Attending a new nursery or pre-school could be potentially nerve-wrecking – for both children and their parents. When I enrolled my daughter in a pre-school in Dubai for the first time, it was heart-breaking as she would start crying after a week of starting there, as soon as she noticed we were parked at the gate to the nursery. Subsequently, after some trial and moving to different establishments, I found a place that she was happy with.  

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I was taken by surprise when, almost immediately, with the right educator, the right school values and methodology, my child was relishing her pre-school experience. She was sociable, engaged in the various school activities, and talked excitedly about what she did at school. In fact, she looks forward to attending school everyday! Curious about the difference, I learned about how the school and the educator runs their class. It was the method of teaching that made a difference rather than the syllabus or the facilities.  

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When it was time to move back to Kuala Lumpur, I was apprehensive about searching for a new school with the right fit. The cost of the same calibre school is higher in Kuala Lumpur than the UAE. The methodology is very much teacher-led than student-led compared to the school she was attending. Less than satisfied with what is in available in the pre-schools available, especially when cost of the education is thrown into the mix for consideration, I decided to bring the positive experience i had with the various international school and pre-school, with the help and advise from the educator in my daughter’s old school, who has a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street New York, and is working on her second Masters in Psychology from Harvard, to set up Willow Academy.  

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Willow Academy’s objective is to make a difference in the lives of children through education. Creativity, Conversation, Confidence and Community are vital to the formative years of a child in order to prepare them for the future that is changing ever so rapidly. Whether you are looking to place your child in a national school, private school or international school after this, the foundation of having the right attitude to learning, being inquisitive, resilient, articulate and creative will carry on with them through their journey with the next level of formal education and beyond. 

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Eleanor Lee