Montessori in Singapore??

[jaetee]

Any recommendations for an accredited/"real" Montessori in Singapore with good facilities, etc.? It seems any school can call themselves Montessori-like but few are truly Montessori?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[yonge]

We sent our elder son to MMI Montessori in Singapore for less than two years before transferring him to Newton Kindergarten, which is not accredited but is the only one of three (all non-Montessori) pre-school to accept children before age 2. Most people don't send their children to a Montessori school for their entire pre-school, switching them to a "local" kindergarten in the year they turn 3 to better prepare them to enter the local primary schools, some of which can be very competitive. My elder son switched to Newton Kindergarten, which is a very well regarded "local" kindergarten. If you're planning to send your children to an international school in Singapore, then it wouldn't matter as much if they spent their entire pre-school years at a Montessori school.

 

[jaetee]

Thanks yonge. Is MMI a good school, did your son enjoy his experience there?

Thank you again for the advice.

 

[yonge]

We were at the MMI Claymore branch, near the American Club. It's in a renovated bungalow with grounds for both an outdoor playground and mini-pool. They also have an indoor playground. My elder son at 20 months attended 3 hours a day, five days a week. Unlike HK, parents are not allowed to join the children in their classes. As a result, he learned to be independent very quickly. While he enjoyed it a lot initially, we wanted to put him into a local kindergarten in a truly bilingual environment. MMI Montessori brings in a Mandarin tutor for an hour twice a week, which was not enough for him to be prepared to enter into the local schools.