Pre-school/playgroup and a 2 year old?

[jane01]

I live in Discovery Bay and have failed to find a playgroup for children over 2 where parents/helpers can stay. All the playgroups require you to leave the child once they turn 2 (except First Friends at the Marina Club, but we aren't members). There must be 15 different playgroups in DB and so far as I can determine all of them require you to leave your child. (Please correct me if I'm wrong).

My daughter loves the interaction with other children and the activities of a playgroup, but I don't think she is ready to be left. I'm certainly not ready to leave her.

Am I the only one who thinks 2 years old is too young to leave a child? Why the rush????

What do you think is a reasonable age? My friends in Australia didn't leave their children until they were over 3, which I think is more reasonable.

 

[svasbt]

jane01:

You're not the only one. Please contact D.B. Alliance Community Center, 1/Fl. in the Plaza (next to CwithanE). They have several toddler classes a week, for 2-3 years old. Each session lasts 1 1/2 hours, and adult supervision is required in all classes. The teacher speaks both English and Cantonese in the class. We're non-Chinese speakers, and this has been a great way to have our boy exposed to the local language.

Good luck.

 

[jane01]

Thank you very much svasbt ! I'm glad I'm not the only over protective mother. It is great to hear that someone offers what I'm looking for. Thanks again.

 

[Vivian]

Many of my neighbours send their kids to shool when their kids reach two. They think the kids can learn more in school than at home. I'm thinking of sending my daughter to school a little later. She still needs to wear a diaper for poo. So at this moment I prefer play groups with parents' supervision.

 

[Kate]

You do not need to be a member of the Marina club to attend First friends, please call Anna on 2987 2427 for details, my daughter absolutely loved going there. She now goes to a playgroup where I leave her 3 mornings a week, although I always said that I would never send her on her own so young, by the time she was 18 months old she was ready for this and it enabled me to have a break to get on with all the household chores (we didn't have a helper) and to spend quality time with her when she was at home. Another reason for sending her was that as most children her age were attending somewhere so arranging playdates in the morning was virtually impossible. Most of the playgroups will allow you to stay with your child for the first few sessions, some mum's/helpers have been known to attend every session for months until their child is ready to be left,

 

[Sandrine]

Yes people have been persuading me to send my daughter to pre-nursery too when she was 2 but we think it's too early. Kids might learn to be more independent after they start school but why the rush? We believe that she should at least be able to speak clearly before we leave her with the school, in case something happens and she can describe to us. So we put our daughter to a playgroup where a caregiver/parent is allowed. She's happy. When she gets a bit older, the school will ask the caregiver/parent to leave her for a short period to prepare her for real school.

 

[jools]

Hi,
I also live on DB and am very glad that I have read this thread. I have a two year old son and am a teacher of 11 years experience. I know 2 years old is too young for children to be left and also the placements I have visited seem to put alot of stock into formal teaching at this age. Children at two are at such a vital stage of their development. They need care and nurturing often in small social groups; not thrown into larger groups where they may not receive enough adult support in this social situation. If your child is ready fair enough, but even as a trained professional I have felt the pressure to place my child into a kindergarten; I know he's not ready and I want to be there to support him. I agree that at three children are more prepared for the rigours of a playgroup, though I would introduce them gradually before I was ready to leave them.
This is such a precious time in their lives what's the rush to move them into a playgroup. Educationally children learn just as much at home about life through fun activities and playing games in an environment where they can feel safe. There is plenty of time to learn counting and their ABC. Why not get out there and enjoy the environment and learn about life.
Sorry, I've got off my soap box now; just my humble opinion
Jools

 

[jane01]

Jools - so glad to hear that I'm not the only one. I'm even more impressed that my thinking is backed up by an expert - a teacher.

I didn't mention it in my previous post, but I totally agree with you that there is no need to teach young children ABCs and counting. My daughter might not be able to read D O G, but she knows what a dog is, she knows she is supposed to pat it gently, she knows they come in all shapes and colours and sizes. She knows they go woof woof. She squeals with delight when she sees a dog. She UNDERSTANDS dog, so much more important than being able to read three letters on a card. What use is route learning??? I really hope she will be able to enjoy learning. That way (hopefully) she will end up doing what she loves and she'll be great at it. Sooooo much better than a bunch of miserable (for example) lawyers or bankers who are just doing that job because they route learned their way to high marks at school.

Ok, off my soap box now too.

 

[svasbt]

jane01:

I think the classes at the Community Center are pretty much what you're looking for. Junior is still in the 1 1/2 - 2 years old class, so I can't say much about the 2-3 years old classes. But I can tell you about my boy's class. The under 2 years old session is for one hour. And within the one hour, the teacher divides it into 4 different quarters. The first quarter is for free play. The kids play together and learn to share toys, take turns, and tidy up at the end. The 2nd quarter is music time. They learn to use different kinds of simple musical instruments, dance to the songs (in English and Cantonese), and even learn new words through the songs. The 3rd session varies. On Mondays it's Art time, Wednesdays Story time, and Fridays Learn through Play time. We love the Art time in particular. The last 15 minutes, the kids sit down to have snacks together. The Center provides snacks, and we bring our own drinks. They learn to wash their hands before eating, take turns to serve one another, feed themselves, and tidy up after the meal. There are times that one or more kids are cranky in the class, but the parent/guardian will take care of her own charge. You pay monthly at the beginning of the month. It comes out to only $50 per session if you're a member of the Center. If you're not, it's $55. I highly recommend that you become a member as it only costs $50 a year for a family membership. Plus the Center offers different classes for older kids and adults, including oil painting and Chinese painting classes.

I'm not associated with the Center, just one of the moms that is thankful for the services it offers at a very reasonable price.

 

[Vivian]

svasbt

Hi, the class you described sounds very attactive. do you know if they have branches in other locations such as Ma On Shan?

Vivian