by on 15/03/2017 16943
Doing our part by:
Compulsory daily temperature check
Compulsory wearing of mask
Frequent hand washing for students
Provide sanitizers and wipes
Daily cleaning and sanitizing
Intense Cleaning and sanitizing weekly
Reduced classroom size
Social distancing for students and teachers
Ensure safety for food and drinking water
Strict protocol for parents and visitors
Routine on-site fumigation by a trusted service provider
Choo Choo Train Baby and Child Care Centre (Choo Choo Train) is a licensed child care facility that has 8 branches in Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur. Choo Choo Train began its operation in 2010 with a vision and passion for providing high-quality yet affordable child care services. The founder, Ms. Alexandra Sim was previously a working mother who was in the process of looking for a childcare center for her child when she realized the number of quality child care providers were very limited in Klang Valley. From that experience, she was determined to start her own child care center to provide quality services to other working parents.
Upon arriving, Choo Choo Train can be seen from afar with its bright exterior. While walking in, cheerful voices could be heard coming from inside of the building, interrupting the otherwise peaceful and quiet surrounding of the neighbourhood. There is ample outdoor space with some slides and swings for outdoor activities. Once we enter the premise, we were greeted by one of their caregivers and we were requested to sign and register ourselves on the visitor’s book. This is to monitor the visitors in and out of the centre, we were later told that there are also CCTV installed around the building for security reasons.
If the exterior of the building is bright, the interior is even brighter and colorful. Small groups of children were seen on the floor or at a small table playing, with teachers or caregivers monitoring them. Ms. Alexandra emphasizes the importance of play in early childhood as young children learn faster through play activities. Although the Montessori teaching method is adopted at Choo Choo Train, they also took a holistic early childhood approach, the thematic curriculum at Choo Choo Train is designed by incorporating the best of both worlds. Even small children can have a sunbath and baby massage as part of their curriculum, though of course all these are done under supervision.
Ms. Alexandra is very passionate about early childhood development and she is very careful in handling all matters involving children. This is evident from the teachers and caregivers hired at Choo Choo Train; the teachers are all qualified with at least diploma in early childhood education and there are also qualified nurses to care for the young children. Although there are different programmes catered for different age groups, she believes that each child has different needs. Each child at the centre will be observed closely and their needs will be cared for by modifying the programmes or timetables accordingly.
Sometimes, even parents need to be educated first because they may have read many articles from books or from the internet but that does not mean those methods will suit their child Ms. Alexandra
While chatting with Ms. Alexandra, we noticed that she emphasized a lot on cleanliness. Every morning the caregivers would clean and disinfect all the rooms before the arrival of the children. Sounds exaggerated, doesn’t it? But this only goes to show that Choo Choo Train takes the well-being of the children seriously, as parents would know children like to crawl on the floor or put things in their mouth. In addition to that, there are also air purifiers in the classrooms to provide a clean and fresh environment to young children.
It is also worth mentioning that Choo Choo Train has an extensive food menu for their children, known as the Grow Better Programme. It is specially designed and customized to help children develop a healthy eating habit. The menu consists of a variety of organic and nutritious food which include chicken, fish and vegetables, sometimes including Chinese herbs too. Ms. Alexandra told us from her experience that many parents have mistaken the steps in introducing solid food into their baby’s diet. So, at Choo Choo Train for babies from 6 months onwards, there is a special feeding plan for slowly introducing solid foods into their diet. On top of that they will also provide a step-by-step guide to parents for them to prepare their child’s diet at home.
On our way out after our chat with Ms. Alexandra, it was already lunch time and the children (about the age of 2) were seen sitting out at the patio soaking in the sun while having lunch, and they could manage it well without the help of adults. Looking at this scene, it is very comforting to know that there is a place like Choo Choo Train that takes the best interest of children to heart. With so many emphasis on important points such as security, cleanliness and healthy food programmes, Choo Choo Train is the place where parents will know that their child will be well taken care off while they are at work.