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? -----------------------------------------------------------------
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?