with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or other learning or psychological problems, because of the individual attention teachers pay to each student.

Montessori schools believe in teaching children about a wide range of cultures, and most actively seek a diverse student body. If you’d like your child to be exposed to kids from all walks of life, this might be the place. Most Montessori schools take children starting at age 3 or 4, and prefer that they are able to go to the bathroom on their own. Some facilities offer limited programs for infants and young toddlers.

The Waldorf approach
Philosophy
According to Rudolf Steiner, founder of the first Waldorf school at the Waldorf Astoria cigarette factory in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1919, a person is made up of three aspects — spirit, soul, and body. The more than 750 Waldorf programs around the world aim to stimulate and develop these three elements in young children by immersing them in nurturing surroundings. Kids are encouraged to engage in creative free play rather than watching TV and videos and playing computer games because those activities get in the way of using all five senses to absorb and actively engage in life.

In the classroom
Waldorf early childhood teachers try to create a comfortable, homelike environment that offers children plenty of opportunities to freely imitate what they see and to indulge in creative play. Daily activities range from painting, coloring, singing, and reciting poems to modeling with beeswax, baking bread, building houses out of boxes, sheets, and boards, and dressing up and pretending to be parents, kings, and magicians.

Who it’s best for
Waldorf programs tend to be more group-oriented than those at Montessori schools, for instance. If your child thrives on order and rhythmic repetition, this may be the best option. But a Waldorf education can benefit almost any child, says Patti Regan of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America. Waldorf teachers believe that even children with special needs can bring something important to a group. However, the program is not recommended for children with severe developmental disabilities.

The High / Scope approach
Philosophy
The High / Scope program is based on the theory that children need active involvement with people, materials, ideas, and events. It is a curriculum of “shared control” in which adults and children learn together. Like Montessori, the core belief is that children learn best by pursuing their personal goals and interests. In High / Scope, however, children are encouraged to make their own choices about materials and activities — teachers are trained to support this independence and decision-making. The High / Scope approach is newer than the Montessori approach but has four decades of research proving its effectiveness in promoting children’s development.

In the classroom
The High / Scope curriculum identifies 58 key experiences preschool children should have. The experiences are grouped into ten categories:
• Creative representation — Imitation, recognition, role playing
• Language and literacy — Talking, describing, scribbling, dictating stories
• Initiative and social relations — Making choices, problem-solving, relationship-building
• Movement — Bending, running, dancing
• Music — Singing, playing instruments
• Classification — Describing shapes, sorting, matching
• Seriation — Arranging things in order
• Numbers — Counting
• Space — Filling, emptying
• Time — Starting, stopping, sequencing

Computers are often a regular part of the High / Scope program; teachers select developmentally appropriate software for children to use when they want to.

Individual programs decide the length of the school day. They may be part-day or full-day and operate in a preschool or a childcare setting. Hours are flexible and depend more on a family’s circumstances and needs than the High / Scope program itself.

Who it’s best for
The High / Scope program is a good fit for any child who needs individual attention. It was originally created for at-risk urban children and used successfully in conjunction with the government’s Head Start program. Today it is more widely used in a variety of preschool settings. It’s also effective for children with developmental delays and learning disabilities because it is tailored to each child’s individual level and pace, explains Ann Epstein, a developmental psychologist and director of the preschool department at the High / Scope Educational Research Foundation. If you want your child in a very structured, adult-directed environment, High / Scope may not be the way to go.

While the key parts of the High / Scope program kick in during the preschool years — ages 3 and 4 — some facilities have “curricula” in place for infants and young toddlers, too. Whether a child needs to be toilet trained before starting is up to each facility, Epstein says. Some preschools / care centers are licensed to take children in diapers; others aren’t.

The Bank Street approach
Philosophy
The Bank Street method focuses on child-centered education. Bank Street-trained teachers aim to foster children’s development by offering diverse opportunities for physical, emotional, cognitive, and social growth. Bank Street programs (available around the world) are based on the belief that children are active learners, explorers, experimenters, and artists. The programs take into account that children learn at different rates in different ways. They believe learning should encompass several subjects at once and occur in collaborative groups.

The curriculum is based on the idea that if children can learn about and study the human world, they can make sense of what they encounter. The best way to do that, according to the Bank Street philosophy, is for children to focus on five key social studies subjects: cultural anthropology, history, political science, economics, and geography. Arts and science education is woven in with social studies-centered lessons and activities that help children find meaning in the world around them.

In the classroom
Children usually play with toys and materials that leave a lot to their imagination — blocks, water, art materials, clay, puzzles, and so on. They can choose what they want to play with and can work by themselves and in groups. This helps them learn in their own way, at their own rate.

Who it’s best for
Like Montessori and High / Scope, the Bank Street program is a less structured one, leaving a lot of discretion to individual teachers and children to decide what to work on and when. If your child does well with a free-form schedule, she should be fine at a Bank Street-based preschool.

The School for Children at Bank Street College in New York City takes children starting at age 3; other schools that use the Bank Street approach generally follow the same guidelines. The on-site center at the college also cares for infants starting at 9 months.

Other types of preschools
Hundreds of independent preschools and childcare centers around the country don’t follow any one of the preceding approaches to the letter, but instead mix and match various elements of them to form their own program. Activities and curricula based on the work of Jean Piaget, a Swiss development / education pioneer who died in 1980, are also popular, as are schools modeled after hugely successful preschools in Reggio Emilia, a town in Italy. Finally, a large number of pre-kindergarten programs follow the educational paths laid out by companies like Teaching Strategies Inc., a for-profit enterprise that publishes the Creative Curriculum series of books and teaching guides. A somewhat similar program known as the Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence is also gaining in popularity. (Click these links to visit the Creative Curriculum and Core Knowledge Web sites.) If you’re considering a preschool without a strong affiliation with one of the groups just described, ask what the school’s philosophy is in the interview to determine whether it will suit your child. See our preschool interview sheet for specific questions to ask.

Many parents also opt for church- or temple-run programs, which can vary widely in their philosophies and classroom activities. Some make learning about the religion a part of the daily routine; others barely touch on any religious messages. If you’re considering a church-based program, visit the school and talk to the teachers so you can find out more about their approach.

Community organizations, including the YMCA, often have preschool programs as well, and many towns have independent schools not affiliated with any particular educational approach. Some large companies also have in-house programs run by organizations such as Bright Horizons or Childtime Learning Centers. These programs may be more likely to function as daycare for older children than structured school environments, though. Be sure to dig around and find out if the one you’re considering offers what you want for your child.

Some parents who feel like they can’t find the perfect fit for their child opt to join a parent-run cooperative preschool or start one of their own. In these schools, parents take turns volunteering as teachers and caregivers. All of the members meet and agree on what activities the children will pursue. It takes a lot of time and energy, but running a co-op nursery school can be very rewarding.

No matter what type of preschool you choose, the most important thing to think about is whether your child will be happy there. The main goal is for your child to enjoy his time with other children and to develop a curiosity and love of learning. Formal education will come soon enough.

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Now these resource was really helpful. The next move now would be to determine what program/philosophy is most suited for Nico which I will post an entry about in the coming weeks.

With these as guidelines, I hope we would find not really the BEST Preschool, but the most-suited for our budding Preschooler!