Al-Falah cooperates with renowned U.S. partner

JAKARTA (JP): An Islamic preschool, which combines Islamic teachings with an international education standard, was introduced in Cibubur, East Jakarta, on Friday. It is the first of its kind in Indonesia.

In this program, the Al-Falah preschool is cooperating with the renowned Creative Preschool in Tallahassee, Florida, which is a national model preschool in the United States.

Al-Falah has also hired Nadine Hoover Mandolang, an education consultant from the U.S., who also gives consultation to the Primary Education Quality Improvement Project at the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Under the cooperation, teachers from Al-Falah are trained on childhood development and education at special courses from the Creative Preschool.

Al-Falah's headmaster, Nibras O.R. Salim, said Friday that the school integrated seven centers required for educational development of children, especially for those between three years and six years of age.

She said the centers had been designed for each age development, so the children can learn to optimize their abilities and creativity.

"The system is unique because it encourages students to be more creative," Nibras said.

"For example," she said, "there is a musical center, where children can learn movement, rhythm and mathematics as well."

Mooseno, Al-Falah's foundation director, said that the preschool, despite the implementation of international educational standards, is most importantly based on Islamic teachings.

Dr. Pamela C. Phelps, owner and director of the Tallahassee Creative Preschool said that through the partnership, her school provides advice on child education and development to Al-Falah.

"But, of course, Al-Falah has its own way to implement what kind of programs it wants, with Islamic teaching and the government curriculum as its base," she said.

According to Phelps, who obtained her Ph.D from Florida State University majoring on early childhood development, preschools and playgroups hold an important role in influencing child development.

"Children from three years to four years of age do not have an understanding of the activities they play. For example, when they draw something they do not have any meaning," she said.

Phelps said that preschools and playgroups are institutions which professionally work to help push early age development as soon as possible.

"The reason is that when we educate children by the time they're on the elementary school age, it would be too late because they have already formed their own understanding," she said.

Citing an example, Phelps said that when children were given the chance to explore something they would think that reading is a fun thing to do, but those who were pushed to read by memorizing letters would stop doing it because they think it is not fun.

"It's just something they have to do," she said. (12)