Kindergarten (Full English Speaking) In Chiang Mai.

[blueocean]

Hi All, Can anyone with kids in kindergarten or pre school in Chiang Mai give us their opinions on the best schools that have classes delivered in English?

Thanks.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Roughly which part of town?

[blueocean]

Well, Around the moat ideally. I have looked at a few, Varee, Grace, CM international , but just want a good school that teaches in English with Thai as a second language.

[naboo]

Panyaden is in English. Buddhist (the options you've looked at are all varying degrees of Christian - is this important/an issue?). Reasonable fees, continues up to age 12.

[PlanetX]

very broad request

at that age, better to choose by fees and location

all of the real International schools teach in english supported with a small amount of Thai

There are also some good Thai schools with English programmes

Religion is also consideration for a few

Better to narrow your needs based on fees, location, religion, and ratio of english/ thai

Its hard to say one preschool or kindergarten completely outshines another - the parent is still the best teacher at that age

Edited August 12, 2012 by PlanetX

[Hugh Jarse]

Panyaden is in English. Buddhist (the options you've looked at are all varying degrees of Christian - is this important/an issue?). Reasonable fees, continues up to age 12.

Panyaden v/good as small class sizes and bi-lingual teaching. English seems to be the language of the playground also. It is in Nam Prae(sp?) and on the canal road , Hang Dong end of town. Nearby is Montessori which is predominantly English speaking and seemingly a-religious. Both are about 60k a semester. Would recommend you go along and interview the managers and teachers. Good luck!

[DiamondKing]

How long is a semester and how many semesters to a year

[elektrified]

How long is a semester and how many semesters to a year

I think they refer to them as 'term' here which are roughly 5 months, then the Songkran break, and then the next term. At least that is how it is done in my child's school. I think semester is more of an American term. Not sure if that is how they refer to it in Europe, Australia, or other parts of the world. But there are 2 semesters in each school year.

[elektrified]

Panyaden is in English. Buddhist (the options you've looked at are all varying degrees of Christian - is this important/an issue?). Reasonable fees, continues up to age 12.

Is 118K per year reasonable? Not trying to argue with you, don't get me wrong. Seems a bit pricey for Nursery School and Kindergarten - to me at least. I wouldn't want Buddhism forced upon my child either. The campus looks very nice from the photos.

[naboo]

NIS is 140k, other international Kindergartens will be similar. For a full international kindergarten, at 118k I think Panyaden is very good value. Obviously you can pay significantly less if you go to non-international options, or options with a majority of Thai language instruction - an option to consider for mixed heritage kids for sure.

[rakchaingmai]

My daughter goes to little stars and loves it 32k per term atm most of the kids are of mixed heritage and some thais, it's the first time i have seen fully 100% thai kids speak really good english and with confidence .

She really loves it there and seems happy most days the only thing i don't like is they give homework for my 3 year old but she is getting used to it now .

[Krupnik]

I would have to question the reputation of Little Stars, I have heard from people who've worked there that they are far from professional...

[elektrified]

...the only thing i don't like is they give homework for my 3 year old but she is getting used to it now .

My child is getting homework 4 nights per week and he is only 2. At first he hated it but he too has gotten used to it.

[DaamNaam]

Panyaden is in English. Buddhist (the options you've looked at are all varying degrees of Christian - is this important/an issue?). Reasonable fees, continues up to age 12.

Is 118K per year reasonable? Not trying to argue with you, don't get me wrong. Seems a bit pricey for Nursery School and Kindergarten - to me at least. I wouldn't want Buddhism forced upon my child either. The campus looks very nice from the photos.

Panyaden is in English. Buddhist (the options you've looked at are all varying degrees of Christian - is this important/an issue?). Reasonable fees, continues up to age 12.

Is 118K per year reasonable? Not trying to argue with you, don't get me wrong. Seems a bit pricey for Nursery School and Kindergarten - to me at least. I wouldn't want Buddhism forced upon my child either. The campus looks very nice from the photos.

Nothing at all is forced on the kids at this school. It is in no way a religious school. If you knew anything about the Buddhas teachings you would know this.

The school focuses on the heart not just the head.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

...the only thing i don't like is they give homework for my 3 year old but she is getting used to it now .

My child is getting homework 4 nights per week and he is only 2. At first he hated it but he too has gotten used to it.

Heck, and I was surprised at the amount of home work they give to Pathom 1 kids. (6-7 years old). Homework for 2-5 year olds is just nuts; playing (or any Non-TV-time) should be all the homework they need.

[weary]

Varee School kindergarten also introduces homework in Anuban 1, i.e. from 3 years of age. I guess for enough parents, school is first and foremost a competition, and they think that quantitative learning is how you win the race.

[DaamNaam]

Varee School kindergarten also introduces homework in Anuban 1, i.e. from 3 years of age. I guess for enough parents, school is first and foremost a competition, and they think that quantitative learning is how you win the race.

All it does is burn the kids out. The evidence is all around us here.

[zippydedodah]

well, in k class at CMIS our daughter had no homework... the basic school policy is that in the early years, 10 minutes per grade per night...which translates to 30 minutes homework for our daughter when she was in 3rd grade... i don't think it ever took her that long, but i could see how some kids might need 30 minutes...we were told this policy in a school newsletter and then re-enforced during private conversations with the (ex)principal. I imagine by the time she hits 6th grade, homework might well be more than one hour, but she should be prepared for it by then.

[JimShortz]

I work in the Secondary school section at LIST (Lanna International School Thailand), on the south side of the city. I guess with my child at the school (in early Primary) and me working there it sounds like I am advertising the place - I suppose I am in a way, but only because I am so happy with my child's experience there and appreciate what my child is getting... (please don't form a queue I like the small class sizes - this is for information only!)

First of all, where I work and teach is ENTIRELY related to the quality of the educational experience there, since my child goes for free (normal for international school teachers). If I am not happy I have no choice but to vote with my feet...

I am going nowhere!

The teachers in lower Primary are OUTSTANDING, and I feel truly privileged to have my child go through the experiences he has had there.

My advice, for what it is worth is:

• If you plan to educate your kids internationally don't wait until mid-primary, sending them to a nice but not that great nursery first - they will be so far behind the full internationally educated kids it will take years to make up - if ever ( I see this ALL of the time).
  
• Try to compare the international/cheap bilingual options properly - they are not even similar. If I had to pay I would very likely take the cheaper option ( I am not rich) - but don't fool yourself that they are similar. THEY ARE NOT - the highly qualified/experienced teachers matter...
  
• Because kids are happy where they are does NOT mean they are getting a good start in life. Most kids are happy playing with your Ipad...
  
• Oh, and kids in the very early years at LIST get NO homework - setting it is clearly ridiculous and only set to placate overly ambitious (and misguided) parents. If you really think they should have it go and read the plethora of research on the subject of how homework can be used to be effective... (it doesn't start in Kindergarden!)
  

Edited August 14, 2012 by JimShortz

[zippydedodah]

would just add that just because a school is more expensive does not necessarily mean it has better teachers. when i first moved here i was surprised by the numbers of teachers who left every year... apparently from most/all international schools. I sat down and talked about it with some of the more experienced educators and learned that it is a phenomenon of the industry. So that begs the question on how well the school chooses its teachers as well as how much they are paid. Money (salary) is no guarantee of better teacher... but it does give you an edge over the competition... all other things being equal.

This year our daughter has a teacher who is here in her (the teachers) first year of teaching. I look forward to seeing how well and carefully the administration has chosen.

[DaamNaam]

I work in the Secondary school section at LIST (Lanna International School Thailand), on the south side of the city. I guess with my child at the school (in early Primary) and me working there it sounds like I am advertising the place - I suppose I am in a way, but only because I am so happy with my child's experience there and appreciate what my child is getting... (please don't form a queue I like the small class sizes - this is for information only!)

First of all, where I work and teach is ENTIRELY related to the quality of the educational experience there, since my child goes for free (normal for international school teachers). If I am not happy I have no choice but to vote with my feet...

I am going nowhere!

The teachers in lower Primary are OUTSTANDING, and I feel truly privileged to have my child go through the experiences he has had there.

My advice, for what it is worth is:

• If you plan to educate your kids internationally don't wait until mid-primary, sending them to a nice but not that great nursery first - they will be so far behind the full internationally educated kids it will take years to make up - if ever ( I see this ALL of the time).
  
• Try to compare the international/cheap bilingual options properly - they are not even similar. If I had to pay I would very likely take the cheaper option ( I am not rich) - but don't fool yourself that they are similar. THEY ARE NOT - the highly qualified/experienced teachers matter...
  
• Because kids are happy where they are does NOT mean they are getting a good start in life. Most kids are happy playing with your Ipad...
  
• Oh, and kids in the very early years at LIST get NO homework - setting it is clearly ridiculous and only set to placate overly ambitious (and misguided) parents. If you really think they should have it go and read the plethora of research on the subject of how homework can be used to be effective... (it doesn't start in Kindergarden!)
  

How do the non natives go with Thai and Thai studies at LIST?

Our kids were pulled out of there as they were getting nowhere with Thai, and us parents got they rap for it. I guess its fine if you plan on leaving Thailand for further studies or simply go home. Home for us is Thailand so i think a bi-lingual education is far better in that sense. Each to their own of course.

[JimShortz]

How do the non natives go with Thai and Thai studies at LIST?

Our kids were pulled out of there as they were getting nowhere with Thai, and us parents got they rap for it. I guess its fine if you plan on leaving Thailand for further studies or simply go home. Home for us is Thailand so i think a bi-lingual education is far better in that sense. Each to their own of course.

You make a hugely important point there. My child is half Thai and will be entirely raised in Thailand. Even as half Thai (so gets some Thai at home) his Thai is not as strong as his English in terms of vocabulary, although he speaks completely fluently. I am fully aware that before he reaches Secondary age he will need additional Thai tutoring to ensure that he is truly bilingual; particularly in respect to writing - Thai is tough to write perfectly!

All choices for education are a trade off, but bilingual in Chiang Mai to me too often means Thai with some poorly qualified English language input. I am more concerned with the quality of education in its wider sense, and will add in more Thai as needed to stop him being embarrassed linguistically. I do, however, feel he will never need to feel embarrassed educationally - in fact I hope he grows up to feel very fortunate and appreciative of his educational good luck.

Studying in English with a small amount of Thai each week has some downsides, but in my opinion not a fraction of the downsides of an education based around the Thai model, educated by teachers who themselves experienced this model and tend to perpetuate it (not their fault,but true nonetheless).

This is of course just my opinion; you make your own choices as to what is best for your children.

[BlackArtemis]

I know at Panyaden, at a primary level, if you bring your child there you choose which language will be the first and which will be their secondary.

Meaning if the student is going to be studying in English, they will study with others in an English as primary class and take a Thai as secondary class. The reverse is true if you enter on the Thai side of things.The student will also receive textbooks based in the language they choose. Furthermore, the students are not grouped by grade and age during their English an Thai lessons, but rather by proficiency, so there may be 3rd graders studying with 5th graders during that period and they will be moved depending on performance.

When I heard about that I liked it better than just 1 class having English or Thai at the same time, so all sorts of language levels were mixed together

[WinnieTheKhwai]

All choices for education are a trade off, but bilingual in Chiang Mai to me too often means Thai with some poorly qualified English language input. I am more concerned with the quality of education in its wider sense, and will add in more Thai as needed to stop him being embarrassed linguistically. I do, however, feel he will never need to feel embarrassed educationally - in fact I hope he grows up to feel very fortunate and appreciative of his educational good luck.

From experience I think it often only seems on a superficial level that kids are far more proficient in one or the other language. Mine was almost exclusively speaking English while she was in kindergarten (even though they have Thai lessons in the afternoons), to the point where she would actually avoid talking to people if she suspected the person would be speaking Thai. But all of that cleared up in a matter of weeks after moving to the next school where there were a lot more Thai kids; she's now just as fluent in Thai as she is in English.

It does depend on the kid too of course; my second one seems a lot less into talking in general, not speaking very clearly even though he's two years old now. My first one never went through a phase where she was hard to understand; whatever words she could say she articulated clearly pretty much from the start.