School or just at home with moms?<\/p>\n
-----------------------------------------------------------------<\/p>\n
More and more moms and dads, including those from the lower
\neconomic classes, realize the importance of early education for
\ntheir children. What do they really have in mind when they think
\nabout the appropriate schools, teachers, facilities, activities
\nand toys for their children?
\n-----------------------------------------------------------------<\/p>\n
By K. Basrie<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): After weeks of carrying her cute 18-month-old
\nbaby girl to a number of places called preschools and playgroups
\nin South Jakarta, Lita Djajasari and her husband finally chose a
\nplace in Kemang for the early education of their beloved
\ndaughter.<\/p>\n
\"I saw that my daughter already like the place and the
\nenvironment, and I liked the way the teachers 'taught' the
\nchildren,\" the employee of a private TV station said.<\/p>\n
The teachers, she said, definitely treat the children
\ndifferently than older kids.<\/p>\n
\"I don't like teachers at such places to make the children,
\nfor example, play by certain rules. And I found so many places
\nwith those kinds of teachers. I really hate that,\" Lita
\nexplained.<\/p>\n
Another young mother, Ade, has a different mission in choosing
\na school for her two-and-a-half-year-old boy.<\/p>\n
\"I want the best for my kids. So, I picked the school that is
\nthe favorite among Jakarta parents,\" said the housewife, whose
\nEuropean husband works for an oil drilling company.<\/p>\n
Kumar, an Indian national married to a local nurse, began
\nbringing his three-year-old daughter to a child care center at
\nManggala Wanabhakti last year for a very clear and simple reason:<\/p>\n
\"Our pembantu (servant) was leaving. My wife and I have to
\nwork, and on the way to the gym in the same building I could
\nleave my child in the center,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Parents have various and distinct reasons for choosing the
\nright \"school\" for their adored toddlers.<\/p>\n
In Greater Jakarta, the fee for early education runs anywhere
\nfrom Rp 40,000 to Rp 5 million per month.<\/p>\n
For some, the cost is prohibitive and they are unable to give
\ntheir children the early education they would like to.<\/p>\n
But others realize that education is not free, and a proper
\neducation with qualified tutors and high-class facilities costs a
\nlot. Thus, they struggle to be able to afford the best for their
\nbeloved children.<\/p>\n
\"With strict planning, my wife and I have been saving for four
\nyears just for the first two years of our daughter's early
\neducation. But still it won't be enough, though we're ready for
\nthat,\" said Kumar, who last month enrolled his daughter in a
\nKinderland school in West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Experts have concluded that between the ages of three and five
\nis the \"golden period\" for children to learn, meaning that it is
\nthe appropriate time for parents to send them to places called
\n\"playgroup\", \"preschool\" or whatever.<\/p>\n
But those in the education business have their own ideas of
\nwhen it is appropriate to send children to \"school\". Some of
\nthese people have opened \"classes\" for six-month-old toddlers!<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, many working urban parents have chosen to send
\ntheir toddlers to these \"classes\", much to the delight, no doubt,
\nof these businesspeople. Jakarta and many other large cities
\nacross the country have witnessed a significant growth of such
\n\"schools\" for toddlers.<\/p>\n
Many parents decided to pack their toddlers off to school
\nsimply due to the absence of a servant. Others firmly believe
\nthat the earlier their children go to \"school\" the better,
\nbecause it will help stimulate and develop their motor and memory
\nskills.<\/p>\n
\"I'm against this theory,\" said Lita. \"The family is the most
\nimportant place for the children to grow up in, not a preschool.\"<\/p>\n
She said she sent her daughter to a playgroup in Kemang only
\nwith the hope that Gendhuk would learn how to share and interact
\nwith others.<\/p>\n
\"She's not studying there,\" Lita said.<\/p>\n
Senior psychologist Sartono Mukadis from the University of
\nIndonesia is quick to remind parents that the best \"preschool\"
\nfor toddlers is their home and their family.<\/p>\n
Any \"school\" open for toddlers as young as six months old is
\n\"obviously for commercialized purposes\", he said.<\/p>\n
\"There's no doubt about that,\" Sartono told The Jakarta Post
\non Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"Pak Fuad Hassan, when he was minister of education, banned
\nsuch activities because it's definitely incorrect.\"<\/p>\n
The operators and employees of such places, he went on, should
\nknow the laws of early education.<\/p>\n
\"How can you, for example, teach a baby to walk when he's not
\nyet ready to walk?\" Sartono said.<\/p>\n
He warned the government to pay serious attention to such
\nbusinesses, most of which carry the names of foreign flags and
\nnative speakers.<\/p>\n
\"What will happen is that this country will soon become a
\nwaste bin for foreign tutors coming here with these education
\nprograms, which have already been outlawed in their respective
\ncountries,\" Sartono said.<\/p>\n
He said he was shocked to see a number of preschools
\ncampaigning for their classes to use English in giving
\ninstruction to children two years of age.<\/p>\n
\"Come on,\" he said, \"how can parents expect their children to
\nlearn English at this age with one or two hours of instruction at
\nschool, when at home they have parents talking to them in (for
\nexample) the Betawi dialect?\"<\/p>\n
Sartono suggested parents be more wise when deciding on early
\neducation for their children. \"The proper age for children to go
\nto school is at the age of four or five.\"<\/p>\n
Before that, it is better for parents to play with their
\nchildren at home because playing is also teaching.<\/p>\n
\"But talk to them using the correct pronunciation. If you want
\nto say makan (eat), never say ma-nyam because they are in the
\nprocess of learning.<\/p>\n
\"Remember, their home and surroundings are a haven for them to
\nplay and learn,\" Sartono said.<\/p>\n
Lita agreed with Sartono. \"I don't have any hope that Gendhuk
\nwill learn proper English from her English-speaking playgroup,\"
\nshe said. \"And again, she is only there to play.\"<\/p>\n
The late Maria Montessori, Italy's first woman medical doctor
\nand a big name in education, said toddlers learned from their
\nnatural behaviors, such as playing, running and even breaking
\nthings.<\/p>\n
She believed children should be free to make up their own
\nactivities and do things on their own.<\/p>\n
\"Let the children do it themselves,\" said Montessori, who
\ndedicated her life to developing the field of child learning.<\/p>\n
She founded her first school, case dei bambini, in Rome in
\n1907. Although her teaching methods were designed for the
\nchildren of low-income workers, Montessori's educational system
\nspread throughout the world, creating an innovative and rich
\nenvironment for children to develop.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, Montessori is among the most expensive early
\neducation options.<\/p>\n
Selection<\/p>\n
So, how should parents select a suitable playgroup, preschool
\nor kindergarten for their children?<\/p>\n
\"I sent my first child to a playgroup similar to the one
\npicked by my neighbor. Later, I learned that my boy hated the
\nplace and the teachers,\" said housewife Dina.<\/p>\n
Lita recalled: \"I finally chose this one based on my personal
\njudgment and because I could see that my daughter really liked
\nthe place.\"<\/p>\n
But there should be some basic standards moms and dads should
\nlook for when selecting a place for their children.<\/p>\n
First of all is, of course, the physical condition of the
\nbuilding and the surrounding environment, whether it is healthy
\nand comfortable enough for your children. Remember, the toilet is
\na big issue here.<\/p>\n
Then, look at the available games and facilities, whether the
\nplace really understands the concept of indirectly teaching
\ntoddlers about colors, forms, size and distance.<\/p>\n
Now, get inside the classroom and see if it's set up for the
\nconventional \"talk and chalk\" teaching format, which will not
\nallow young children to move about.<\/p>\n
Then, study how the teachers behave. Do they effectively
\ninteract with the children, such as running, rolling on the floor
\nand squatting together with the kids, or do they make the
\nclassroom fell like a military barracks? Don't forget to observe
\nthe overall appearance of the teachers, including the tidiness of
\ntheir dress. Remember, teachers should be role models for the
\nchildren.<\/p>\n
Also, look at the teacher-student ratio. Some say one teacher
\nfor 10 students is the ideal ratio, though it is up to your
\nconsideration.<\/p>\n
The last thing to check out is the number of activities the
\nschool offers. The more activities the better to help develop the
\nvarious interests of the children.<\/p>\n
The very last thing is the cost and the distance from your
\nhome.<\/p>\n
But again, education is not free, right?<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/school-or-just-at-home-with-moms-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }