The new school year is starting just around the corner, and whether your child is starting off in preschool, playschool or kindergarten, it is best to be prepared.  Picking a new playschool or preschool for your child isn’t as easy as looking up preschools and kindergartens in PJ – it takes a bit of time and consideration.

There are many questions you should ask yourself before going “school shopping” in Petaling Jaya.  Price is often an important consideration, as is location… After all, you don’t want to have to drive your child an hour and a half each day to and from school unnecessarily.  That is just a waste of time and gas money!  Then again, if it is a top-notch school, perhaps this is a small price to pay.

Three Things You Should Look for When Enroling Your Child in a New School

  • Is the school in alignment with your values?

Checking to see if the preschool, playschool or kindergarten is in-alignment with your values as a parent is crucial.  What is the school’s disciplinary structure? What is the main language?  What sort of curriculum does the school use?  What is the teacher-to-student ratio in each class? Do they offer additional services such as meals and transportation?  One thing that helped me tremendously in picking out a great preschool, playschool and kindergarten in PJ was writing down all the things which are important to me.  I highly recommend all parents do this before enroling their child in kindergarten.

  • Where is the school located?

Location! Location! Location!  Living in KL, many people regularly experience KL’s famous traffic jams.  Even a playschool or preschool that is normally a five-minute drive can easily turn into

  • What is the fee structure?

At the end of the day, you may find the perfect school with everything you could ever ask for and more, but it all boils down to how much it is going to cost you.  Whatever you do, make sure the fees are something you can live with.  Keep in mind that just because a school is priced higher than others does not mean that the school is better.

My daughter has experienced both ends of this stick – she has had an affordable school which she ended up not liking because the teachers weren’t friendly, she was often lost in a sea of other children in huge classes and was constantly sick because hygiene wasn’t main priority.

She also has been in a very expensive high-end school which resulted in her becoming a bit of a snob!  On the other hand, she was hardly sick, received a lot of one-to-one attention from the teacher and excelled in her studies.  But on the other, we started seeing behaviour in her that was not consistent with how we wanted to raise her… this includes her starting to use racial slurs and show preference of company based on race!  It also took a huge chunk out of our wallets and location wasn’t convenient.  I often had to drive an hour in the morning just to drop her off at school!

In summary, it may be good to take a few days off from your normal routine to visit as many schools as possible to see the wide variety of teaching styles, fee structures, and additional services offered. Another good key would be to check the background of the school:  have there been any complaints or lawsuits against this particular school, and if so what was it for?  In the end, it may be good to cover all the angles to ensure your child is safe.

Little Human Scholars preschool, playschool, daycare, and kindergarten is located in PJ near University Hospital, Jaya One, Jaya 33, PJ Old Town and PJ New Town.  This is a boutique school in Petaling Jaya where the teachers are compassionate and love what they do.  Not only that, but the price range is more than affordable – it is a high-end kindergarten in PJ with reasonable prices… it is hard to beat!

Wishing you an effortless and fulfilling school-finding adventure!

Jana Moreno