Rainbow Kindergarten, Johor Bahru

Situated in the southern state of Johor, Malaysia, Rainbow Kindergarten is what we’d call the answer to parents’ dilemma on where to send their children for a kindergarten education that will make a difference in their lives. It was founded by Datin Maureen Jafrey 32 years ago and to date, it stands proud as one of the more sought-after early education establishments in Johor.

There are many interesting facts about Rainbow Kindergarten, but one that stands out is that it is the sole outlet of its brand, with no other branches elsewhere. “I had made up my mind a long time ago to not open up any other branch and just give it my all. I intended to run just one, and run it well, and with the help of a co-teacher of mine, Mrs Thomas, who has been with us at Rainbow Kindergarten for about 29 years now, we’re glad to be offering families quality kindergarten education that will benefit their children and prepare them for primary school,” she revealed to Kiddy123 lately, adding that she was determined to not lose control over the quality of the education as well as the learning environment of her kindergarten by branching out, even in Johor itself.

Datin Maureen hails from a nursing background, where she also has experience in dealing with children with social emotional issues. She had her first child in the UK, and she helped out at the university nursery where her child was spending his time at, and she loved the way early education was carried out there. She came back to Malaysia, had two more children, and eventually, when her kids started schooling, the education here didn't quite meet her expectations, right from the kindergarten level, and she was determined to make a difference, not just for her own children, but for the children in her community as well.

My idea of the best kind of early education is a thematic, hands-on kind, and so I went over to Singapore to Patricia Koh’s Pat’s Schoolhouse for a course. Patricia was a gem in helping me, and when I set up my school, she was of great help to my teachers as well, for it was not easy to translate what I had in mind and what I wanted to do to make my vision work in terms ofproviding the kind of programs I had in mind.

“If in the UK you have Letterland as well as Sunshine reading books being used in nurseries and kindergartens, but back here, I had nothing to go on. Hence, I contacted Sunshine Reading Books because I also wanted to know how I could teach my teachers about guided reading and share reading and so on,” she stated. “Imagine my surprise when they invited me and four of my teachers to go over to Auckland, New Zealand to learn more!”

Besides being furnished with lots of teaching materials, it also followed that representatives of Sunshine came over to Malaysia quite often to check on Datin Maureen’s progress with using them at her kindergarten. Needless to say, her teachers were further inspired to do well in their jobs of teaching and molding young minds.

Another course which Datin Maureen took up was to do with Kinesiology, which also helped her identify potential learning issues in children, which in its own way turned out to be indispensable as a kindergarten education provider.

Why Rainbow Kindergarten stands out

Fast-forwarding to today, Rainbow Kindergarten has become one of the top kindergartens in Johor Bahru. The unique teaching system does not call for notebooks as one would expect from your typical standard curriculum at any standard kindergartens in Malaysia. Here, the teachers plan out weekly programs which are in line with a specific theme. It is this thematic approach in teaching that makes it work. There are about four different themes in a year and they can be anything from dinosaurs and rockets to plants, bugs, the ocean, etc.

“My teachers come up with a weekly program, with activities - it could be anything from play activities, writing, or even arithmetic, and link them to, for example, a game, to reinforce the skills learned. At the end of the day, it all boils down to how children are meant to learn, and that is through play, exploration, investigation and discovery.” Datin Maureen has always been confident in her methods and judging from the reviews from the parents of children who attend her kindergarten, she is right on track with providing children the kind of early education they dearly deserve!

While there are no homework or assignments to complete, children do bring home books to read every day. After each thematic period, assessments are carried out to determine the progress of each child, and parents are kept informed through regular parent-teacher meetings.

Unlike other kindergartens, parents are not prohibited from coming in at any time of the day to check on their child. “However, I would always advise parents who want to do that to come into the classroom and be with their child, and not hover at the window, for that would be distracting to all the other little ones as well,” she said with a little laugh. This fact alone, that parents are given this freedom to check up on their children, is enough to ensure that Datin Maureen knows what she’s doing, and she’s doing it well, with the help of her dedicated team of educators assisting her.

The kindergarten has come a long way and continues to provide high quality education for children in preparation for their schooling life ahead. Kiddy123 wishes her and her team the very best in the years ahead.