Should I enrol my 2 year old son for half day childcare or 2hrs playgroup?

[Judy]

Hi Ladies

My son will be turning two next year. I am poundering on whether to send my child to a half day childcare centre or a 2hr playgroup. Can anyone of you share your experiences with me?

You see, my child is currently cared for by my mum and my maid when i go to work. My maid is a philipino and she speaks some good english. She also can read and sing to my child in english. His cousins always come over to play with him too at least once or twice a week.

Hence as you can see, the current arrangement seems like a good one but I wonder if I should nevertheless still send my child to attend childcare or playgroup.

 

[eelynn]

Hi Ladies

My son will be turning two next year. I am poundering on whether to send my child to a half day childcare centre or a 2hr playgroup. Can anyone of you share your experiences with me?

You see, my child is currently cared for by my mum and my maid when i go to work. My maid is a philipino and she speaks some good english. She also can read and sing to my child in english. His cousins always come over to play with him too at least once or twice a week.

Hence as you can see, the current arrangement seems like a good one but I wonder if I should nevertheless still send my child to attend childcare or playgroup.

Hi judy,

My 3rd boy juz turned 20mths on 28th sept. I have sent him to a half day childcare wen he was 18th mth. It is a good exposure for him to mix around with other children of his age or older or younger den him.Eversince i sent him there, he seems more approachable to ppl outside n he is more friendly nw. And he learns to speaker faster wen he is at school coz monkey see monkey do mah. At this age, wat i feel is they are absorbing alot in wat they learn n see dats y i sent him to childcare to learn more wen he is at this curious stage. U can ask the school if u can let him have a trial for a few mths n u decide frm there. Wat we can teach at home might nt b enough compare with those experienced teachers n the materials they have.

 

[Ting]

hi judy, since you hv ppl to take care of him, then u can consider putting him in the playgroup.
why so is bcos, your maid do read n sing to him in english, u can also buy more books for her to read to him, or flash cards.
he is alr exposed to other kids which r his cousins.
sending him to playgroup will be just nice as he will be exposed to the outside society, so tt he will not get scared when he starts pre sch.

 

[Judy]

Hi Ladies

Thanks for the advice. And I do agree with all of you and hence I am now torn between sending him to half day child care or just 2 hour play group. Also does anyone has any good pre-school to recommend in Woodlands? I am considering either Kinderland or Little skool programme. Can anyone of u advice which is better etc?

 

[yan2]

Hi Ladies

My son will be turning two next year. I am poundering on whether to send my child to a half day childcare centre or a 2hr playgroup. Can anyone of you share your experiences with me?

You see, my child is currently cared for by my mum and my maid when i go to work. My maid is a philipino and she speaks some good english. She also can read and sing to my child in english. His cousins always come over to play with him too at least once or twice a week.

Hence as you can see, the current arrangement seems like a good one but I wonder if I should nevertheless still send my child to attend childcare or playgroup.

I suggest to send to 2hrs playgroup not half day childcare.

If you sent your child to half day childcare, i believe you only send your child just before 9am because you have helper and your child doesn't need to wake up early. At 9 - 11am, its lesson and playtime. Then after that they will prepare the children for lunch and shower. Why need to have lunch in the childcare, can go home to nice home cooked food. Teachers in children care tends to be less energetic, they worked 7am to 7pm as compared to teachers in center(non-childcare)

Having a good english speaking maid is a bonus to you but dun depend on her too much. Its tiring for her to do housework and also looking after the child at the same time.

 

[Judy]

Hi Yan

Thanks for the good advice there and for letting me know how child care centre works. ancing_wub:I now think that 2hr playgroup seems to be the better option for my child.

As for my maid, I am indeed thankful that she speaks good english and can sing and dance with my kid and keep him occupied. To me, it's always abt baby first and housework later and so far this approach seems to work up well. My maid will only do housework when baby is asleep or when my MIL is taking care of him.

 

[Ting]

little Skool Programme is it LSH (little Skool House) ?

 

[Judy]

Hi Ladies

I just enquired abt the programme and cost at Kinderland and wow..I find the price quite ex....for half day childcare they are charging $508 after govt subsidary. For kindertots programme which runs only twice a week on the weekends for only 1.5hrs will cost $170 for 8 lessons only.

Then I also enquired from the my first skool by NTUC that is near my place but found out that they only offer full day childcare and no half day nor 2-3hours programme for toddlers. However their full day charges are alot less than Kinderland. They are charging like $315 after subsidary. :-(

 

[stonston]

Hi Ladies

I just enquired about the programme and cost at Kinderland and wow..I find the price quite ex....for half day childcare they are charging $508 after govt subsidary. For kindertots programme which runs only twice a week on the weekends for only 1.5hrs will cost $170 for 8 lessons only.

Then I also enquired from the my first skool by NTUC that is near my place but found out that they only offer full day childcare and no half day nor 2-3hours programme for toddlers. However their full day charges are alot less than Kinderland. They are charging like $315 after subsidary. :-(

Do compare the syllabus & program at Kinderland & NTUC before you judge the price. If you are comparing these 2, I'm quite sure to say that it will be worth every cent you pay. Kinderland has a very strong syllabus that is not only academic based, it's always fun & learning through experience.

There's no Kinderland near my place or my parent's place, else I'll put my kiddo there too. I love Kinderland YCK the most. Big & spacious, clean & school-like with canteen & classrooms.

If budget is a constraint, you can try the weekend classes for a start. Then sign up for Kinderland Kindergarten when your child is 3yo.

 

[iBaby_Mum]

I search around last time for my elder son. My finding is for 1/2 day Childcare, it is never worth it. The price for 1/2 and 1 full day childcare is not linearly proportional. Some centres like MMI, the price diff is only like $100!.

Anyway, I send my son then 2 years old to those RC type downstairs for him to mix around. Price is good (~$140/month) and it is daily for 1-2hrs (can't remember). They learn a lot of things and did a lot of handicrafts. But I actually my aim is for him to interact and socialise with people of his age group.

When he is older (3 years old), I sent him to Kinderland Serangoon, daily 3 hrs lesson.

I recommend that you don't look for childcare centre for the 2hrs lessons. Look for those that only provide 2hrs lessons for your little darling.

 

[Judy]

Hi Ladies

Thanks for the advice. I am still scouting around now in Woodlands and are likely to settle for the 2hrs Kinderland programme for a start. Meantime, if anyone of u know of other childcare centre in woodlands that have good english speaking teachers and clean amenties etc, pls do share the info here. Thanks!

 

[jannalin]

Hi, i'm an experienced pre-school teacher now SAHM. My kids are both 4 and 8 yrs old now. I started doing playgroup style cum phonics teaching with them when they were 2/3 yrs old. Both started reading elementary books and able to spell many words by age 3.

Many parents sent their kids to phonics at the age of 4 and some kids at age 5 still unable to spell or read well. In fact, once a week phonics class is not enuf. At least 2 times a week is more effective. Giving toddlers early exposure to phonics with effective material and fun lesson plan is beneficial. My girl loves reading and without tuition and the need to do assessment book, she's the top scorer for English in P1. Her strong English foundation will not be possible if i did not expose her to phonics at an early age. There are many phonics material sold in bookstores and internet but many are not interesting. The one i have is used by a popular playgroup and my 2 kids love it and listen to it many times which is impt for their learning process.

Thus, I'm thinking of starting a training course to mothers who wants to learn how to teach phonics YOURSELF effectively. It's oso good bonding time with your kids and with those who have more than 1 child, it's even better to do it together. U can bring yr kid along as long as they dun distract you. Lesson plan, CD and material will be included. I will teach hand actions on songs and rhymes as well as ideas on art and craft to make the whole teaching session meaningful.

Details as follows:-
- 6 to 8 week course
- 2 hours per SESSION, once a week
- Weekday morning except Thurs (pls state your preference)
- Time : 9.30 to 11.30 am (time can be adjusted)
- $50 per SESSION (including lesson plan and craft material)
- Phonics Book and CD to be purchase at $20/- per set.
- Location : Sembawang[/font]
This phonics course is basic phonics comprise of Consonants and Vowels. Suitable for children upto 4 yrs old.

Alternatively, if there's enough kids (5 of them), i'm keen to start a home based playgroup cum fun phonics for 2-3 yrs old with adult (caretaker) sit-in. 2 or 3 times per week.

If you are interested, pls email to me at jannalin_mrc@hotmail.com

All enquiries are welcome