FOR the past month, I have been speaking to several moms with kids aged eight years and below about this coming school year. As a parent, I see their point regarding fees, screen time for younger kids, and especially the effectivity of online learning. As an educator who specializes in early child development (ECD), I feel doubly concerned over how putting a school year off due to this pandemic may affect the critical years of child development. I wanted to find the answer myself.
After speaking with several educators and attending talks from experts, below are my thoughts on some of the questions we may have regarding our child’s enrolment this school year.
Can my toddler (2-3 years old) skip this year since it is still a few years before he/she goes to big school? The first 1,000 days of a person is when a child learns and absorbs information at a faster rate. It is good to develop motor skills, basic phonics and numeracy, as well introduce good values. I remember focusing a lot on my kids’ first words at this stage. I saw how school helped my kids develop their language skills. Having said that, I also know this is the best time to teach my kids life skills. I injected a lot of pretend play as I introduced them to chores at home.
For me, I believe this can be blended learning. I would set up time blocks for my kids like I mentioned in my June 4 column, which included learning, creative, active, chore and reading times. I would allot the online classes for learning and reading times. The other time blocks can be filled at home in their own time through a D.I.Y. learning corner. Most parents I spoke to were afraid to lose the initial social skills developed in an onsite toddler class. I was glad to discover that online toddler classes have activities like, “Who is here today?” or group musical activities.
The average age for kids to go to big school kindergarten is 5 years old. Is there a way for me to prepare my child, now that he/she is 3.5 to 4 years, to be big school-ready for this school year? For me, this age is the most critical to enroll. Aside from preparing our kids to be big school-ready in content, I believe building confidence is equally important. Online classes still allow a child to be among other kids, as well as answer questions when prompted by the teacher. We must try to keep our “eye on the ball” that our kids must be ready to go to big school. We need to be able to teach the value of discipline and punctuality especially at this age. My only requisite would be that the online class needs to be a small class size of maybe maximum of four to five kids. As parents for this age, we must be realistic that direct supervision from parents is necessary. The online school you choose must be ready to work side by side with you as co-educators. It’s also good to know that customized blended learning classes are available. The one I researched was GLC (0929-8001701), where you can opt to have onsite classes with a maximum of four children per class, thrice weekly for two hours; or also an option for online classes on days not attending the onsite class.
What should I do if my child is entering big school kindergarten? Knowing how 5-year-olds need teacher supervision, should I push through with enrolment in big schools? What are my options? At this age, I would push through with enrolment depending on how the school will conduct the kindergarten class. I know my kids have to learn to write more and be exposed to subject learning. I would ensure the school provides learning tools for exercises. I also need to prepare myself to be able to supervise my kids in doing their homework.
If a parent chooses to take a gap preschool year from big schools, there are also preschools now that offer intermediate preparation with curriculum based on the Department of Education requirements to properly prepare your child for Grade 1. This can be a good option especially if you aim for small class sizes.
It would also be great to enroll your kids to schools that are able to hold events like Literacy Day or Christmas celebrations online.
Regardless of age group, it boils down to the institution you will entrust your child, and the teachers they will assign to the class. These would be my criteria or questions to ask the online school to ensure maximum effectivity:
- Did the school and the teachers undergo official and ample training in digital education?
- Do they use tested e-learning platforms like Google Classroom and the like?
- Does the school do goal-setting with you for your child?
- Does the program include learning worksheets, where they arrange for easy pick-up or delivery?
- Does the program offer a tracking system that monitors the progress of your child like individual goal charts?
- Do they conduct parent check-ups?
I would choose a school which has a good credibility, undergone ample training in digital education, and, more important, can “virtually handhold” me and my child in this new online experience.
I would give it a try for at least three months.