Ideas & Opportunities

It's not just sheer talent, drive, instinct and smarts that can be credited for a person's success in business. Those who surround and assist that successful person should also be given recognition, particularly the ones in the entrepreneur's private life. Working moms know full well the difficulty of juggling their familial duties with those involving their jobs or businesses. Not all mompreneurs can bring their precious kids to work, have flexible schedules, and/or hire yayas to take care of them while they're at the office. And not all moms can stay at home, look after their little ones every day, or opt for a home school program (our sister site, Smart Parenting, has great articles on home schooling).

 

For the hardworking moms and moms-to-be (and even dads), we offer a short list of daycare centers, preschools and playschools that can take education-related worries off your mind — and give you assurance that your children's minds are being fed quite well while you're earning and providing for them. Putting up your own daycare or playschool is also a great business idea, so we've also included a couple of tips and resources for those who want to explore this route.

 

Prima Day Care and Play School

 

Located at The Ascott in Makati City, Prima Day Care and Play School espouses holistic development, and sees each child as having different modes of thinking and expression. The facility's qualified teachers use both “structured and unstructured play” to develop kids' skills; give them the foundation they need for learning areas such as reading/writing, math and science; and encourage leadership, experimentation and individuality. Parents and guardians also get regular reports and feedback from the teachers, and are encouraged to participate in their children's learning process.

 

Prima has three regular play school programs made for kids: the Active Tots program for those aged two, the Juniors program for three-year-old children, and the Seniors program for little ones who have already marked their fourth birthday. All regular programs' classes are held from Mondays to Fridays, at 9AM-12NN and 1:30PM-4:30PM. Payments for the three 10-month-long programs are at PhP 11,000.00/month, or PhP24,250.00 if you prefer to pay quarterly (payment periods: June, August, November and January).

 

Prima also has a non-regular schedule for parents who want their kids to attend the play school only thrice a week at the most. Payments for the Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes are at P7,000.00/month, and P16,250.00/quarter. Fees for both regular and non-regular classes include those for school materials.

 

If you prefer daycare, Prima doesn't have set schedules for this service; just bring your tyke to the center within their operating hours, and for just P350.00/hour, kids can partake in various activities. You can also choose between different package rates, with the two-hour rate at P550.00 and the 40-hour rate at P9,000.00 — rates are consumable in six months.

 

Besides play school and day care, Prima also has enrichment programs, Saturday activities and summer programs. For more information on these offerings and their rates, go to Prima's website.

 

The Little Gym

 

With branches in Makati, Alabang and Pasig/Mandaluyong and with more than 100 international franchises, The Little Gym has been a prominent option for Filipino and Philippines-based parents for quite a while now — and has definitely come a long way since the very first The Little Gym in 1976. The Little Gym focuses on kids' motor skills development, along with internal and social development.

 

The Little Gym's three Philippine branches provide several regular programs for children in various age ranges. Developmental Gymnastics is touted as The Little Gym's core program, and is divided further into three levels: Parent-Child Classes (for kids aged four months to three years), Gymnastics (3-12 years) and Special Needs Classes, which require parents or guardians to accompany the child.

 

Besides Developmental Gymnastics, The Little Gym also has martial arts, sports skills development and summer/holiday camps, as well as its Terrific Tots program. All mentioned programs are handled by well-trained facilitators, and tackle not just physical activity, but also self-exploration, creativity, and socialization with other kids.

 

Visit The Little Gym's website for each branch's contact details, the branches' 2012 calendar, learn more about the different programs, and inquire about prices.

 

Cambridge Child Development Centre

 

Out of the three main daycare, playschool and preschool facilities we've featured in this article and compared to the others we've listed below, the Cambridge Child Development Centre is the largest. It currently has 10 (yes, 10) open branches — nine in Luzon (Makati, Alabang, Taguig, Binondo, New Manila, Banawe in Quezon City, and the newly opened Greenhills, Tagaytay and Sta. Rosa branches) plus one in Lahug, Cebu!

 

The CCDC schools have an excellent teacher-to-student ratio, believe that each child has different capabilities and should be nurtured and guided accordingly, strongly emphasize the importance of parents' involvement in child development, and provide programs for kids as young as 10 months and all the way to six years of age. You should also check with your chosen CCDC branch to see the types of Afternoon Enrichment programs they have; it may differ by venue. For example, the Alabang branch holds regular “Counting Chefs” and “Paper Clay Art” programs, plus Taekwondo and KinderMusik classes. The Binondo branch has basic Chinese classes, “Fun Math” and “Culture Cats”. The Serendra branch also offers Chinese classes, along with “Stretch-n-Grow” and “Science Exploration”.

 

Check out the CCDC website for more details on each branch's rates, teachers/caregivers, and events.

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