Preschools in Kerala - what is best for my Triplets?

Early education or the education a child gets before he or she starts school is very important. So I went through information and parents' reviews about various preschools in Kerala, and tried to decide what was best for my triplets. Here playschool or preschool starts at age three, lower kindergarten at age four and upper kindergarten at age five. At six to six a half years they start first standard or primary school. 

In this highly competitive world, parents tend to consider preschool as school itself, where the child is made to read and write, thus giving him or her an academic background intended to give a head start in school. However I believe that the lasting value of preschool education is not that it gives a head start in school, but a head start in life. I think preschools are or should be more for developing socializing skills, to meet with other kids of the same age and learn to play and share together. At home the young child is always instructed to do things in a particular way. Preschool is the place where the child is free from his or her parents' supervision for the first time, and where he or she learns to take decisions about how to behave, how to be hygienic, how to talk to others, how to eat without having food all over the place and many such small things. They will have an adult to watch over them, to advise and help and comfort when needed, but that person is not their parent, so they cannot make too much of tantrums. I also wish for my triplets to go to a preschool where playing outdoors is encouraged.

So how do I get to begin their education in the right way? And what exactly is the right way, if there is one? At three years they are extremely receptive. I mean I sing a rhyme to them and the second time they sing along. I show them an animal picture and they catch the name in both English and Malayalam, they ask what sound the animal makes and they get it the second time I tell them. I get angry at something they’ve done, I threaten to beat them, and the next moment I see one of them threatening the other with the same words. Sometimes when they repeat my own words I feel so ashamed at having uttered them. So, yes, they are indeed blotting papers, absolutely pure, absolutely innocent and absolutely willing to learn and the big question is what to teach, how, when and where.

We started sending them to a day-care. We kept putting off sending them due to their small size, health problems like cold, allergies and all, but the talk of the ‘school’ was going on in the family for quite some time and they were very excited when the big day arrived. So we dressed them up, took snacks and all, and me and Ramesh took them to ‘school’.  There were 12 kids that day in the day-care.  My triplets were overjoyed seeing the other kids and toys and all, and immediately went to play and run around. There are a few toys- animals, scooters, building blocks etc. The staffs are warm and welcoming. The staff (girls, around 20-25 years old) told us that they would feed lunch by noon itself, and nap time is from 12.30- 3 pm, after which they can have the snacks that they have brought along from home. If they stay longer (the day-care closes at 5.30 pm only), they will be allowed to play outside. There is a cute slide, seesaw and some swings outside. We were not allowed to sit there for long as it might disturb the other kids, so we left. Ramesh was much more nervous than I was, so he dropped me at the library and came back and waited at the gate till 12.30, picked them up and came to the library. We went home, kids thoroughly excited and happy.

Next couple of days I dropped them off in the morning and picked them up early afternoon. Things went smooth as I did not have anything else to do. But then my vacation ended and I had no option but to pack lunch for them. After lunch all the kids were supposed to nap. But my threesome simply wouldn’t sleep but run around, trying the patience of the staff at the day-care. The staffs were sweet about it as much as they could, but I am sure they lost their patience after a while. Whatever the reason, triplets are reluctant to go to ‘school’ anymore, unless I pick them up before nap time. They also have a bit of stomach upset etc.

Anyway, this month (June) we need to find a playschool too, as they are three years old and they have to start kindergarten next June. We found that they have outgrown day-care, and are mentally ready for some serious education, although nothing forced. The day-care that they go to now has a playschool too, where classes will start in two weeks. Once playschool starts, all the older kids- 3 ¼ years and above (that includes my triplets too)- will go upstairs to the playschool. Playschool timing is from 9.30 am-12.30 pm, after which if we want they will let the kids sit at the day-care downstairs. In the playschool there is a uniform, kids have their own bag, books, pens etc., and they will be taught alphabets, counting etc., in preparation for LKG (Lower Kindergarten) next year. It is a fairly good place, not too expensive, they have a good play area and the staffs are good. However the number of kids is 25, which we find a little too many.  So we decided to wait a bit before sending them to this particular playschool.

During our search for a good playschool we visited three anganwadis in our proximity. Although these are primarily meant for low income and economically weaker sections, anganwadi is open to all. The number of admissions is very less, somehow the people for whom it is intended are either not aware or do not want to send their kids to the Govt facility. Somehow I found anganwadis very appealing, and we discussed sending our triplets to the one near our house. One of my colleagues used to send her kid to an anganwadi, and she said they take good care of the kids; they serve good food, hot and clean. At first my whole family was absolutely against it. Then as we talked about the pros and cons, my father supported me, and finally we reached a consensus that we will send them to an anganwadi for a month, see how it turns out, and if needed, by July 1^st, we will send them to one of the private playschools. This one month will be enough to decide which playschool has minimum admission so that they get special care and attention (most playschools are overcrowded- three caretakers looking after 25 three-year-old kids is not at all comfortable). So I and Ramesh went around looking for the right anganwadi. Among the three we visited, one is functioning in a class room in a Government school, one in a small shed behind a house in a crowded mixed use area, and the third one in a brand new single-storey building of around 200 sq ft, tightly squeezed between two houses in a very crowded low-income residential street. All three had one teacher (a middle aged lady) and one ayah (maid) who cooks and cleans. The maximum number of kids that come to an anganwadi is ten it seems, however the maximum number we found was five- they too, come in an irregular basis. 
The one functioning in the Govt School is closest to us, and also it seemed to have the most enthusiastic teacher-ayah team. So we went there to have a detailed look. So we zeroed in on this- just ten minutes walking distance.

I think in the first few days we can see how things work out. If the kids are OK with the teachers, timings, food etc., we can continue here till LKG. Otherwise after a month or so we can shift them to one of the private playschools.