Different schools, different programs

Different schools, different programs

Debbie A. Lubis, Contributor, Jakarta

"I have five balls. Three balls are lost. Now only two are
left," said a preschooler at Gandhi Memorial International School
(GMIS). He was very excited to receive applause from the other
children during the session of "story sum", when the children
subconsciously learn to count while telling stories.

In another room, a group of young children were busily
following their teacher's movements. "I am Snow White," said a
little girl with a ponytail. "I am the bear," said a boy.

The young students were rehearsing for a play next week, one
of the regular early education programs at GMIS, which has
preschools in Ancol and Kemayoran, North Jakarta.

A.P. Singh, the principal of GMIS, said the school's early
years education programs were designed to help young children
develop their social skills and the feeling that learning was
enjoyable.

GMIS is one of the schools that has adopted international
curricula in their early years education programs. Although a bit
expensive, preschools with international curricula offer
numerous advantages for young children.

Most of their educational programs are tailored to meet the
social, physical, emotional and cultural needs of children. Most
of them also provide facilities such as swimming pools, indoor
and outdoor playgrounds, drama and music rooms, multimedia rooms,
libraries and canteen.

Lollypop Preschool also offers an international curricula.
Here students take field trips twice a year. They can also choose
extracurricular activities such as Mandarin, drawing, English as
a Second Language (ESL), piano, swimming, computer, ballet or tae
kwon do.

"We see that children not only learn lots of things, but they
must also have time to play and interact with peers within the
premises," said Linda Lesmana, the foundation head of all
Lollypop Branches.

Lollypop has adapted the "Character First" program from the
U.S. to teach children about values and to help them grow in
character.

English is used as the medium of instruction. However,
Indonesian is used in the preparatory stage so the children will
not have any difficulty when entering elementary school.
Established in 1993, Lollypop Preschool does not follow a certain
curriculum. It uses a method called the "eclectic" approach.

Every new academic year, the school revises and enriches its
curriculum to further suit each child's educational, social and
emotional needs. The focus of study is not only academics, but
also building the children's character. "Academics and character
building are the most important foundation for the children to be
successful in their future lives," Linda said.

Cambridge Child Development Centre, located in Pejaten, South
Jakarta, also has developed a curriculum and programs to promote
the holistic development of children's intellectual, cognitive,
physical, social and emotional skills.

To develop their moral values, and social and emotional
skills, every child at the school is encouraged to understand and
respect differences, and to promote good social interaction and
behavior among their peers and the adults around them.

"By promoting the development of intellectual/cognitive skills
in the children, we expect our children to be able to construct
problem solving/logical thinking skills, for instance through
science discovery activities, and to develop memory skills
through nursery rhymes or math,"said Dyah Ayu M. Larasati, the
center's curriculum specialist.

The center caters to children aged 18 months to six years.

According to Dyah, the center's curriculum contains a thematic
and integrated learning approach, so every child is an active
participant who will develop and construct his/her own knowledge
and ideas. Developmentally and age-appropriate topics are real
and commonly happen in the children's lives.

The school also encourages parents to be actively involved in
their children's learning by tracking and sharing any information
on their children's progress and development through a parent-
teacher communication book, regular parent-teacher meetings,
report cards, regular parent workshop. Or parents are
encouraged simply to drop in and discuss any concerns or issues
they may have.

Trilingual National Plus Preschool, affiliated with the German
International School Jakarta, integrates directed play, guided
play and free play in its teaching approach to guide the students
to be independent, analytical, creative and compassionate.

Located in Bumi Serpong Damai, Tangerang, the preschool is
designed to nurture students from three to five years old. The
preschool introduces students to three languages: Bahasa
Indonesia, English and German, for both Indonesian and foreign
students.

"Each learning center consists of various learning stations
that encourage students to learn through observation, exploration
and first-hand experiences within a given context. The homeroom
teacher is required to teach all subjects to their own class,
with the exception of the German language," said Su Sie Han, the
school's principal. Both formal and informal assessments are
given to students at the end of each term, as a means of
evaluating their progress.

Students at Kindergarten Deutsche Internationale Schule, part
of the German International School Jakarta, experience a sense of
security, acquire certain values, learn through all their senses,
deal with numbers, learn music and self-confidence, develop their
imaginations and creativity, exercise, relax, and experience
nature and culture.

The kindergarten and the preschool are integrated into the
German school, as regards the syllabus and organization. The
content corresponds with the German syllabus and principles, with
the aim of developing the children's personalities and to prepare
them for school.

Like other international schools, the Singapore International
School (SIS) also offers preschool education in addition to its
primary and secondary education programs.

"Students must be at least three-years-old to be eligible for
the nursery level, and six-years-old for the primary level," said
Jyoti Mayall, Principal of the Singapore International School
(SIS) at Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta.

The SIS was established here in 1997 to accommodate the
children of expatriates who work in Jakarta, as well Indonesian
students.

The SIS, which applies Singaporean curricula, runs four schools
in Jakarta: Kelapa Gading (East Jakarta), Pantai Indah Kapuk
(North Jakarta), Kebon Jeruk (West Jakarta) and Lebak Bulus
(South Jakarta); and three in other cities: Medan (North
Sumatra), Cilegon (West Java) and Semarang (Central Java). Many
SIS students have gone on to top schools in Singapore and other
countries.

The Julia Gabriel Center Jakarta, which also applies the
Singaporean curriculum in its preschool program, emphasizes the
importance of building children's self-esteem at an earlier age.

Located on Jl. Terusan Hang Lekir, South Jakarta, the Julia
Gabriel Center Jakarta offers pre-school programs for children
aged two to six.

At the school, children are given more opportunities to
explore and discover things on their own instead of being told by
their teachers.

"What makes our pre-school different from others is that we
involve parents in teaching children at an earlier age," she
said, adding that parents read books for their children at the
school and also at home to as to help develop an entire learning
culture.