An impromptu visit was made at about 3:30pm. I thought it'll be a good time to go mid-day so I can observe the classes, children and teachers. I stood outside the gate and the teachers were cautious about letting me in. So I explained that I had an appointment with Jonathan. I was let in and tried my luck about going in to the school. A parent who had just sent her daughter there for a few months told me she's happy with the school. I looked around the compound and it was somewhat cluttered. They do have a lot of equipment; bicycles, a make-shift pool under a large tent, shoe cubbies at the porch, yada-yada.
One of my friends who has been there was right. The indoors were dim and cluttered. Not very spacious but let's look around the rest of the place. Jonathan led me to the office on the first floor. They really oughta spruce up the place. The office was messy with piles and piles of papers, books, files and whatnothaveyou. The guy even had trouble looking for the folders with information about the school such as fee structure, menu, etc.
He seemed easy to talk to and at times the arrogance and whinging do surface. He's really good with marketing, I must say. But is there substance to what's told, is another thing.
The classrooms and kitchen are not at all spacious. And if you have a thing for giving your child caffeine, this is the place for you. I asked the guy if he knew chinese teas have caffeine and he said he didn't know. Really? And the kids get chinese tea as one of their drinks in the menu aside juices.
They emphasize on Fastrac and have projectors for interactive activities. Much like what they have in the The Junior Academy in Bangsar Village except TJA is new and a lot more fancy with teachers who speak better English. The teacher student ratio is 2:6 so I was told. They'll be grouped together, 1 teacher will attend to 2 students and the assistant will watch or play with the others that makes up a total of 12 a class. So each pair takes turn. Jonathan insisted that the students go to school in uniforms. I asked why can't they be in everyday clothes. He said, "Because the school has to be respected."
Whoa!
This school has the tiniest kitchen that I've seen. And then I was later shown the cookie tins that he told me earlier about when I went through the menu with him. He tried to explain to me that the cookies/ biscuits the children get are cream biscuit and he had such difficulty explaining what is it to me. I asked, "Dichu mean the biscuits you get from pasar malam? Sandwiched biscuits? With cream in the center?" Anyway, he went on about the Fastrac program and Montessori method that they use. The toys and Montessori equipment need a good wash! And he told me they sanitize the toys and everything once a week. Ummm And like, where were they gonna put the towels up anyway, right?
I like that they have a huge outdoor compound. But I don't see the value in this place after talking to the principal and seeing the place for myself. Not convince, sorry. And for the price... no.
Jonathan said his dad is retired and he's giving something for him to do. The dad ferries the students within Taman Desa and for 1 way, the charges are RM80. And it's only for the mornings coz the dad's busy in the evenings. Thanks for the option but you might as well don't do it if you can't be committed to being a full time transport provider. I told him right off the bat that it's crazy pricey. And he asked me what was a reasonable price. I told him that the standard rate is RM100 to-and-fro within Taman Desa. As I was leaving, Jonathan said that the students are also required to bring their own towels everyday and the clothes have to be labeled. Why can't they change out the towels as and when needed? He said it's for hygiene purpose. To that I said, "Hygiene purpose, huh? I will hold you to that. I'd like to see that this place is properly sanitized and spruced up."
The other crucial questions I asked were:
What they do when a child is sick or falls sick while in school?
They don't allow a sick child to be in school and they will inform the parents if so, the standard answers. I wanted to make sure that the school will send my child to a clinic or the hospital if needed. He said they'll do that.
What do they do to discipline the children?
They talk at length to them and practice timeout.
What happens if a child is a biter or is aggressive towards the others?
Talk to them. Also, he said there was a troubled kid who was moved from one school to another and finally behaved a whole lot better since he went to ELC.
What about potty training?
They prefer the child to be somewhat potty trained when they join the school.
Minimum age to join?
18 months
But, even if my child is younger than that, they'll consider.
Any plans to move to another location?
No, but there are plans to expand in TTDI.
What's the capacity?
30 pax as of Jan 2012
48 pax maximum (as good as saying 50 with 10 a class for each age group. But he said 12 max in a class. Which is which?)
How many teachers are there in the school?
5
About time to pick-up your child in the evening, I was told that 6:30pm is it. No later than that and he wasn't flexible about it either. So, there you go. Good luck all you working parents... keep your fingers crossed that you won't be caught in a traffic. Because any later than 6:30pm, you'll be charged RM10 per hour subsequently.
This is another place where I didn't feel the teachers were very involved or connected with the children. I was also told by a birdie that the parents are promised all the fluff but they don't deliver what's promised. Let's just say that the little birdie is a reliable source.
http://www.earlylearning.com.my
*fee structure and other info will be uploaded at a later time.
