There was a time when I was almost convinced that I could get a pretty good idea of schools simply by looking at their stats and reading their brochures. But that naivete is long gone. After many, many school tours and open houses, I’ll never make that mistake ever again.

Brochures show the best side that the marketing team wants you to see; we all know that. But just how far off is the reality from what was advertised?

A friend and I recently visited a daycare that was exactly what we were looking for, on paper. The glossy brochure introduced the place as an international daycare where kids can play and learn in a bilingual environment. The space itself was designed with a lot of natural wood and filled with tons of playground toys and TVs to entertain the kids. Supposedly it was founded by “a well-known psychologist” and its curriculum is designed to help children discover their own interests. Sounds great, right? We thought so too until we took a closer look.

As soon as we walked in, their salespeople descended upon us like a flock of vultures, fighting with each other to be the first to sell their packages even before we toured the place.

When we finally got a word in and explained that as foreigners, we preferred our kids to be in an English-speaking environment, they insisted it wasn’t a problem and asked their foreign teachers to meet us. It was a sweet gesture, but one that backfired instead.

Their foreign teachers were two young men; both with optimistic smiles on their faces. The salesperson stayed close by and watched us like a hawk as we chatted with them, answering on their behalf when they weren’t authorized to answer.

I pulled one of the teachers aside to have a better conversation – not because I wanted to be sneaky, but because it was loud in the room and I genuinely couldn’t hear what he was saying. During our chat, he told me in broken English that he’s from Eastern Europe, and had lived in China for a few years doing a variety of jobs like modeling and teaching yoga. He had only moved to Beijing about four months before, and did not have any prior teaching experience. He even added that it was refreshing to converse in English, since no one else at the school did. We ended our conversation after he informed me of his upcoming root canal procedure and asked me to recommend a dental clinic.

There’s no need to call this place out by name. Sadly, in Beijing, places such as this are commonplace. Yet somehow, there are still plenty of Chinese families fighting to get their kids a spot in this kind of daycare. Yes, there are still parents who naively believe that letting their children simply be in proximity to foreigners, regardless of their native language, will magically improve their kids’ English. Hmm, I surround myself with skinny friends but I’m still fat. So I can safely say that this theory doesn’t work…

It’s been said many times throughout the years but this is a message worth repeating. The words STEM/STEAM and/or Montessori are thrown around so much now that they no longer seem to matter. While there are a great many Montessori schools in Beijing, more than a fair share of these claim to be “Montessori inspired”, which to me, is a fancy way of saying “Montessori knockoff”.

When it comes to choosing a school for your kids, you need to really get a feel for the place, and reading a brochure just doesn’t cut it. You and your kids will need to see the school to experience it first hand and meet the teachers. This is especially true of early childhood education. When it comes down to your final choices for schools, finding one where you fit in is just as important.

To learn more about Beijing’s international schools, visit the School Profile Index on our website.

KEEP READING: Building up STEAM

Images: Pexels

Many, if not most, expat families in Beijing either have their kids in school or an ayi to look after little ones. There are some excellent homeschooling communities as well, but when kids are younger – coupled with the incredible costs of daycare centers – the idea of a co-op becomes that much more tempting. The basic concept of a co-op is that you have a small group of parents who are each responsible for supervising the children one day per week. Scheduling depends on individual needs, of course, and I’ve known smaller co-ops where two parents alternated days when they were supervising the kids. 

Admittedly, the definition of a co-op is a bit loose, such that a friend once asked me what the difference is between a co-op and a group of parents who hang out a lot. In short, the answer is that in a co-op, typically only one or two parents are in charge at a time. In hangouts, you pretty much stay there with your kid.

Back when my youngest turned 2, this felt like a miracle solution to my working from home arrangement. My good friend was spearheading the co-op effort and knew that a lot of my basic parenting practices aligned with the other parents. Here’s how we arranged it. 

First group sharing: Get on the same page

The six of us introduced each other and the ages of our kids (between 20-26 months at the time). We talked through why we needed this, some general ideas for scheduling, and also what we’d like the kids to get out of it. Our group all agreed that a forest school mentality was ideal. Through the course of these discussions, one family did opt out, ultimately deciding that the entire process was not for them.

In-person meeting and kick-off

We met for dinner and went over everything: schedules, comfort levels with activities, locations, discipline, deal-breakers (like no TV time). After confirming everyone’s schedules, we made a Google calendar for reference. They turned to me for a suggestion on group communication, and I introduced everyone to Slack, a team-based messaging service. Doing this in person cut down on a lot of issues later. Everyone was trained in how to use Slack, we got permissions and settings set up together on the spot. Our Slack channels included: general, schedule, locations, photos, and inspiration.

Understand that family schedules are chaotic and subject to change

At least once a month, if not every two weeks, one parent had to bail on their day to watch the kids because another child was sick, they were called in to work, or any of the other hundred reasons why family schedules go awry. Sometimes another family was able to save the day, but more often than not we just didn’t have co-op that day. Colds happen, childcare is rearranged, life goes on.

Do you have an indoor or outdoor space to play, or both?

Most of the families focused on outdoor spaces for their co-op day, as we lived in a moderate climate and it gave the kiddos more room to play. My home at the time had a large playroom that opened out into our yard, and I was the only member who used an indoor space regularly (I was also the only one who didn’t have enough space in my car or enough car seats to accommodate all the kids).

Express concerns to the group

Resentment builds up, and this does not make for a happy playdate or everyday situation. My kid tended to run away from the leaders, not for any other reason than sometimes, he quite literally marches to the beat of his own (internal) drum. When we were evaluating for the spring, the other parents brought up their concerns around everyone’s safety because of his behavior. It was better to hear their concerns so I could work with my kid on the issue, rather than assume it was not a big problem because they normally joked about it.

Are you and the other parents really on the same page? Otherwise, know when it’s time to leave

I mentioned deal-breakers above, but you and your partner need to truly be comfortable with the kind of care your child will receive from each parent. These aren’t professional childcare providers who will take direction; these are folks who all have their own parenting ideologies and may or may not be able to adjust for your child. Personally, I was around 90 percent comfortable with the various parenting styles of our co-op group, and my son really enjoyed the outings and company, so it evened out. But when it came down to a deal-breaker, I found mine, and it was vaccinations. When areas of the US had measles or mumps outbreaks, that’s when I realized just how much it bothered me that we were the only vaccinated family in the co-op, and I had to leave. It didn’t affect our friendships, as we always knew the co-op was more of a business arrangement between friends. That was key.

Review emergency procedures

If any of the kids got hurt on our watch, we communicated with the others right away. I may not be the kind of parent who jumps to mild use of essential oils when my kid has a headache, but I also didn’t mind another parent using them on my child occasionally. Make sure everyone has the emergency contacts and preferred hospital, as well as medical histories easily accessible in the Slack channel. What we should have done was also kept signed, notarized letters that gave explicit permission for each one of the parents to bring our child to the hospital if necessary, and to authorize care in an emergency.

Legalities to consider

• Will a neighbor see you regularly hosting a group of children and report you to the police? Many daycares must be registered depending on the laws of the region.
• What happens in an emergency? Who is held liable?
• If a hospital visit is necessary, how far into the process can the parent-in-charge make decisions?
• Who pays for a medical injury or hospital visit if the parent-in-charge was neglectful?
• Yep, I’d say all the liabilities beyond the first one have to do with injuries. And let’s face it, kids get hurt a lot. Make sure you’re all on the same page.

Ultimately, it comes down to your comfort level with the people in your co-op and your ability to communicate. You also need to be aware that it’s hard to be the primary entertainer and supervisor of a group of kids. Is it really in your nature to basically be a preschool teacher with your friends’ kids? My saving grace was our bubble machine and trampoline – those saved my sanity on many a co-op day.

KEEP READING: Fun DIY for Bad AQI: Tactile Table

Images: Cindy Marie Jenkins, Alejandra DeMaio, Robin Canfield

Beijing authorities are conducting a review of the city’s private kindergartens, with many being forced to reduce their fees and bring their curricula and practices into line with publicly-run facilities, or be taken over by local government. However beijingkids has seen no evidence to support speculation that this is the first stage of a clampdown on all privately-owned schools.

The clampdown appears to be a long-term result of the city’s building boom of the mid-2000s. Developers were required to include space for kindergartens in all new developments, to meet the city’s daycare needs of having favcilities like child care Werrington. However most developers sold or leased the space to other suppliers. Many of these companies took advantage of the shortage of kindergarten places, and the high value placed on education in Chinese culture, to charge extravagant, if not extortionate, fees. The new rules require them to be run as public facilities, and not for profit.

Currently over 60 percent of Beijing kindergartens are privately owned, and accommodate just over half of preschoolers. (Class sizes are usually smaller in private facilties.) The government’s target is that by 2020 80 percent of kindergartens will be run publicly or as non-profits. However, according to Zhangxing, a researcher from Zero Power Intelligence Group, this is not the end for the private preschool sector. Once the 80 percent goal has been reached, there will still be a substantial number of private kindergartens. The option will still be open to parents to pay more for “elite” facilities (which may include foreign teachers); the purpose of the clampdown seems to be to make sure low-cost local options are also available.

As foreign teachers are usually paid more, the reduced fees may result in some kindergartens no longer being able to employ them. However the government is only currently taking action against kindergartens which are part of residential compounds. Recent tightening of regulations on the qualifications of foreign teachers, and the curriculum taught at Chinese-owned private schools, have led to some speculation on social media that this is the beginning of a more general restriction on private education. However beijingkids has at this point seen no evidence to support this, or to suggest there is any cause for alarm for teachers and parents in the international community.

(Featured image is a stock photograph. No criticism is intended of the practices of the kindergarten depicted.)

Photo: Ariel Ophelia via Creative Commons

(It was reported this week that ambitious Chinese parents are sending their children on leadership workshops and CEO training courses aimed at kids as young as 6 months. “I doubt the course can really teach a child to become a future leader because they are too young,” commented one parent rather forlornly after paying RMB 12,000. “What can you expect from a three-year-old? My daughter can’t even put her own shoes on.” Some cynics have even dared to suggest that the courses are no more than over-priced daycare… We sent our undercover reporter to find out what was really going on.)

Now then children, today we’re all going to be world leaders and captains of industry. So let’s put our shoulders back, our noses in the air, and head for the top!

Hillary and Donald, if you two can’t play nicely, you’ll have to go and sit on the naughty step. Yes, Hillary, I heard what he called you. But that doesn’t make it right for you to – Hillary! Nice girls don’t use words like that.

This is Theresa, boys and girls. She’s new, so let’s all make her feel welcome. Theresa, I really don’t think it’s a good idea on your first day to start by telling everybody you don’t want to play with them. Look, you’ve upset Angela now. And believe me, you don’t want to mess with Angela.

Donald, don’t do that.

Let’s have a look at your drawings. Oh, Steve, what a lovely apple! Bill, stop copying Steve. Yes, you are. You can call it a window if you want, but it looks like an apple to me. What are you drawing, Ren? You’re drawing an apple too? I see… And Lei? Another – Wait a minute. Has anybody drawn anything that isn’t an apple? Everyone’s just copying Steve. Don’t you have any ideas of your own?

Hillary, what’s that on that piece of paper? Yes, the one behind your back. Bring it here now. No Julian, don’t snatch. Hillary’s going to do the right thing and give it to me herself, aren’t you, Hillary?

Oh dear. Have you swallowed it? Well, it’ll serve you right if it comes back up later.

Richard, put that down. Nobody’s going to take you seriously if you keep playing with balloons. What, you want to be a spaceman now? I’m not sure that’s really any better. Oh well, as long it keeps you away from the train set…

Donald, I asked you not to do that. I don’t care how big your hands are.

What have you got there, Jack? A designer handbag? How lovely. But it isn’t really, is it? You’ve just written “Louis Vuitton” on your lunchbox with a felt-tip pen.

No, Justin, put the playmobil away. Why? Because if you want to join the global elite, you’re going to have to learn not to concern yourself with the little people.

What’s that, Donald? You don’t want to be a world leader after all? You were just saying it to get attention? I’m afraid it’s cost a lot of money to get you here, so you’ll just have to try your very best. Anyway, I don’t think you have much to worry about…

(With apologies to Joyce Grenfell)

Photo: Courtany via Pixabay