The first six years of life is when the foundation of success is laid down, which ultimately concludes that the quality of our early education is crucial. This is exactly what Ms Florence Lim, founder of Sri Johan Child Development Centre believes to be true, and it is also one of the many reasons why she decided to delve into children’s education. Kiddy123 recently had a chat with the cheerful mother of three, who shared her insights on this matter of early education and how it impacts a person for life.
“I have always been passionate about children’s education, and possess a diploma in Early Childhood Development. When my son was in primary school, he was struggling so much that at one point he expressed how he wished that I would open up my own school, and that if I did, he’d want to be enrolled into it!” Ms Florence shared. “Eventually, I took him out of the Chinese primary school he was in and enrolled him into a private school. When I took a look at the preschool curriculum in said school, using the Fungates program, It was very much to my liking - I had always imagined myself running an early childhood development programme of that nature!” she continued.
Consequently, following a string of events and some purposeful action on her part, Ms Florence was awarded a contract to run her own preschool, and Sri Johan Child Development Centre at Kota Kemuning came to be! She presently also has another branch just recently opened in Bandar Rimbayu.
A curriculum so unique and accommodating
Sri Johan‘s use of the Fungates program allows children to proceed to any type of elementary school, seamlessly without issues. “It is important to have the perfect balance of working (learning) and having fun (playing). For children to have the most productful experience in preschool, they cannot be expected to be preoccupied fully on either one,” Ms Florence remarked. She went on to explain how students are guided and taught in age-appropriate manners so as to be fully prepared for their primary school education ahead.
While adhering to the requirements of our MOH to use STEM as a preschool curriculum, Sri Johan is actually a step ahead with their use of STEAM. Students at Sri Johan are guided into character transformation and also how to manage their emotions to become well-adjusted young individuals who can cope well with their surroundings. They also do not find themselves constantly seated at their desk merely to listen or watch their teacher talk or write on the board. Rather, lessons are kept fun and engaging, using project-based learning. The students may find themselves discussing issues with their peers, or even with their family members.
Each morning, all students of the preschool engage in a unique and fun practice called the Happiness Circle where they get to express what makes them happy! Every now and then, they also engage in a Show & Tell session, where they get to share the latest goings-on in their lives. These engagements leave a positive impact in the lives of the young students and they look forward each day to delivering happy tidings to their peers in school.
Conducive learning space
The learning space at Sri Johan is an open concept one, with specially allocated spaces or rooms for the use of computers, one for domestic science as well as a science lab. The open concept classroom is one of Fungates uniqueness where we believe children are mosaic learners.
Due to the high number of students at Sri Johan, the 3-4 year olds as well as the 5-6 year olds are in separate buildings across the road from each other. Both of these buildings are well-facilitated with everything a good preschool needs for the best learning experience for its students. It is well worth noting here too that Sri Johan has one of the best and largest libraries one can expect to find in a preschool, with over 3000 books and counting! “We like our students to be literacy proficient from a very early age, beginning from 3 years old onwards. We have a library system called our Book Club, where each week students get to borrow a book to read at home. When they return it the next week, they may be able to share what they have read in a mini show-and-tell session,” Ms Florence said with a smile..
While preparing little students for their primary schooling is the main objective of Sri Johan, the highly qualified teaching staff do so much to ensure that these bright little future leaders have the most enriching pre-school experience. They ensure that each child gets the adequate attention they need to thrive, be it in the classroom, or while on field trips, which take place once or twice a year.
“It gives me great joy to be informed every now and then how well the graduates of Sri Johan are doing in their respective school, and all they have achieved due to having acquired a strong and solid foundation during his or her critical learning years!” Ms Florence concluded.
