Preschool Feedback: Tanglin, Eton, Stamford and SAS

[Lauren212]

We are thinking of pre-schools now. Wondering what people's experiences are with Tanglin Trust, Eton (Orchard Blvd), Stamford American and SAS. Ideally we would like SAS, but it's quite far away from us and my son will be so young going there by himself. We are looking for a nurturing atmosphere, non-montessori approach. We would ideally like Mandarin to be integrated during the day as well.

Thanks for any feedback!

[cbavasi]

We sent our son to EtonHouse on Orchard Boulevard for 2 years. He loved it and really thrived. They have Mandarin lessons daily along with a Mandarin teacher who is in the classroom as an assistant. (There are 3 teachers total per class - one head, one assistant and the Mandarin teacher - to a ratio of approx 22 students). The class is an "inquiry based" type learning with heavy emphasis on play. He's transitioned to a bigger school this year without problems (5 years old) - though he misses EtonHouse quite a bit. Our daughter is currently on the waiting list at EtonHouse - she's 2 1/2 - but will probably not have a space until next year. (N1/N2 tend to be the busiest years).

I forgot to add that I think end of K1 would be an appropriate time to transition out of EtonHouse (5 - 6 years old) - almost his entire class left this year (beginning of K2) and another 50% are leaving in January when their spaces open in the bigger schools.

[road.not.taken]

All of our kids attended SAS for pre-school. They boarded a bus in the Orchard area and rode first to Ulu Pandan, then to Woodlands when the campus moved. We were concerned about the distance, but it was a non-issue. Having a bus-amah helps, and eventually older siblings as well. If they have a friend on the bus, they enjoy the down/playtime. Hope this helps.

[tanusa]

All of our kids attended SAS for pre-school. They boarded a bus in the Orchard area and rode first to Ulu Pandan, then to Woodlands when the campus moved. We were concerned about the distance, but it was a non-issue. Having a bus-amah helps, and eventually older siblings as well. If they have a friend on the bus, they enjoy the down/playtime. Hope this helps.

Lauren212, hope you don't mind if I jump in our your post...

Road.not.taken, how many kids ride the bus? Is one bus-amah enough for all the kids? And when the bus arrives at the school, do their teachers meet them to take to class? How does that work?