Kinderland

It's been 2 years since we began our new life here in Ipoh.

When we first arrived in Ipoh, my daughter was only 4, not yet attending kindergarten. So along with all the other settling in issues, I did the rounds to find a suitable kindy for her.

These days parents agonise over which kindergarten, which primary school, which secondary school. Back when I was a child, the search for the suitable school was not such an intense, research-based and discussed topic! Sure, my parents sent my brother and me to the reputable schools of the day, but as for kindergarten, the one closest to home was the priority.

I finally decided on Kinderland behind Heritage Hotel for my daughter, not too far from home. And some good feedback I obtained from a past student's mother. Of course, I did get a very negative feedback from someone else too. There is always the dark side to the "force"!

My review of Kinderland?

Now in her second year in Kinderland, my daughter is happy there. She did not have an easy settling-in time. Many children begin their kindy years from the age of 4 or younger. My girl joined when she was 5, so she was the new kid on the block. You remember how hard it is to break into established social circles, don't you?

Kinderland runs 2 streams - English (for those going to Kebangsaan or private schools with no Mandarin component) and Chinese (gearing for the Chinese medium schools). I enrolled her into the Chinese stream, and she did not speak Mandarin when she started. So it was a double whammy for her. She cried for 3 months! And I had to be there. I almost broke and considered changing her kindergarten. But there is no guarantee she would be happier some place else. So I hung on.

Today, my girl converses easily in Mandarin, English and a smattering of Bahasa Malaysia. She has built her social confidence and her own circle of friends. Some of the children who did not accept her into their circle at first, still do not do so today, but she doesn't mind as she has other friends. And I tell my daughter that you can't be friends with everyone, and indeed, some people are not worth the effort. I noticed that my girl is rather popular with the boys, and it is cute to see the boys bringing her shoes and water tumbler to her at dismissal time!

Kinderland gives the children homework everyday, with spelling tests of 5 words and one sentence for each of the 3 languages weekly. And of course, the term assessments. Academically, I hear that Kinderland is not as tough as, say, Mariaville off Jalan Tambun or "Wai Lei" near Jalan Yang Kalsom in town. Apparently those 2 kindies give tons of homework, and teach Standard 1 material, with 20 words for spelling each time! 20 words? Phew!

If you are the sort of parent who wants your child to super excel academically and shine in Standard 1, you might want to go for Mariaville or "Wai Lei". You will find Kinderland too laid back, as Kinderland strives to provide a balanced and rounded education experience. Kinderland arranges excursions each term to, for example, the pet shop, stud farm, parks and the state library. There is also plenty of arts and crafts. And their annual concert is a really big deal. The principal and teachers put in a tremendous amount of effort into the concert, and the kids get to sing, dance, deliver speeches, play instruments. Quite good fun, as is their annual sports day.

My daughter is not overly burdened with homework until she detests doing it, and she is happy to practise for her spelling tests. I find the teachers at Kinderland caring, contrary to the negative remark I heard early on. If your child is absent for more than 2 days, Kinderland will give you a call to find out if everything is ok.

I believe Kinderland receives more children under its daycare wing rather than its kindergarten arm. The sleeping facility in Kinderland is excellent, with each child provided with his/ her own sleeping cot in a large dorm-like room (not sleeping on the floor like some kindies or daycare I have seen). Kinderland provides breakfast, morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack for those under daycare. Their young charges range in age from infants to primary school children.

Overall, I am quite happy with Kinderland.