Smart Reader Kids

Firstly, the minimum age for enrollment is at 3 and a half years old.
The place is small with 15 students altogether in 2012.
I like the small numbers, not the tiny space. But, it's well kept, clean and tidy.
It is a pre-school/ kindy without the outdoor compound.
It runs only for half-day from 8:45am to 12pm only so no daycare program.
I met one of the teachers who spoke really well and has a really pleasant personality. The principal is Puan Mila who isn't the best with PR but bearable.

This place feels more like an enrichment centre to me than a school. They do cover all the necessary subjects like English, math, BM, Mandarin, science with the addition of kindercooking and Moral. 

3Q MRC Junior

I spent a really short time in this pre-school/ kindy.
The principal was friendly. The place however, needs major refurbishing.
They have sports day sometime in May and field trips are twice a year. Parents of the 3 year old are required to go along with their child. The kids get to go outdoors once a week.
There is of course, uniforms.

It's heavy Mandarin, this place. Ideal for children who will be sent to Chinese schools. 
The teachers remind me of the ones I met in ELC, Rasberry, Totalchild, Chrisdale, JC Kids (now 101), Bright Horizon and Q-Dees. That makes up to all the other places I've checked out, right? Except for Le Sands because there's no chance to meet the teachers and you can't gauge the quality of the teachers like one mom told me. Anyway, I meant to say that the teachers don't speak well... in English, I mean.

The classroom for the 3 year old is sad looking. The windows are sealed and covered apart from the tiny space. The biggest room houses the older kids which they have 25 of them 5 year olds this year (2012). That's also the room where the children stay on for the daycare program sleep in.

The flash cards and materials they use are similar to what I saw in JC Kids/ 101. DIY and small.
The words flash cards are as small as a business cards so don't expect super large ones like Glen Doman's. There's nothing wrong with DIY materials though.

There's a one week holiday program which ends the last week of November or first week of December. No enrichment classes are available unlike some others do.

The only reasons I thought of seeing this place was so to satisfy my curiosity as I heard from a few other mothers that the place looks like a dump. Thought I'd update this blog with some info for you too. So, hopefully this blog has been helpful in your search although opinions differ.

Vital Years

This is an enrichment centre and the lessons are conducted in English. I did notice however, that the teachers didn't exactly speak in perfect English.

It's on a first floor of a row of shoplots, nestled between a cul de sac and a few condominiums (diagonally opposite Desa Villa). Just around the bend is where Chrisdale is.
The centre itself is basic. There's a library which looked really bare (not in the picture), the playroom is bare but one of the staff said they rotate the toys is why the room looks bare.
I waited to observe the storytelling session and was hoping that it's got some action or movement involved. The songs they sang had minimal action.
Not very interactive.

I wouldn't mind sending my child here just to socialize and get some exposure for twice a week....And only if the fees were more affordable.

The person in-charge of marketing (Suzanne) was really patient and she's also one of the 3 teachers there. She's so easy and wonderful to deal with. She even showed me all the books of all stages without me asking to see them. That's a first.
They provide a snack in the morning and Suzanne is the one to handle the potty time and diaper changes. She seemed very good with children.

Books can be loaned by the children as they cultivate a reading habit amongst the little ones.
There seems to be more memorizing of words from the reading books and worksheets with made me think if the students can read other books aside from the VY's books.

The children are involved in art & craft, reading, storytelling, worksheets, pre-writing and writing.
Some playtime like puzzles and toys, no outdoor activities.

The dedicated transporter charges RM4 per way within Taman Desa.
That's the most expensive around. More pricey that what ELC is charging for transport.

No uniforms for the children is required? I like.

101 Kids Kindergarten

This is in fact what used to be JC Kids. I thought to go see it anyway now that a new management had taken over. There's a slight reduction in the fees and apart from that, nothing else changed. The place is still as cluttered as I went to see it a year ago.
The principal is the same one and this time she really tried to be nicer to me. Sadly, she wasn't sure about the syllabus for next year. I think a lot of children had left too. They had the concert in that small space itself. The mediocre artwork and backdrop put up were unappealing.
The other things I asked about were the background of the teachers and who is the new management, what's different now and what brand of toiletries they use on the kids.
Not sure if the principal had lost steam or she just really knows jack about the school. Again, the principal didn't give clear answers because she boasts about the new management is an established tuition centre and has many outlets around. And she said they use, "mild one lah, mild one... suitable for the kids.. I dunno what brand because I don't go and buy the toiletries, you see... hehehe".
The other info I got was the fees get cheaper subsequently as the child is older. A difference of say, RM60 between babies-3yo and the 4yo class.  There are enrichment classes offered like art (3rd party teacher) and arithmetic. They do have primary school children there attending daycare too.


Related post:  JC Kids