School or just at home with moms?
School or just at home with moms?
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More and more moms and dads, including those from the lower
economic classes, realize the importance of early education for
their children. What do they really have in mind when they think
about the appropriate schools, teachers, facilities, activities
and toys for their children?
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By K. Basrie
JAKARTA (JP): After weeks of carrying her cute 18-month-old
baby girl to a number of places called preschools and playgroups
in South Jakarta, Lita Djajasari and her husband finally chose a
place in Kemang for the early education of their beloved
daughter.
"I saw that my daughter already like the place and the
environment, and I liked the way the teachers 'taught' the
children," the employee of a private TV station said.
The teachers, she said, definitely treat the children
differently than older kids.
"I don't like teachers at such places to make the children,
for example, play by certain rules. And I found so many places
with those kinds of teachers. I really hate that," Lita
explained.
Another young mother, Ade, has a different mission in choosing
a school for her two-and-a-half-year-old boy.
"I want the best for my kids. So, I picked the school that is
the favorite among Jakarta parents," said the housewife, whose
European husband works for an oil drilling company.
Kumar, an Indian national married to a local nurse, began
bringing his three-year-old daughter to a child care center at
Manggala Wanabhakti last year for a very clear and simple reason:
"Our pembantu (servant) was leaving. My wife and I have to
work, and on the way to the gym in the same building I could
leave my child in the center," he said.
Parents have various and distinct reasons for choosing the
right "school" for their adored toddlers.
In Greater Jakarta, the fee for early education runs anywhere
from Rp 40,000 to Rp 5 million per month.
For some, the cost is prohibitive and they are unable to give
their children the early education they would like to.
But others realize that education is not free, and a proper
education with qualified tutors and high-class facilities costs a
lot. Thus, they struggle to be able to afford the best for their
beloved children.
"With strict planning, my wife and I have been saving for four
years just for the first two years of our daughter's early
education. But still it won't be enough, though we're ready for
that," said Kumar, who last month enrolled his daughter in a
Kinderland school in West Jakarta.
Experts have concluded that between the ages of three and five
is the "golden period" for children to learn, meaning that it is
the appropriate time for parents to send them to places called
"playgroup", "preschool" or whatever.
But those in the education business have their own ideas of
when it is appropriate to send children to "school". Some of
these people have opened "classes" for six-month-old toddlers!
Surprisingly, many working urban parents have chosen to send
their toddlers to these "classes", much to the delight, no doubt,
of these businesspeople. Jakarta and many other large cities
across the country have witnessed a significant growth of such
"schools" for toddlers.
Many parents decided to pack their toddlers off to school
simply due to the absence of a servant. Others firmly believe
that the earlier their children go to "school" the better,
because it will help stimulate and develop their motor and memory
skills.
"I'm against this theory," said Lita. "The family is the most
important place for the children to grow up in, not a preschool."
She said she sent her daughter to a playgroup in Kemang only
with the hope that Gendhuk would learn how to share and interact
with others.
"She's not studying there," Lita said.
Senior psychologist Sartono Mukadis from the University of
Indonesia is quick to remind parents that the best "preschool"
for toddlers is their home and their family.
Any "school" open for toddlers as young as six months old is
"obviously for commercialized purposes", he said.
"There's no doubt about that," Sartono told The Jakarta Post
on Saturday.
"Pak Fuad Hassan, when he was minister of education, banned
such activities because it's definitely incorrect."
The operators and employees of such places, he went on, should
know the laws of early education.
"How can you, for example, teach a baby to walk when he's not
yet ready to walk?" Sartono said.
He warned the government to pay serious attention to such
businesses, most of which carry the names of foreign flags and
native speakers.
"What will happen is that this country will soon become a
waste bin for foreign tutors coming here with these education
programs, which have already been outlawed in their respective
countries," Sartono said.
He said he was shocked to see a number of preschools
campaigning for their classes to use English in giving
instruction to children two years of age.
"Come on," he said, "how can parents expect their children to
learn English at this age with one or two hours of instruction at
school, when at home they have parents talking to them in (for
example) the Betawi dialect?"
Sartono suggested parents be more wise when deciding on early
education for their children. "The proper age for children to go
to school is at the age of four or five."
Before that, it is better for parents to play with their
children at home because playing is also teaching.
"But talk to them using the correct pronunciation. If you want
to say makan (eat), never say ma-nyam because they are in the
process of learning.
"Remember, their home and surroundings are a haven for them to
play and learn," Sartono said.
Lita agreed with Sartono. "I don't have any hope that Gendhuk
will learn proper English from her English-speaking playgroup,"
she said. "And again, she is only there to play."
The late Maria Montessori, Italy's first woman medical doctor
and a big name in education, said toddlers learned from their
natural behaviors, such as playing, running and even breaking
things.
She believed children should be free to make up their own
activities and do things on their own.
"Let the children do it themselves," said Montessori, who
dedicated her life to developing the field of child learning.
She founded her first school, case dei bambini, in Rome in
1907. Although her teaching methods were designed for the
children of low-income workers, Montessori's educational system
spread throughout the world, creating an innovative and rich
environment for children to develop.
In Indonesia, Montessori is among the most expensive early
education options.
Selection
So, how should parents select a suitable playgroup, preschool
or kindergarten for their children?
"I sent my first child to a playgroup similar to the one
picked by my neighbor. Later, I learned that my boy hated the
place and the teachers," said housewife Dina.
Lita recalled: "I finally chose this one based on my personal
judgment and because I could see that my daughter really liked
the place."
But there should be some basic standards moms and dads should
look for when selecting a place for their children.
First of all is, of course, the physical condition of the
building and the surrounding environment, whether it is healthy
and comfortable enough for your children. Remember, the toilet is
a big issue here.
Then, look at the available games and facilities, whether the
place really understands the concept of indirectly teaching
toddlers about colors, forms, size and distance.
Now, get inside the classroom and see if it's set up for the
conventional "talk and chalk" teaching format, which will not
allow young children to move about.
Then, study how the teachers behave. Do they effectively
interact with the children, such as running, rolling on the floor
and squatting together with the kids, or do they make the
classroom fell like a military barracks? Don't forget to observe
the overall appearance of the teachers, including the tidiness of
their dress. Remember, teachers should be role models for the
children.
Also, look at the teacher-student ratio. Some say one teacher
for 10 students is the ideal ratio, though it is up to your
consideration.
The last thing to check out is the number of activities the
school offers. The more activities the better to help develop the
various interests of the children.
The very last thing is the cost and the distance from your
home.
But again, education is not free, right?