Saigon Kids Early Learning Centre

At Saigon Kids Early Learning Centre, we aim to provide a developmentally appropriate curriculum based on what we believe to be the best practices of International Education Systems. Our philosophy, curriculum and teaching practices are inspired primarily by the schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy; as well as The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (The EYLF); and TeWhāriki, The Early Childhood Curriculum of New Zealand.

We believe that early childhood is a unique and valuable stage of life and vital to achieving our goals, is developing supportive relationships between the children, families and teachers in our learning community.

We are committed to providing safe, nurturing and exploratory learning environments in which children can grow with love and care.

Established in 1996, Saigon Kids was one of the very first International Preschools to open its doors for expatriate children in Ho Chi Minh City.

Originally opened in District 3 by founder of the school Ms Kieu An, Saigon Kids was relocated to its current site in 2012. Moving all our teachers and families to District 2 was a huge undertaking that was achieved with the support of our entire school community, and was a successful venture primarily due to the dedication and hard work of Ms Kieu An, and Early Childhood Teacher Ms Victoria Cropp. Ms Victoria joined Saigon Kids in February 2009, and after a lifetime of teaching in Australia and Vietnam, is now the Educational Director at Saigon Kids.

In 2016, to commemorate the 20th Birthday of our school, we began building a beautiful new art studio and cooking lab in the Bamboo Garden of our school. The art studio has been a long term dream of ours since moving to our new site in District 2, and is now a unique feature of Saigon Kids Early Learning Centre. It was completed in collaboration with Australian Early Childhood Teacher and Artist Ms Denise Savins, who joined our team as Atelierista in the art studio in August 2016.

From the very beginning, our aim has been to create a small, friendly, warm and welcoming learning environment, where children can learn and grow with the support of professional Early Childhood Teachers. After more than 20 years of establishment, we are proud to say that our original aim remains unchanged as a foundational aspect of our vision for Saigon Kids.

As new ideas for teaching and learning emerge from early childhood research, we continue to draw inspiration from what we believe to be the best practices of International systems of education, and the vision for our school continues to evolve.

Please see our Mission Statement and School Philosophy for more information on what underlies our thinking and teaching practices at Saigon Kids Early Learning Centre.

At the heart of our school is a belief in developing respectful relationships between the children, families and teachers of our early learning community.

We acknowledge that families are the first teachers and the most important influence in the life of a child, and aim to work in partnership with families to build on the rich and diverse experiences that all children bring with them to school.

We are inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach to teaching and learning which sees children as capable, competent citizens, who are active co constructors in the processes of learning.

Our curriculum emerges primarily from children’s interests and questions, and is driven by their natural curiosity to learn through play. We offer open ended and challenging provocations in flexible learning environments, weaving intentional teaching into different play encounters and experiences.

We believe that both the physical and social environments are powerful contexts for learning, and that children learn best when empowered to make choices, contribute their ideas, and learn in collaboration with others. Our holistic approach to teaching and learning supports each child’s physical, social, emotional, creative, artistic, cognitive and linguistic learning, and acknowledges the interconnections between these domains of development.

In our spacious outdoor environment, we encourage physical activity, and invite children to connect with the natural world. Being attentive to the beauty of nature, we model environmental stewardship, and encourage respect for the world we share.

Our aim is to support our children in becoming responsible, caring and productive members of a rapidly changing society, and to support their dispositions for lifelong learning. Through various systems of documentation and communication, we seek ways to share children’s learning and experiences of school with families, and to convey our belief in children as strong, capable individuals, who learn skills and construct knowledge through their interactions with people, materials, and the environment.

As children endeavour to find their place in the world, we endeavour to support them as we believe they learn best – through the joy of experience itself.