I probably would've earned a PhD in Preschool Parenting, had there been such a thing! These years were formative to my children's confidence and social maturity, and I wanted to be part of it. I have been a preschooler's Mommy for the last 7 consecutive years (with my 3 kids' preschooling combined), and when my son moved up from preschool, I suddenly realized that I was also FINALLY moving up!
My children's experience in preschool has been an enjoyable and memorable experience for the entire family that even up to this day, they would browse their workbooks and fondly reminisce how life was so fun and simple in preschool --- no homework and no periodical exams! Their fondness towards their preschool years can be attributed to the vibrant and well-balanced curriculum that they had at The Learning Connection (TLC) Preschool.
The owners/directresses are hands-on and know all their students and parents personally. They invest a lot of time personally preparing the kids for big school. It isn't a surprise that the school population seems to have grown 3x in size from when we first enrolled our eldest with the waitlist growing longer each year, such that classes are already filled up as early as March for the following school year! My kids have had the fortune of being under the tutelage of fun and awesome teachers who genuinely loved and cared for them, making my kids miss preschool more.As a parent, I had the pleasure of shuttling them during field trips as their designated driver and as a resource person for different themes they've had by making Quesadillas for their Fiesta week, making animal cake art, trying out Chinese food, and teaching them how to make Dragon Masks. It has been lots of fun being surrounded by cute and curious preschoolers!
Here are the Top 10 Reasons Why We Miss Preschool:
2. Family or Parents' Day - During our first year in preschool, there was a separate Mothers' & Fathers' Day, and it was a great opportunity to meet and bond with other co-parents. I remember that it was a Fiesta theme for the moms and a day-out at an Ecopark for the dads. Probably due to the increasing school population, this was combined into a Family Day. There was a year that it was an Amazing Race through different country-related challenges. We also experienced a Super Hero Families theme where we brought home the BEST COSTUME award, as we were probably the only family with head-to-toe improvised costumes with capes and a Superman Dad in tights! This eventually evolved into a Sportsfest. And yes, our class was the CHAMPION in my last year as a preschool parent!
3. Grandparents' Day - This is a fun retro event for the kids and the grandparents! We've experienced Hawaiian, Retro, and Wild West themes. Lolos, Lolas, Angkongs, and Amahs participate in parlor games and arts & crafts activities with the kids, and culminating with song and dance performances prepared especially for them. The beaming smiles of encouragement and pride coming from the grandparents as their apos perform are always heartwarming to watch.
4. Christmas Program - The Christmas program is the first of 2 major school productions. Aside from showcasing their dancing talents, it gives the kids a chance to develop their confidence on-stage. My kids started out shy and reserved, very conscious of the big crowd. But with several exposures, they got used to performing in front of big crowds and eventually blossomed out of their shell. My son started out with small movements in his first dance performance, but eventually built up his confidence to successfully deliver the closing remarks in his Senior year!
5. Moving Up Day - This is a bittersweet event where the kids part for the summer vacation and also for the big school. It's so cute how the kids go up the stage to receive a diploma (a rolled piece of blank paper to be exact, haha), and take a bow in front of the crowd to culminate their year.
6. Halloween Camp Out - The kids always look forward to receiving a bag of treats during Halloween, but not the scary costumes. My 2 younger kids barely attended their first Halloween because they were really scared of the teachers' costumes, which were thematic to the short stories they acted out. I let my kids choose what they would like to come as and we've brought home a total of THREE (3) BEST COSTUME AWARDS for the Pink Fairy, Barbie Fairy Princess Rockstar Fashionista, and Baby Ghost. The last win was for a 'Labor of Love' criteria. :-)
7. Mooncake Dice Game - To celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, the preschoolers play the Mooncake Dice Game annually. One of my kids even won a big fuzzy stuffed toy lion for the Chong Wan (Grand Prize) in her Junior year, which is extremely difficult as the 6 dice have to be in a specific combination! My baby is super proud of that lucky throw!
8. Chinese New Year - Celebrating the New Year twice is double the fun for preschoolers. They get to watch a Dragon Dance during the celebration. It was a fun experience for to be invited to teach the cute preschoolers a crafts activity for the celebration where I had to improvise and simplify how to make a Dragon Mask.
9. Field Trips - I had the privilege of accompanying all my kids to their field trips which were based on the theme they were learning about. We got to visit the Fire Station, an Eco Park, a Toy Store, the kitchen of a Pizza Restaurant, a Supermarket, and a Yoga Studio to name a few. It was a fun experience for the kids to go to these places with their classmates, and I also had fun seeing my children's enjoyment first-hand.
10. Personal Scrapbook - This is one of the perks I appreciated on the day we were inquiring and checking out the preschool 7 years ago. It gives the parents an inside peek to a child's experiences and milestones in the classroom. The teachers would painstakingly prepare a scrapbook for each child in the class containing highlights and activities throughout the entire school year. It includes cute letters from their teachers and teachers' aides and beautiful photos from their class photo shoots. These are given to the kids at the end of the year as a Moving Up gift. It's always fun to flip through the scrapbooks and reminisce their preschool years.
I believe that the preschool years were integral to building my children's confidence and social maturity. This is the time where they developed their first friendships outside of the family, meeting other adults and figures of authority besides us, their parents. Each of my kids had a uniquely different response to their preschool environment, but all of them unanimously enjoyed it. They are thriving in the big school, and I believe that their preschool experience played an important part in it. The entire family enjoyed the preschool years because the school constantly made an effort to reach out and hold activities that involved the family.
So if you're looking for a preschool in the heart of the metro that provides these kinds of experiences for your preschoolers, TLC Preschool comes highly recommended. ;-)
#DomesticGoddessMNL