As Ukraine turns to the West, private international kindergartens are gaining popularity among parents who want to give their kids a head start into the country's European future. Several private kindergartens in Kyiv are now offering not just English- and other-language teaching environments, but the latest educational techniques. With state kindergartens overloaded and still following Soviet-style programs, the private option has never been so attractive - to those parents who can afford it, of course.
P’titCREF
P’titCREF is a trilingual kindergarten where children learn new languages through games-based communication, interactive lessons, and special exercises in textbooks. P’titCREF was founded in 2003 in Moscow by expat Bertrand Coué. In 2011 a branch of the kindergarten opened in Kyiv, which now has children of more than 15 nationalities studying in five groups of 8-10 kids.
The program is divided into units of various difficulty that child undergoes from ages two to seven. Studying the same topic in three languages simultaneously, kids learn to link new foreign-language words to ones from familiar their native language.
Classes are held in English, French, Ukrainian or Russian. There are three native-speaker teachers of these languages, and an assistant. Prices start from Hr 7,500 a month.
Pechersk School International
Pechersk School International offers early childhood programs for children from age three that are focused on developing English-speaking and social skills. These prepare children for entrance to the institution’s kindergarten and school.
The school has a strict curriculum based on the International Baccalaureate worldwide program, recognized by high-ranking universities around the world.
To create an international community, the preschool tries to keep a balance between nationalities. Although lots of Ukrainian children are put forward for entry to the kindergarten, the school accepts only a limited number that shouldn’t exceed 30 percent of all students. The non-profit institution is run by a board of directors drawn from the student’s parents.
Emily Club Kindergarten
Emily Club is Ukrainian-English speaking kindergarten with a program aimed at developing creativity and critical thinking. Its mini-kindergarten was founded in 2014, and this year expanded to include full-day groups.
At Emily Club, kids receive basic knowledge of various subjects through the arts: they study geometric forms in drawing lessons and learn how to count by beating time to songs in music classes. Emily Club has own program and uses international Montessori and Kindermusik teaching techniques.
Montessori gives children a choice of activities from within a prescribed range of options, while Kindermusik is based on the theory that music is the best vehicle for early childhood learning – children receive basic knowledge by singing songs, playing music instruments, and dancing.
There are only two groups, with 10-14 children in each group. Two teachers who speak only English and a Ukrainian-speaking assistant help the children to adapt to the English-speaking environment. Prices start from Hr 2,500 a month.
Meridian International kindergarten
Meridian International kindergarten is a preschool for the Meridian International School, which was founded in 2002.
The kindergarten offers a program that consists of three courses – A Child, Zdorovyachok and Character Education. The A Child course for three-year-olds helps kids to switch to English and adapt to a multilingual environment. Zdorovyachok is a health course for boosting children’s immunity systems. It includes sports, a special diet and aromatherapy.
The Character Education program is focused on raising a moral, well-mannered, successful and socially adapted child. Each lesson is dedicated to one of the several topics – Love, Friendship, Respect, Kindness and others. Children learn through the games, discussions and video tutorials.
All of the courses are held simultaneously.
The group has up to 18 children, a teacher, a teacher’s assistant and a nanny. Prices start from Hr 10,500 a month, and the initial enrolment fee is Hr 20,000.
Pervaya Dyetskaya Akademiya
Pervaya Dyetskaya Akademiya (First Children’s Academy) is a bilingual chain of early development centers targeted on the development of both the left and right hemispheres of a child’s brain. The chain has its own program called Life in Our Hands that is based on the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which was invented in 1983 by the famous U.S. developmental psychologist Howard Gardner. The program includes classes on math, arts, geography, history, literature, theatre, astronomy, technology, history and sports. Children study these subjects for four days a week in English, and for one day in Ukrainian.
Pervaya Dyetskaya Akademiya has seven kindergartens in Kyiv and one each in Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk. Each kindergarten has a one group of 27 people of all ages, but they are divided into different age groups during classes. The price for full-day classes is Hr 9,200 a month, and the enrollment fee is Hr 6,000.
Kyiv Post staff writer Anna Yakutenko can be reached at [email protected].
