American/All-Day English Preschool in Tienmu

Taiwan Parenting
1

Hi,

I just want to share with those who are looking to send their little ones to an all-day English preschool. We looked at several and settled on Smart Start. We were impressed by the staff, the openness and the facility, but most importantly, we’re very happy with the curriculum. A lot of expats also send their kids there. The tuition and fees seem comparable, if not more competitive, compared to others in this category. I found everyone there to be friendly, laid back, not stuck up like some other schools would have you feel. Best of all, there’s an in-ground pool! Our daughter absolutely loves it!

www.kindersmartstart.com

It’s a small school so spaces are limited.

2

I thought such schools were illegal…

3

why is it illegal?

4

So, the low down on the legality of operating any English programs taught by native English speakers is this: they’re all pretty much illegal, EXCEPT for schools under the supervision of MOE or schools like TAS and TES where they can only hire licensed instructors as language instructors. I was further told that how much trouble the government gives a particular school depends on how the business is registered. A “daycare center” or “preschool” is less scrutinized than a “kindergarten”. The government was also more up and arms about teaching English to preschoolers about 6 or 7 years ago because it was under a different administration, one that advocated Taiwan independence and didn’t want kids to learn English in preschools. Yeah, the head of that administration is now behind bars for corruption so so much for his view on early childhood education.

Bottom line: parents want what they want and “schools/institutions/corporations” will do whatever it takes to get their business. If the above rule was really enforced, all these preschools/kindergartens should have been out of business a long time ago. The fact that there are so many Western faces walking the streets of Taipei/Taiwan should tell you that the demand to learn English is and will continue to be very high.

I’m just offering my point of view as a parent who was looking for a quality all-day English preschool to send my daughter to. I think Smart Start is a pretty good choice for parents in the Tienmu area. I like the fact that they’re small and use a multi-disciplined approach to learning, using English as the primary language, and not just learning English the language itself v.s. learning everything else in Chinese. It also reminds me of the preschool we send out son to in the States, where he flourished and had a blast learning new things. I’m hoping for the same for my daughter as I see a lot of parallel between this school and the preschool we chose for our son.

5

I remember it being illegal because legislators thought that if young kids learned English, they wouldn’t learn Chinese properly. (Anyone who knows anything about childhood language acquisition knows that this isn’t true… a kid’s brain isn’t like a glass that can only be filled so far; kids are eminently capable of fluent bilingualism if given a learning environment conducive to it.)

That would explain a lot: one thing I didn’t like about the DPP years was the increase in xenophobia I observed during their time in power.

6

What an ignorant comment but not surprising given you didn’t actually live here during the Chen administration. FYI, the previous administration wanted to make English an official second language. They also lowered the age at which students officially start to study English (from junior high to elementary school). They banned English bilingual pre-schools because of the very real negative impact they were having on students. Seems you Taiwanese parents don’t spend enough time with your kids (hence the need for all these all-day preschools). Too many kids were going to these schools, being exposed all day to English, and then returning home to the care of a nanny who as often as not was not a Chinese speaker. Children were entering grade one with Chinese ability far below their peers because in many cases they were only in a Chinese-speaking environment on weekends.

The problem had nothing to do with the independence stance of the previous government. It was generated by lazy indifferent parenting combined with an unhealthy drive to get their children ahead of the curve. If the current administration is turning a blind eye it’s because they are business and not children friendly. The fact is most of these schools are filled with unqualified teachers, both foreign and local. You may have found a good one but its presence just encourages the proliferation of bad ones since none are registered. There are no sets of standards being enforced, no guidelines, just a lot of places with their own curriculum which may or may not be suitable for the age of the children involved. Quite often it is not because if there is one thing pushy Taiwanese parents want is results. Physical punishment is not an uncommon way for schools to get the results parents want.

Yep, parents want results. If it means emotionally scarring their children for life, well, so be it.

I wish Buttercup were still around. She had a lot to say about the gross negligence of sending children at their most vulnerable age to the care of unlicensed businesses.

7

To Mucha Man:

First of all, everyone is entitled to their opinion but there is certainly no need to make gross generalization about someone you don’t know at all. Refrain from using language like “you Taiwanese parents…” or imply that the reason I send my child to an all-day preschool is because I’m lazy and don’t want to spend time with my kids.

Not that I have to justify myself to you but, my kids are biracial and because it is important that they can speak both Chinese and English fluently, and because they will be attending the local public school, we felt it is important to make sure she has a solid foundation in English before she’s put in an all-day Chinese environment. The only way she will improve her English proficiency is by being in an all-day English environment. She comes home and speaks Chinese/English with me and English with her dad. The reason she’s in school from 9-3:30 (which is hardly all-day by Taiwanese standards now that I’ve seen how long kids stay in so-called "schools/buxiban and wherever else they go after school lets out) is because she needs to learn to socialize with other kids her age, and play with kids her age instead of hanging out with me all day. My son goes to the public elementary school and except for Tuesdays (which is all-day), he comes home at noon, eats lunch at home, does his homework under my supervision. He takes soccer and taikuando twice a week because he loves taking these classes. He doesn’t go to an anquin or buxiban class or is being cared for by a non-Chinese speaking nanny. So, don’t tell me what a bad, Taiwanese parent I am. Are you even a parent yourself? And what fabulous things have you done recently for your child/children that we should all learn from since you seem to think you are the authority on how to be a GOOD, competent parent?

You really need to think before you speak, or type, in this case. I am OFFENDED by your generalization and assumptions about ALL Taiwanese parents being lazy and not wanting to spend time with their kids or are making poor decisions to send their kids off to these unlicensed schools (which are not true so I don’t know why, again, you’re making generalizations). There are many factors contributing to a child’s poor performance at school, anything from being left with a nanny to the child being raised by grandparents to the child being raised by anyone other than his or her own parents to just the child not getting the proper academic guidance or something as simple as lack of proper nutrition and sleep. The child could also be not very self-motivated. Each child is unique and the reasons that contribute to his/her poor performance may be different. So for you to say,

“They banned English bilingual pre-schools because of the very real negative impact they were having on students. Seems you Taiwanese parents don’t spend enough time with your kids (hence the need for all these all-day preschools). Too many kids were going to these schools, being exposed all day to English, and then returning home to the care of a nanny who as often as not was not a Chinese speaker. Children were entering grade one with Chinese ability far below their peers because in many cases they were only in a Chinese-speaking environment on weekends.”

Is ignorant. You’re also not making sense in the above statement. On the one hand, you’re calling these English bilingual preschools and then two sentences later you’re saying too many kids were going to these schools, being exposed all day to English. If it’s bilingual, then how are they exposed all day to English? So speaking English all day is contributing to their low performance in Chinese? If that’s not an ignorant statement, I don’t know what is.

Every parent makes a decision that is best suited for their family situation. Both parents may have to work full time in order to pay for their standard of living, which creates the need for all day preschools. Public kindergartens have VERY limited space and usually reserved for disadvantaged families. And, even some public kindergartens will hire a native English speaker to come in once or twice a week to read English stories to the kids. There is NOTHING wrong with wanting your kids to have a jump start in life and give them the best money can buy. Every study has shown that a solid early childhood education gives the child an edge on life and kids between the ages of 3-7 can easily pick up another language, far easier than a child who’s older or an adult. What it comes down to is the parent doing his/her homework to find the most optimal school that can provide that. And if you’re going to learn English, why wouldn’t you learn from a native English speaker?

The debate about the legality of teaching English in preschools is purely a political one. They want you to think how detrimental it is to teach English to preschoolers, God for bid, they forgot how to speak Chinese or can’t keep up when they go to first grade? Rather than examining the bigger societal issues or reasons contributing to a child’s poor academic performance, English or bilingual preschools have become the scapegoat. If you’re not a parent who wants to spend time with your child, English preschools or not, you will find a way to send them somewhere else or find someone else to raise your child. What does English have to do with it?

Early childhood education is, hands down, important. I’m just offering my opinion about a school that I feel has a good environment for learning in general and offers the kind of curriculum I was seeking for my child and also because I’ve seen other parents looking for this type of school/learning environment. For your information, more than half of the kids there are non-Taiwanese so I guess the laziness in the parents spans across international boundaries.

I’m not sure what “unlicensed” businesses you’re talking about and how this post has become my advocating parents to send their kids to “unlicensed” businesses. Stop generalizing people, especially using sentences like, “you Taiwanese parents”. Are you even a parent? If you’re not, don’t presume to know what it’s like to be a parent or tell me how to do my job! I totally recent the fact that you accuse me or any other parent for “emotionally scarring their children for life” because we want them to have a head start in life. It’s extreme attitudes like yours that’s going to do more harm to kids than a parent trying to give their child the best in life in the best way they can. Do you feel better about yourself as a human being for spewing such nonsense?