by on 01/09/2020 155
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Children’s Discovery House is a premier preschool and kindergarten that offers a holistic Montessori program for young children.
The centre has four branches across Klang Valley:
The very first Children’s Discovery House opened in 2006, in I-zen, Mont Kiara. It was set up by Datin Nona, who had come to realize her passion for early childhood after bringing up her own four children.
She had worked in a corporate background for many years, and as she approached retirement age decided to pursue her great interest: to create her own preschool and provide a solid curriculum for young children.
With this dream in mind, she set out to complete a diploma in Montessori pedagogy and then founded Children’s Discovery House.
Children’s Discovery House is one of few preschools in Malaysia that is certified by the Montessori Association of Malaysia.
This means that their centre is fully compliant with authentic Montessori program guidelines.
As Datin Nona shares, “I think parents should be concerned and try to look out for accredited schools because there are so many Montessori schools around—but the question is, which one is genuine?”
The program at Children’s Discovery House starts at 8.45am every day, and goes on until 3.15pm if the extended program is chosen. The centre also offers a number of enrichment classes each day, from 1 – 2pm. Kids may participate in options such as ballet, taekwondo, football and many others.
Datin Nona had a strong vision in mind for Children’s Discovery House. For example, her centre in Damai, Ampang, was built from the ground up: starting with purchased land, all the way to the construction of a fully operating Montessori preschool—with her involvement at every stage of development.
She worked with the architect to create spaces and proportions that would create the ideal environment for her early childhood education program.
Teachers are the greatest asset a school has, and Children’s Discovery House certainly believes this. They only pick teachers who show a keen desire to learn and keep improving as professional early childhood educators.
The majority of their teachers are degree holders who come from varied academic fields—which allows for an interesting mix of new ideas and perspectives.
Children’s Discovery House provides regular training for their teachers, and have even sponsored the undertaking of a diploma in Montessori education for a few of their educators.
The team at Children’s Discovery House takes into account the needs and targets parents have for their kids. To achieve this, they aim to work together with moms and dads—to meet common goals.
Formal meetings are organised with parents twice a year, where a comprehensive report of the child’s development is provided.
The first meeting with parents is done two months after the child starts school, where parents will be asked for feedback on their concerns, observations or wants for their child.
“Most importantly, we don’t believe in forcing children. We’d like the process to be fun and interactive, and we believe learning can only take place if the child gets positive interactions with adults. Everything is for the long-term; that’s what Montessori education is—it’s for lifelong learning. It’s gradual but effective,” says Datin Nona.
As for the issue of cleanliness and safety, it seems there’s no issue at all. The centre has been carrying out daily disinfecting of their facilities since day one. It is also the duty of teachers here to sanitize materials with disinfectants every day.
The branches are fully equipped with CCTV surveillance, and furniture such as shelves, sinks, tables and chairs are all child-size, for safety and accessibility. When it comes to pick-up time for the children, only authorised individuals (confirmed by parents via photographs and identification) are allowed to receive the students.
It's safe to say that kids here are in good hands.
