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.