Parent's Week

When the teachers in Ascension Kindercare asked if any parents wanted to spend 1 - 2 hours in the school in June with their children's class and do some activities, I volunteered immediately. :P

One reason for the spontaneous reaction was to find out how how Nat and Matt are doing in school. Since they are spending 8 hours everyday, 5 days a week in the school, I think I should ensure that they are happy in the environment and like their friends and teachers. Another one was getting to know their classmates... and I also wanted take a look at the school's overall learning environment and whether it is conducive for the kids.

It was fine.. and the children seem to enjoy themselves.

An a scale of 10, I would rate the center - 7. Their schedule is pretty all rounded, including both languages, maths and music. They do hv time to watch TV, walkabouts in the neighbourhoods as well as little excursions to zoo and parks. At the same time, they also manage to instill some independence to the kids and taught them to do things for themselves.

However, there were a couple of times we noticed that Matthias' pants were soiled with dried feces when we brought him back home. And the teachers actually threw away the underwear before consulting us. Only after we highlighted that they may need to ask him conscientiously whether he need to poo, then it became better. Of cos, in a full day childcare, with a teacher ratio of 2 to 16 kids, I can't expect them to be attentive to all the details and be there for the kids for all their whims and fancy. But for kids at 2+ to 3 yrs of age, they should help them to verbalize their basic needs instead of leaving the kids to inform them. In any case, the experience is getting better in general.

Did story-telling in Matthias class, followed by some games which I gave out sweets as incentives. Matthias' teacher was so thoughtful to make this card for me the week after. She even got the children to put their finger prints on the cards. It was really nice of her, don't you think?