by on 20/01/2017 10311
When Ms. Lyanne Liew took over a failing business at a dilapidated corner building in USJ, Subang, she did not anticipate the magnitude of the task that lay before her. Through sheer hard work and determination, she turned this dire situation around. And in only three short years, she has built Beyond Kids Montessori into a thriving and vibrant kindergarten offering up-to-date and comprehensive Montessori Education adapted to the National Curriculum for children aged from two to six years old.
Ms. Lyanne, the founder and principal of Beyond Kids Montessori, is a qualified Montessorian by profession with professional certifications in Montessori Pedagogy, Special Needs Education and Early Childhood Education. However, underneath a cheerful and sunny disposition, Ms. Lyanne insists on discipline and an adherence to the rules and regulations of Beyond Kids Montessori. Ms. Lyanne is also uncompromising when it involves the children’s dietary requirements, hygiene and security.
“All these elements, together with a good and solid foundation in the child’s early education will stand him in good stead when he enters primary school and prepares him for later life.” she reasons.
The programmes and curriculum at Beyond Kids Montessori is extremely well planned and coordinated. It starts from the Toddler Programme for those aged two years right up to the Kindergarten Programme for children aged five to six years old. Beyond Kids Montessori also offers after school care for ages two to six years. A special “Back Up and Drop-In Care” service is also available for families who live nearby and are looking for safe, high-quality care as well as engaging and fun activities for their children when their regular caregiver is unavailable.
In their brightly coloured and well-resourced classrooms, children as young as two years old are nurtured to develop friendships, self-esteem and curiosity. Each day is filled with fun activities that excite and help the children make new discoveries. This holistic approach in the classroom imbues young minds with the early learning fundamentals such as music, art and dramatic play. From the age of four, elements of the National Preschool Curriculum such as Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin, English and Mathematics are integrated into the curriculum, preparing the children to confidently enter Primary One.
Great emphasis is put on the importance of training for the teachers and caregivers at Beyond Kids Montessori. “You can keep telling them by words on how to do this and that. But you also need to be there in person to lead by example,” she reveals. Besides conducting in-house training, Ms. Lyanne invites external trainers from such diverse fields as Classroom Management and Mastering Phonics to enhance her team’s knowledge and skills. They are also sent to training and refresher courses organized periodically by the Ministry of Education.
An integral aspect of education today is the well-being and safety of the children. CCTVs are installed in every area throughout the kindergarten. Plus, Beyond Kids have very strict regulations with regards to the drop off and pick up procedures of the children. Good hygiene is also stressed upon and each student’s temperature is checked and recorded daily before classes begin and their little hands are also sanitized before entering the kindergarten.
Beyond Kids Montessori is just a transit point in a child’s journey of life. This is just another stop along the way. When you are as passionate and as motivated as Ms. Lyanne is to nurturing her students, the sky and Beyond really is the limit.
