It surprises me that some parents are still duped into enrolling their kids to schools with no permit. After all, the information is just a phone call away—it’s not like you need an entire day to find out.

Very helpful post, thanks for this. Although from what I’ve heard it’s not just elementary schools with this kind of problem - there are even tertiary schools handing out diplomas and degrees without CHED approval.

due diligence before taking the plunge

Salve, wawa naman kid mu. =(
Hope he’ll be fine soon.

Here’s some tips:
1. Visit forums to get reviews of diff schools. eg MomExchange

2. Attend the school’s open house or ask for a trial class

3. Ask for referrals

4. Gisahin sa interview ang principal =P

i think there is nothing wrong with the cursive writing at age 6. here in the uk, the children use it at age 5.

is this applicable also to pre-schools? Only elem/highschool and colleges are mentioned here.

actually i did choose a preschool near where we live (for my 3 yr old). first went to a montessori school and had him tested there but went thru a period of doubt when i learned of their rates (32k for a whole year!)

and then saw a signage while riding a jeep advertising a Christian school for only 19,000 (inclusive of books!) so i immediately went there with my son to inquire and look at their facilities.

after a month, my son is thriving. he already knows vertical lines and horizontal lines and other things i have not been able to teach him yet (he did already know counting 1-20, colors, shapes and the alphabet prior to going to school). Thank God for this school!

@ ACN

This made me laugh “4. Gisahin sa interview ang principal =P”

But you’re absolutely right - the parents & the student are the clients. This is something we easily forget. The school should be serving the students and not the other way around! Sometimes, after the tuition is paid parents pa ang kailangang mag-pasikat sa principal and teachers. Baliktad.

Yung private school ng daughter ko - nagsimula ng cursive kinder pa lang ( 5 years old ). Okey naman yung mga bata - ang problema lang - hindi yung pag-aaral kung hindi yung motor control ng mga bata kasi nga 5 years old pa lang.

Btw, alam ko lahat ng magulang gusto ng da best para sa anak pero sometimes nag-ooverboard na man tayo. A good book that I can suggest reading on how we are “over-thinking, over-spending” on our kids is Parenting, Inc.

>>That’s like throwing a whole year’s tuition fees down the drain.

More than the money, I think it’s the time wasted here that is much more important and the real concern. You can’t get back that year back in your child’s life. And 1 year is a whole lot of time just to be wasted on some people’s greed. That means lost opportunities for the kid which would mean a whole lot more to parents more than a year of tuition fees.

My family actually had to move house so we can be nearer to our children’s schools. And we are happy that we made that decision.

Children’s education, especially pre-school education, is crucial to a child’s development. It is during this stage that the child develops the love for learning and learns how to interact with other people. So, it is wise to shop around for schools. I’ve sent both my kids to school as early as age 2. The trick is to choose a school where the kids enjoy learning. They started with playschools and progressed to more structured learning. A two-hour daily stimulation at an early age will do wonders to your child than leaving your child with a yaya or watching TV the whole day.

Learning should never be forced - so I don’t advocate schools that force children to write, read or count when they are not ready. Don’t get me wrong — my 5 year old, while he can’t do cursive writing yet, he can write and illustrate his own book on dinosaurs. He can identify different animal species as well as state their characteristics. He is a voracious reader and is already reading books appropriate for 8-10 year old kids.

I agree that a DepEd accreditation should be a prerequisite for choosing a school BUT it should not be enough. Aside from budget (which is an important factor, by the way), choose a school where your child will look forward going to everyday. I don’t want to put my child in a school where he will be traumatized psychologically because he can’t read, write, count or sing a tune. Imagine the lifetime damage that it will do to your child! Aside from checking the facilities, check the school’s curriculum (are they appropriate for your child’s age?) as well as the teachers’ backgrounds. Observe how the teachers interact with the children. I also check the school’s policies to make sure that they are in consonance with my own principles. So, there is much more to choosing a child’s school than proximity to one’s house.

I put a premium to my children’s education especially during their formative years. After all, isn’t is true that “everything we learned in life we learned in kindergarten”? If we equip them with the right tools at a young age, they will be able to cope with life later on.

Hi mommies… i have quiet the same dilemna…wuld you know if there is a ruling as to the maximum number of students per class in a private school?

My daughter is in grade 4 and i was shocked to learn that they are 50 in their class!!!

Even bigger than the population per class of public schools in makati!!!

If the law states that “It is unlawful for any institution to offer programs or courses of study without prior permit issued by DepED.” and the article even says according to DepEd itself, “a considerable number of private schools, some of them operated by religious groups, do not have permits to operate.” then somehow there should be a change in the law itself to penalize those schools who operate without permits.

Kaya madaming schools na walang permit kasi walang napaparusahan.