Kindy Survey - early childhood education

Memandangkan usia Amir yang semakin lanjut ;p - bakal menganjak ke 2 tahun pada bulan September yang akan datang. Maka, kami mengambil keputusan nak hantar Amir ke playschool dalam masa terdekat atau selewat-lewatnya awal tahun depan.

Kriteria yang paling penting untuk pilih kindy ialah - Distance and convenience. So first step, kami survey kindy yang ada berdekatan rumah seperti Genius Aulad, CIC, Brainy Bunch Islamic Montessori (BBIM), Little Caliphs. Tapi terpaksa eliminate Genius Aulad sebab untuk 4-6 years old, and CIC untuk kanak-kanak bermula 3 tahun tapi dah potty training. Kami doubt Amir dah boleh independent without diaper by early next year.

So, two options left - BBIM and Little Caliphs. Survey kami ni focus pada kindy yang ada daycare sekali. Boleh hantar pagi-pagi dan ambil petang - full day program.


Last Monday, dah pergi tengok BBIM cawangan Bandar Tun Hussein Onn. Tempatnya okay, cikgu friendly and seronok tengok kids makan sama-sama, main sama-sama. Early this morning, ada study sikit pasal these two kindy from their websites.

	Brainy Bunch Islamic Montessori (BBIM)	The Little Caliphs Program (TLCP)
Website	http://islamicmontessori.com/bbimwp/	http://www.littlecaliphs.com/index.html
Founder	In January 2008, Mohd Fadzil Hashim bravely embarked on the New Year by purchasing their first kindergarten in Kajang. With a dream of an ideal world held very close to their hearts and supported by the strong desire to give back to the community, their first kindergarten was developed with so much thought and such care to become their children’s and their children’s friends’ dream school, and then later to act as the pilot for the BBIM franchise.	In 2003, The Little Caliphs Program was founded by Hajjah Sabariah Faridah Jamaluddin and her husband, Haji Roslan bin Nordin. The first is the academic author, whilst the later is the business author of the program.
Overview	Discovered in Italy by Dr. Maria Montessori over a hundred years ago, the Montessori “method” is an exceptional system which introduces unique ideas to children utilising materials, teaching them new concepts in an independent yet structured environment; establishing learning situations where peer interaction plays a crucial role in conveying and reinforcing the concepts being taught; and accomplishing all of this in a way that is, to the children, incredibly FUN!	The Little Caliphs Program (TLCP) is an Islamic-English-Creative pre-school program that helps pre-school children to realize their best spiritual, cognitive, socio-emotional and physical potential.
Mission	·      To produce a new breed of dynamic Muslims with Al-Quran and Hadeeth as their true guidance in life. ·      To produce a new generation of Muslims who are able to converse fluently in English. ·      To be a leading centre in mass producing qualified and trained educators in Islamic Montessori for the worldwide market. ·      To be the preferred brand of early childhood care and education institution for Muslim parents worldwide.	·      Our mission is to instill the LOVE of Islam and knowledge to young children ·      To give young learners a wonderful and effective learning experiences using best practices in early childhood education.
Starting Age	18 months – 3 years old (Playhouse)	3 years old (
Full day Programme	Play school + Day Care (9 hours)	Play school + Day Care
Curriculum	For playhouse: ·      Early Language: Beginning, Enrichment & Extension ·      Early Numbers: Beginning Concept of Counting ·      Early Islamic: Exposure to Islamic Lifestyle & Daily Practices ·      Movement Exploration: Large & Refined Motor Skills ·      Practical Life: Care of Self (e.g. Training for Bathroom Independence) & Care of the Environment ·      Functional Independence: Beginning Responsibility & Completion of Work Cycles ·      Grace & Courtesy: Living in Community with Others ·      Socialisation: Beginning Social Membership	In General: The subjects offered under The Little Caliphs Program meet the requirement of Pre-school curriculum published by Malaysia’s Ministry of Education, and more.  The subjects are listed below: •    Hafazan •    Iqra' •    Islamic Studies •   Islamic Mannerism •   English Language •   Bahasa Malaysia •   Mathematics •   Science •   Art and Craft •   Practical Life •   Physical Education •            Computer Appreciation
Fee Structure (Full Day)	Annual Registration : RM1060 Monthly Fee : RM620	Annual Registration : RM?? Monthly Fee : RM350
Campuses	http://islamicmontessori.com/bbimwp/our-community/our-campuses	http://www.littlecaliphs.com/cente.html

My review:

Background founders bagi kedua-dua kindy ni memang impressive. Idea yang diorang cuba ketengahkan berkenaan early childhood education, Islamic and English combination pun sangat bagus. Bila baca pasal diorang, kita pulak berangan nak jadi founder kindy kan...

In my opinion, approach yang digunakan BBIM iaitu Montessori sangat convincing berbanding Little Caliph. In fact, bila go through both websites, lebih banyak content and info di website BBIM berbanding Little Caliph. Especially BBIM's website talks in details pasal program yang diorang offer - playhouse and others.

Masa pergi BBIM haritu, memang dah certain akan masukkan Amir kat sana. Tapi bila tahu fee Little Caliph, half from monthly fee di BBIM, ada second thought jugak. Yelah, kalau la dapat berjimat sedikit sekarang, simpan untuk future education pulak. Tapi hati masih berat pada BBIM sebab lebih dekat dengan rumah.

Kesimpulannya, masih belum ada keputusan. Masih difikir-fikirkan lagi :)