Reasons Why We Love Creative Explorers!

From the time Heinel was in preschool until now that he is in big school, I am often asked by fellow parents who live in our area as to whether his school, Creative Explorers School for Children, is a good (progressive) pre-school. Heinel started at the age of 3, and for me, that is relatively young because in my time I took preschool when I was 6. Given his young age, it was important for me that he will be in a school where he will be guided in all aspects and not just in academics.  Heinel was with them for 3 years and I have nothing but good words for the school. Here are my major reasons why we love Creative Explorers (Heinel).

School is like a home

The school is like a house with happy faces greeting you once you get in. I immediately liked the school the first time we visited because it is how I envisioned my son’s second home to be like. I like that it has a yard where kids can play freely with the swings and slide. I like that the walls are filled with kids’ works and projects. I like that the school has a pet that the kids can participate in taking care of (in Heinel’s time it was a rabbit). And most of all, I like its administration, school staff, and teachers who are all very warm to students and parents.

Security and protection is a serious business

The school is strict when it comes to safety of the children. Only those that parents identified as official fetchers will be allowed to take the children after class. I was able to prove how they abide strictly to this policy when the school called me one day while I was at work to confirm my brother-in-law’s identity. He forgot to bring his fetcher’s ID since he does not usually fetch Heinel. I appreciated that they called despite Heinel clearly identifying that he is indeed his uncle.

There is also one major entrance and exit gate, thus it is easier to monitor who goes in and out of the school. CCTV cameras are also in action, thus added security feature. 

Kids learn by playing

 Whenever I ask Heinel what they do in school, his usual response is “We played. Mommy. ” Just that. Always. But after months of “playing”, I noticed great improvement in his writing, counting, drawing and even singing children’s songs. “Playing” everyday led him to learn self care and pack away; to interact with other kids, to behave and develop his confidence. Their “play” led him to be more creative and resourceful; to understand the concept of compassion and social responsibility. Whenever he say “We played, Mommy” it means that he had fun and had  a great time in school. I believe this is why CE is successful in terms of teaching, because it is done in an enjoyable way. This is something that young kids need to appreciate school at their age.

Involvement of parents is highly encouraged

I like how the school tries as much as possible to involve parents in school activities. They invite parents on Career Day to explain to children the different jobs that moms and dads have. On school trips and practices in the nearby auditorium, they ask parents if they can participate in car pools. Even school programs has a participation of some parents. My personal favorite is the open school wherein two to three parents sits in the class to observe the daily school activity.

They give clear and detailed assessment

At the end of each semester, I receive not just a report card, but also a detailed assessment of my son’s performance, and then there is still that parent-teacher conference so the teacher and I can discuss. I like that they assessed my son in all aspects and not merely on academics; because in preschool that is really my concern, his development in totality. I also like that the teacher suggests activities he can do at home to develop his skills and personality.

I felt genuine concern for my child

The teachers and school admin know their students by heart. I believe they exert effort to get to know each child that is enrolled to their school. I normally observe the school directress interact with parents, either of new, old and previous students, and I love how she has fond stories to share for each child.She speaks with so much love for their students and celebrates each achievement, good deed and improvement of the child.

During a rough point in our life, it is Heinel’s teacher who noticed the effect in him and discussed it immediately with me. If not for her, it probably took some time before we were able to address the emotional stress that our son was going through at that time.

Transparency

I am impressed with how the school is transparent when it comes to financial matters like payments for school activities. They give a run down of the total expenses and even return any excess to students as fund for their year book materials and other school projects. Even the donations that we gave for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda were all accounted for. On various occasions, they even gave parents options by showing possible scenarios with the expected cost for each, and the option voted by the majority of parents will be taken. One vivid example is for a nearby school trip, they ask parents if  would like to volunteer in car pool (lower cost but needs a number of volunteers) or rent a bus instead (higher cost).  In the end, the car pool won and it turned out to be a good experience because the parents got the chance to meet and interact with each other. 

Choosing a school for your child is a serious business. We are lucky that we found the perfect one for Heinel. If you are interested with Creative Explorers School for children or any school for that matter, I highly suggest that you drop by the school (a scheduled one is better) so you can see the environment and talk to the administrators. Do not be afraid to ask questions or research about the school.

To our Creative Explorers family, thank you  for the wonderful 3 years spent with you. You had prepared Heinel well for his life in big school. Cheers and more power!

 

Note: This post is based solely on our personal experience. This is not a paid blog entry nor a promotional one. This was written as a result of various queries from fellow moms about our experience with the school.