Preschool recommendations

[adrian]

For some of you who might be thinking what preschool you want to send your child to, I highly recommend Kamaaina Kids Preschool (especially the one in Waipahu, where my Mom works ;) ).

Where do you send your kids to for preschool? (BTW, I'm also a product of Kamaaina kids. I used to bug my Mom everytime I have to go to another class.)

[pzarquon]

I liked Kamaaina Kids, too. Many locations, generally good staff (though you're not getting Dr. Spock), and at some facilities, they start at 18 months. And the price is right. I suppose they're the "basic" option, but they worked well for us.

In fact, we sent our daughter there after trying Montessori. Montessori is very serious, very "qualified," with a specific philosophy of childrearing and high expectations of parental involvement. (It sounded nice, but it seemed more like a way to get free labor for landscaping, painting, and fundraising.) It was a whopping $7,000 a year, with no snacks/meals (you had to provide them, and they had to fit their rules), and many "breaks" -- like a real school. Of course, with a month-long break in the summer, you'd have to find yet another child care option to cover the many spots Montessori didn't. Most of all? My daughter was miserable.

Kamaaina Kids cost a fraction of what Montessori did, had a generous calendar, included snacks (and could handle diapers, though we didn't need that service) and -- for better or worse -- had what I'd call a "wider diversity of clientele." My daughter made friends with kids from Papakolea homesteads and Manoa Valley. And she was very happy.

Now we're starting to hunt around again for our second child, and Kamaaina Kids is on the short list. We have always been interested, however, in smaller, independent programs, like those at community centers and churches. There's plenty to choose from here in Mililani, so we've got a lot of shopping around to do.

So if anyone has any recommendations, I'd be interested in hearing them too!

[craigwatanabe]

Montessori schools (style of teaching) is not for every child. It is a very structured learning environment where students are tasked and are directed in all levels of study and play.

Kids who have very short attention spans do well in these kinds of schools and like a good college you must select the pre school based on their curriculum as each child receives knowledge at a different pace.

New science is finding out that children learn at different rates and develop their brains independent of learning curves set forth by our beloved public educational system. It is called emergant curriculum and is based on the "Whole Body" understanding that the brain developes at their own pace with all children up to age 8 or grade 3.

It is this philosophy that must be understood by pre and k-3 curriculum administrators.

Montessori caters to some children who develop a certain portion of their brain differently than others. It's not to say these children are handicapped or even retarded in any sense. Many of these children need this kind of curriculum to stay focused because traditional methods either bore them or don't challenge them enough. Many of these children turn out to be gifted and talented by age 8 because their specific learning curves were met by a teaching method that adapts to their own brain development.

But it's not for all children. Children who have been diagnosed with ADDS seem to flourish in Montessori schools, while others find it mundane and eventually drop out going to other pre-schools.

[manoasurfer123]

Let's revisit this thread... now that my son heads to this age group.

Anyone have any good recommendations on pre-schools in the McCully, Makiki, Kaimuki area?

Licensed only....!

[shaveice]

there's another thread on this very topic somewhere. in the areas you mentioned, i'd suggest "the early school" as a school to consider. there's also a new kaimuki branch of the cole academy....

[CranBeree]

Kawaihao Pre School...absolutely loved it..yes it was Montessori based and it included breakfast lunch and snack all for 525.00 mo.

[pzarquon]

I've heard good things about Kawaihao. Other than that, my answer above on Kamaaina Kids still stands. (November 2004? How fast time flies... and kids grow!) It ain't The Cole Academy, but it ain't half as expensive, either.

[craigwatanabe]

Let's revisit this thread... now that my son heads to this age group.

Anyone have any good recommendations on pre-schools in the McCully, Makiki, Kaimuki area?

Licensed only....!

The Early School on Bingham street next to Church of the Crossroads next to Varsity Theater. It's considered the Punahou of preschools and is in fact a feeder school to Punahou.

It is where our government and business leaders send their children to. Our Ethics commissioner, three prior insurance commissioners, even lawyers like our beloved Brook Hart sent their kids there because it is simply the best preschool anywhere in Hawaii and best of all manoasurfer123, it's in the McCully area. And at around $1,000 per year, it's very expensive. I've sent four of my six children there and have never regretted it.

[manoasurfer123]

The Early School on Bingham street next to Church of the Crossroads next to Varsity Theater. It's considered the Punahou of preschools and is in fact a feeder school to Punahou.

It is where our government and business leaders send their children to. Our Ethics commissioner, three prior insurance commissioners, even lawyers like our beloved Brook Hart sent their kids there because it is simply the best preschool anywhere in Hawaii and best of all manoasurfer123, it's in the McCully area. And at around $1,000 per year, it's very expensive. I've sent four of my six children there and have never regretted it.
$1000 per year sounds cheap to me!

Was that a typo?

[pzarquon]

$1,000 per year? I'll take that. :)

And, you know, being the "Punahou of preschools" is not neccessarily a plus in some parents' books.

Here's an earlier thread on Honolulu preschool recommendations (http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=7630) (likely the one shaveice had in mind). Lots of good discussion there, too.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

The Early School on Bingham street next to Church of the Crossroads next to Varsity Theater. It's considered the Punahou of preschools and is in fact a feeder school to Punahou.

It is where our government and business leaders send their children to. Our Ethics commissioner, three prior insurance commissioners, even lawyers like our beloved Brook Hart sent their kids there because it is simply the best preschool anywhere in Hawaii and best of all manoasurfer123, it's in the McCully area. And at around $1,000 per year, it's very expensive. I've sent four of my six children there and have never regretted it.

Why is it regarded so highly? Is its convenient location that adds to its attractiveness for professionals, or its curriculum/pedagogy? Is it secular? I am really curious, and google didn't get me far.

[timkona]

Sonshine Preschool in Kealakekua, Hawaii.

Great Administrator. Great Teachers. Strict Discipline with LottaLove. Great Environment with a touch of prayer to help with moral character building.

15 different 4 year olds who come from 15 completely different families.

EVERY DAMNED ONE OF EM CAN READ, WRITE & COUNT LIKE A 1ST GRADER.

That's a testament to a fantastic teacher. Thank you Aunty Susan.

[shaveice]

$1000 per year sounds cheap to me!

Was that a typo?
. . . . . . . . . . . .

absolutely :) he meant "per month".

[craigwatanabe]

Whoops sorry for that major typo. Yes around $1000 per month. And it's attractive for many reasons, location is one of them, and yes it is secular albeit on the compounds of Church of the Crossroads.

It's curricullum is based on the cutting edge emergent style as I spoke of earlier in this thread. The ironic part is that this style was in use by TES (The Early School) way before it became cutting edge. Many UH professors send their kids there as well. The teaching staff is a diverse group that reminds me of a grassroots style of teaching yet because many of TES' board members are educators themselves and parents, they bring together a responsive team of educational experts working along with their children's teachers. This unification of parents and staff bring what I've always considered valuable in a child's education...and that is parent participation.

As a parent who sent my kids there both my wife and I were actively involved with their programs, we and other parents would have these work days when we would come on a weekend and spruce up the place. Monetary contributions weren't enough, parent work participation was necessary. On some occasions we would come in after work to do some of the janitorial work like cleaning the boys and girls bathrooms, cleaning the classrooms on the weekends and such.

This kind of work ethic helps parents feel better connected to their kid's preschool. And when the kids see that connection, they're motivated to be better students as well.

TES has two summer campouts every year and potlucks at Kaimana Beach every month where parents, teachers and board members can mingle outside of the school grounds. This provides a bonding process where adults can relate their expertise, kinda like networking. Many of the parents take advantage of these outings as we all know in Hawaii it's who you know.

One of the virtues of TES is it's non-reliance on high technology. They are a grassroots organization that emphasizes creativity and self-discovery. You would think the lack of academic teaching would hinder a preschooler entering kindergarden. Not so...academic performance is more indicative later in a child's brain developmental years. Like running you first have to learn to stand up and walk. Academic fundamentals come later, but first the brain has to learn to compartmentalize, analyze and sort things. It has to differentiate between square things, round things, fluffy things, and smelly things before it can begin to fractionalize them into number sequences.

The grassroots back to basics teachings of TES allow students there to explore their cognative abilities without the disciplines of an educational curricullum. This allows the brain to develop at a quicker pace without the stresses of academics to restrict creative thinking.

Basically TES' curricullum encourages the brain to become more aware of it's sensory inputs. This awareness stimulates brain cell development and allows those neurons to connect and interconnect forming major networks bridging brain cells in multiple paths. This kind of cell interconnect allows the brain to function more efficiently. The science behind this kind of creative thinking curricullum isn't new and TES has integrated that style for decades already, but only recently has the DOE recognized it.

But it is this style of teaching that has allowed TES to become one of Hawaii's leading preschools. You can reach TES at 955-5881, Francis Dote is the director there and when calling mention Craig and Brenda Watanabe as we are strong supporters of this outstanding institution.

[pzarquon]

Whew. That's quite a pitch.

I'm glad TES worked out great for you, Craig. I'm sure it's a wonderful school.

But as above, I'd like to stress that every parent needs to check out all their options and mesh them with what they know about their own kids to determine what works best for them. No single approach -- Montessori, Waldorf, High Scope, Muppet Baby, whatever -- is inherently superior, "cutting edge," "leading," "advanced," or "progressive." In fact, I'd be skeptical of any school that made such sweeping claims.

A good school won't try to sell to all parents and students, but just find the best fit.I am really curious, and google didn't get me far.Indeed. Fascinating for a school with such impressive credentials and easily recited notable alumni to have so limited a footprint in the wild, whether self-generated material or via commentary in the media or elsewhere. Despite being the "Punahou of Preschools," I guess The Early School is considerably more humble.

[craigwatanabe]

Very humble, the only computer is the one in the Director's office. But like you said it's not for all students. Montessori schools like Waldorf and even Star of the Sea provide a different style of education that works as well. My two year old is Montessori material and wouldn't do well at TES.

Sweeping claims? yes they are but they won't be the first to say it. Their enrollment waitlist is verrrrryy long so they don't advertise at all. TES has been a model for which the University of Hawaii/Manoa has studied in past years to develop their own emergent curricullum directives. Many of the parents there are in fact UH proffessors as well as directors and administrators for other prominent k-12 private schools around Oahu so they understand just how good TES is.

You want a list of testimonials from professionals? Contact Francis at TES and request those names. You'd be impressed at the who's who that is on it. This is one school that has credentials that are way up there but they don't expound them because of their humbleness. These are really grassroots people! The director (Francis Dote) drives a beat up Nissan pickup. One of the senior board members drives an old Buick Century. Another plays blues rock in a local band. They refuse to be labelled eclectic even though they could easily become that. One teacher there was a hold out on digital photography and even stayed with a slide projector instead of using Power Point and a video projector.

Yep their grassroots people.

[timkona]

One teacher there was a hold out on digital photography and even stayed with a slide projector instead of using Power Point and a video projector.

Are they Amish?

I sure can see the value in a school that has teachers that resist new technologies.

:rolleyes:

As far as parental involvement, I agree completely. My daughter's KG class will have computers in the classroom because I went out and got some old junk donated, had em refurbished a little, loaded up some Reader Rabbit, etc and took the computers to the school.

[Miulang]

Having kids being exposed to computers at a very young age is good for some things, but it shouldn't be done at the risk of the kids not learning how to do things "manually" (especially as in writing and 'rithmetic). I know for myself, now that I use the computer almost exclusively to do word processing, the legibility of my handwriting has deteriorated horribly. And if kids don't learn how to add, subtract, multiply etc. without using a machine, the next generation of kids will be in a world of hurt if there is ever an energy shortage. Abacus, anyone? ;)

Miulang

[shaveice]

... Another plays blues rock in a local band....

i wasn't going to say anything but my daughter just started going to tes and she loves it. as craig said, the wait list is very long and maybe i should have mentioned his name but i decided not to and just hope for the best. thankfully, there was a spot for her and i like what i see going on. on a very basic level, i was impressed immediately by the maturity of the teachers and the way they interact with the kids. they're firm and clear and very loving. you can just tell that they're not inexperienced: they know what they're doing and they do it so well.

if any parent is interested, know that you can call the school and arrange an introductory tour of the place. as has been mentioned above, you shouldn't automatically assume that tes is for your child. by getting an introduction to the school and what it does, you'll be in a better position to decide whether that environment is a good fit for your child.

craig, who's the teacher who plays in a blues band???

[craigwatanabe]

craig, who's the teacher who plays in a blues band???

Roger. He's one of the original teachers there and he'll be there forever. Is your child in the YCP Infant Toddler program side or in the older programs (back/front rooms). Tell all the teachers and Francis there that Craig and Brenda says hi!

Oh and btw, resisting new technologies is a good thing. Children that age don't need computers to define their learning potential. They're still shaping their own internal computers. Gotta master that one before attempting a Macintosh or worse yet...a Windows based PC! Gosh did I just say that? :eek:

[shaveice]

Roger. He's one of the original teachers there and he'll be there forever. Is your child in the YCP Infant Toddler program side or in the older programs (back/front rooms). Tell all the teachers and Francis there that Craig and Brenda says hi!

Oh and btw, resisting new technologies is a good thing. Children that age don't need computers to define their learning potential. They're still shaping their own internal computers. Gotta master that one before attempting a Macintosh or worse yet...a Windows based PC! Gosh did I just say that? :eek:
. . . . . . . . . .

howzit craig, yeah, i haven't met roger yet cuz my daughter's only 2 yrs 5 months, but i'll be sure to pass your greetings on to the teachers on the other side :)

[craigwatanabe]

. . . . . . . . . .

howzit craig, yeah, i haven't met roger yet cuz my daughter's only 2 yrs 5 months, but i'll be sure to pass your greetings on to the teachers on the other side :)

Then your daughter is in the YCP program probably working with Carol, she's another long time teacher there, one of the originals I think.

[shaveice]

Then your daughter is in the YCP program probably working with Carol, she's another long time teacher there, one of the originals I think.
. . . . . . . . .

yup, and it turns out she said that your wife worked at tes! odd that you didn't mention that before! ha! ha! :D

(i'll have to meet roger one day and ask where he plays!)

[craigwatanabe]

. . . . . . . . .

yup, and it turns out she said that your wife worked at tes! odd that you didn't mention that before! ha! ha! :D

(i'll have to meet roger one day and ask where he plays!)

She started as a volunteer then became a teacher then became Co-op Coordinator then left when she became pregnant again.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

anyone else besides me enroll their children into a Punana Leo preschool? Our family's experiences were wonderful, they brought my young children out of their shells, gave them the gift of a Hawaiian environment (and not all of the kids were of Hawaiian ancestry), had fieldtrips all over the island, and it felt as if everyone was a big family.

[manoasurfer123]

Does anyone know of any online databases that have info regarding Oahu Preschools?

I'm looking for recommendations for a preschool as close as possible to McCully and Kapiolani.:confused: