We spent a lot of time looking for a place for our 17 months old. We wanted something that lets her freely choose what she wants to play, something that stimulates her and is fun, let's her interact with and observe other kids. We did not want the typical Singaporean "teach her the alphabetS" and flash cards approach, we did not want the "let her cry it out" approach to settling in.
The place we initially liked best couldn't take her until she was 18 months, then we chose a very expensive Montessori house. We liked all the expat environment and high quality fitting and toys. But it did not work out at all. The groups were too big already so the teachers didn't have enough time to gently let our daughter settle in. She just cried and cried and cried. We took her out after a few days.
Then this place opened:
http://www.petite-papillon.com/ They have really small groups and exactly the philosophy we wanted. They were very happy for a parent to stay with the kid as long as the parent/kid wanted. This was exactly the gentleness our daughter needed and after a few days she was happy by herself. There was never any crying!
She is now at Petite Papillon for about two months and absolutely loves it. She plays "going to playhouse" on the weekends: She packs her daycare bag, asks for help putting it on her back, waves and says good-bye and walks out the door. At home she also practices the songs and dance movements she learns at daycare. She has started to wipe her spills, put her toys back into the box, take shoes on and off. Her fine motoric skills have improved a lot. We love Petite Papillon!!
