Isn’t it ironic that selecting the right preschool for my daughter is no child’s play?
Here I am looking at colourful webpages of preschools, setting appointments to view play spaces where she could have fun, and … trying to reconcile it with the fact that the decision I make will have an impact on the rest of her life.
Gone are the days where preschools are there just to provide children with a basic education and to interact with other children. With education standards increasing, it’s no wonder we parents spend hours selecting the perfect preschool to best develop our child’s mind, character, inculcate the love of learning and to hopefully give her a head start for medical school, or a high flying CEO position. That’s not too much to ask right? (I’m –partly- joking, of course.)
After hours of doing research, I discovered the Mulberry Learning chain of preschools. At first glance, it met all of my basic criteria, but on exploring further, I can’t help but be impressed by how Mulberry structures its curriculum and physical spaces to ensure that their students experience an amazing adventure. Not satisfied with just looking through their website and ogling over their pictures, I signed up for a school tour via their website to learn more about the preschool and their programmes.
School Tour
Going around their venue, I realized that it’s probably not a coincidence that Mulberry was voted “Best in Promoting Positive Learning” by Parents World Magazine. For parents who are concerned about the quality of hours that your child is spending in pre-school, don’t worry. After speaking to the Principal, I found it very reassuring that Mulberry was very clear about the holistic development outcomes that they wish to inculcate in every child, regardless of whether the child is going for their Infant Care, Pre-Nursery, Nursery or Kindergarten programmes. Whether you opt for their half day or full day programmes, I personally felt assured that my child was going to benefit from the long hours spent there.
In addition, Mulberry is the first preschool to be certified by the Institute for Habits of Mind and that they will be implementing it in all activities with the children. This is a method of training the child to solve problems using creative and critical thinking, which allows them to build character and soft skills like persistence, humility, teamwork etc. For example, the children are encouraged not to give up and to help each other when attempting a more challenging activity.
After listening to all the bad rep the future generation has been receiving, the most famous being the term “ the strawberry generation’, I think that this is definitely an edge for my child and something I hope more preschools will adopt.
Read on to find out what other factors sets Mulberry apart from the rest of the preschools!
Even though my school tour was cut short due to my schedule (I wished I had stayed longer!), I could tell that their teachers were extremely well trained, and seem very caring and responsible in ensuring the well being of every child under their care. They conducted the classes with an infectious enthusiasm, which encouraged the children to immerse themselves in the lessons even more. At the same time, the focus on play while learning, and all the fun hands-on activities (designed to develop a child’s gross motor skills)was something that my daughter seemed to enjoy tremendously. It was actually harder to get her to leave than to participate! You might want to bring your child to their Open Day events to participate in their activities and for you to get a better feel of the center as well as to mingle around with the staff and Principal of the centers and get your questions answered.
There are different objectives and curriculum frameworks for each level, for instance, in their infant care, there are programmes which stimulate and expose them to music and languages, build their muscle strength and hand to eye coordination via their baby gyms etc.
The first thing that caught my eye the moment I stepped into the center was the vibrant colourful spaces. I soon found out that Mulberry actually puts in effort into designing their learning spaces with the objective of getting children excited about exploring and discovering new things. Even as an adult, I have to admit that even I became excited that the center looked more like a play gym!
The Principal explained that their vibrant learning spaces are inspired by Reggio Emillia, recognized worldwide for innovative education practices. Taking it one step further from just providing colourful spaces and vibrant murals, these spaces are equipped with items carefully curated to encourage the child to explore, be creative and build on their cognitive thinking skills. With spaces like the ‘Transient Art Corner”, “The discovery Cove” and the “Atelier in Action”, I was convinced that this is what sets Mulberry apart from other preschools and learning centers.
Keen to let your child try out selected activities at Mulberry? Find out how you can sign up for their Lego Themed Open Day on the 20th and 27th of August 2016 !
Mulberry is also part of a network of centers that is owned by Global Eduhub, an education network with 14 brands and over 30 schools of infant care, preschools, student care and enrichment centers. Currently there are 8 Mulberry Learning preschools around Singapore and 2 in Australia, a plus point for parents who want a quality education for their children but do not want to travel too far.
As parents we can’t help but want the best for our children, given that a good education will give them a head start in an ever-competitive landscape. As the Chinese Proverb goes, “ Learning is a treasure that follows its owner everywhere”, and I feel that our roles as parents is to prepare them as best as we can.
For more information on Mulberry preschools, you can visit their website at https://mulberrylearning.com/. You can also register for a school tour on the website itself or bring your child to participate in their upcoming “Lego-Themed” Open Day on 20 and 27 August 2016. You can register for the Mulberry Open Day Events on their website.