WELCOME PARENTS CHILDREN DAYCARE IN TAPIOLA AND WESTEND CHILDREN'S SCHOOL QUESTIONS / ANSWERS LINKS CONTACT US RECRUITMENT QUESTIONS / ANSWERS Q. How can I be sure my child is safe during the day? A. We take your child's safety very seriously. Children learn safety rules for being inside, on the playground, and travelling to and from the playgrounds. We do not allow any rough behavior which can lead to injuries or accidents. Our watchful staff ensures that all children are supervised. Q. How do children get along with each other? A. Our staff actively guides the children in learning social skills. Some of the most important skills learned in playschool are making friends, how to be a friend, and how to be part of a group. Children learn to say what they want, express their wishes, and solve problems by talking. We do not allow teasing and do our best to teach good behavior in a positive way. Children's groups have discussions and stories about getting along and being friends. Our happy staff is an example to the children in how to get along with each other and how to enjoy the day. Q. Does the playschool provide warm and healthy food? A. The children have breakfast, a hot lunch and snack included in the fees. The menu follows the nutritional standards set by the City of Espoo. Q. Do the playschools have a safe playground? A. Both of the playschools have fenced playgrounds next to the buildings. The children do not have to cross busy streets to get to the playgrounds. The playground equipment meets new EU standards for child safety. The children also walk to public parks, the forest and the seaside. Children have organized gym days, physical activities and games. We also have policies and guidelines on the topics of health and cleanliness, food allergies, table manners, toys, labeling, and cultural values. During your visit, we will answer all of your questions. Q. Why do parents pay a book fee? A. Every year we replace broken toys, buy new children´s educational materials, books, and cd-roms. The educational toys and materials are of high quality, imported from the USA, UK, France, or bought locally and chosen carefully for each age group. Q. What are the children´s rooms like? A. The children´s rooms are rich, interesting environments, full of materials, activities and busy children. The rooms are designed with young children in mind. The children´s rooms are filled with sunlight, plants, children´s art work, bright, cheerful colors, clean floors, child size bathrooms, sinks, and the correct size furniture for each age group. We have some imported learning carpets on the floors. Children's games, books and materials are on open shelves. Children are free to choose what they want to play with or make. Q. What happens to my child´s English development after playschool? A. Congratulate yourself as a parent for giving your child, the gift of having learning a second language. Parents are often concerned that their children will forget English if the child does not continue in an English first grade. Our experience has showed that if your child has been with us for four years, the English seed has been planted and will be ready to grow again later. Parents find ways to maintain their children's English learning through classes, clubs, books, music, computers or friends. Q. Where in Espoo can my child go to an English primary school? A. Parents have the choice of sending their children to a Finnish first grade or to one of the five English primary schools in Espoo. Please visit the Espoo City web site for the names of these schools. The City of Espoo is planning to build two more English primary schools over the next few years. Information about English language education can be found from the City of Espoo web site, www.espoo.edu.fi We help your children prepare for the entrance tests through we make no guarantees that your child will be admitted to an English first grade, though our success rates are very good. We will be happy to give you all of the information we have on English education in Espoo. Q. What are the benefits of learning English as a second language? A. There are many: INTELLECTUAL BENEFITS When your children have the chance to learn a 3rd language in their later school years, they will learn it easier because the language part of their brains has been activated by this early English learning. The brain is more ready to absorb another language. Researchers believe that this part of the brain, called " a window of learning" , must be exercised before the ages of 8-10 or it will close, possibly making learning other languages more difficult later. Learning to read before a child goes to 1st grade can make the early weeks and months of adjusting to a new, larger school easier. From the child's point of view, knowing beginning reading gives confidence, they already know something required of them from their new surroundings. EMOTIONAL BENEFIT Your child is often more confident because he/she knows they have a practical skill they can use in their daily life. Finland is a very English friendly country and it is fun for young children to use this skill here and abroad. SOCIAL / CULTURAL BENEFIT Your child's world is larger. They know more about people from around the world, that different people from other countries speak different languages, have different customs. Your child begins to understand and accept other cultures. We have some children who are from other countries and the children learn to make friends with international children. Children understand that speaking English is a practical tool for making friends. Children at ages 3+4 often begin to understand and point out that "oh, this person speaks Spanish", and ask questions like "what language do they speak at their house?" , and " oh, Mom, what language do they speak in Italy?" The early years of your child's education is the time to discover your child's talents. Garden City Playschool | TAPIOLA and WESTEND | +358 (0) 46 878 4765