In days gone by, kindergartens and nurseries were housed in large bungalows surrounded by sprawling well-manicured grounds dotted by huge shady trees and beautiful blooming gardens. I remember my kindergarten well. It was built in the form of a traditional Malay kampung house on stilts with a mixture of mortar and timber. It had beautiful coloured windows and it was also airy and open. The grounds surrounding it were very well kept by a team of gardeners led by a man named Samy. They would toil in the hot sun trimming the hedges and gathering up fallen leaves from the 3 huge Angsana trees. I can still see the cars and vans driving up the long driveway to pick up and drop off students.
The kindergartens of this era are slowly being phased out and being replaced by ultra-modern designed kindergartens of steel, glass and concrete. These new kindergartens can be found in purpose built buildings in International School complexes, some are stand-alone buildings by the founders themselves, some are in malls, some are situated in shop lots and there are even some in condominium complexes.
No matter where they are, they all serve a singular purpose of providing the best preschool education to your children in the most conducive environments that they are able to offer. Polka Dot Bear is one such nursery, kindergarten and child care centre. It operates within the security and quiet comfort of the Casa Tropicana Condominium complex in Petaling Jaya. “I seem to have an affinity to children and education. My entire career up till now has seen me involved with children in music and preschool education,” says Ms. Kathy Chew, founder and principal of Polka Dot Bear Child Care Centre.
Polka Dot Bear is a child care centre that professionally delivers a caring, fun, friendly and safe environment. Their doors are open to children aged between 2 months to 6 years old. Since they are located within a condominium complex, space is at a premium. But within the confines of Polka Dot Bear you will find thoughtfully designed environments, well-equipped facilities and a “home-away-from-home” setting that is ideal for your child’s vital years.
“Having Polka Dot Bear in a condominium complex is not a problem nor is it a disadvantage,” says Ms. Kathy. Many parents cite the convenience of having their child’s preschool within their travel route to and from work as a priority. Then comes the safety and security aspect which modern parents deem so important. The quality of the programmes on offer plus the experience of the educators also rank very high on a checklist of qualities essential to the makeup of a good preschool. “We seem to tick all the right boxes on their list. And if we do the best we can and provide the best we can, word of mouth alone will generate adequate interest for the parents to want to check us out,” says Ms. Kathy proudly.
The programmes that Polka Dot Bear offers are Montessori for infants to 2 years old and for those aged 3 to 6 years old they offer Learning Box Kids (UK English). They even offer Cambridge Young Learners English (YLE) Exam Certification – Starters / Movers/ Flyers for those that are interested.
The Montessori curriculum and syllabus at Polka Dot Bear has been specially designed for infants and toddlers up to 2 years old – and it is not just feeding them, changing their diapers and watching them sleep! Special programmes have been designed to stimulate the children and develop their sensory and cognitive faculties.
For the 3 to 6 year olds, they will learn the usual academic subjects such as Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, English, Science, Moral and Mathematics but with the incorporation of the Learning Box Kids (UK English) programme. This is a comprehensive English programme which covers the 4 essential language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The 7 objectives of this programme is:
- Develop the children’s listening and speaking skills according to the UK syllabus
- Expose the children to correct and proper pronunciation and intonation
- Help the children learn about phonological awareness by understanding the sound structure
- Help the children to answer questions in full sentences
- Enhance the children’s vocabulary through a thematic approach and grammar knowledge
- Enhance the children’s reading comprehension through fun and interesting stories
- Help the children to structure words and sentences correctly
All the educators at Polka Dot Bear are experienced and highly qualified with at least a degree or diploma in Early Childhood Education. “This aspect of our operations is very important as parents today will enquire about our teachers’ profiles,” adds Ms. Kathy. Food and meals are prepared fresh daily and sometimes the children even get to enjoy home cooked meals by the condominium residents themselves!
For a relatively ‘young’ kindergarten of only 4 years and being located within a condominium complex, Polka Dot Bear has really impressed with their curriculum, syllabus and teaching, their ability to get parents involved in most of their outings and activities plus their quality of care, passion and nurturing. Some of the places where Polka Dot Bear have taken their students for outings are Jungle Gym and Farm in the City. They have also celebrated our independence day through “Merdeka in the Condo”. “All credit should go to my team who have worked so tirelessly to make Polka Dot Bear a place where children are happy to come to. A nurturing and safe place where they can come to learn, discover and develop at their own pace, knowing that their actions and progress are appreciated and acknowledged,” says Ms. Kathy proudly.
As I was taken on a tour of this cosy little kindergarten, I noticed that everywhere I went there was soft barely audible classical music playing in the background. And I was told that music from this composer, Mozart, was particularly soothing and helps to calm the children and enhances their abilities to focus and concentrate. Note to self – look further into this.
Ms. Kathy is a principal who understands what passion is. She is a principal who genuinely cares. With her team of dedicated and no less passionate educators, Polka Dot Bear Child Care Centre is definitely a preschool where nurturing and compassion come naturally.
What’s more, a second branch of the Polka Dot preschool is now open (November 28th, 2018). Situated in Jalan Ipoh, educational programmes at the new branch will be almost identical to what is taught here at the Tropicana branch.
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