Quality of the service's amenities (1=Poor,5=Excellent) 3
Affordability of the service (1=Expensive, 5=Affordable) 3
Effectiveness of the service (1=Not effective, 5=Very effective) 3
Twinkle Stars Montessori is located in Marina Parade Central – East of Singapore – stone’s throw away Parkway Parade. Located on the fourth level in the building across from Fairprice Finest. It is about a 5-8 minutes’ walk from the bus-stop and there’s no MRT within walking distance. For those who drive, there’s a multi-storey carpark right next to the building.
Twinkle Starts Montessori uses full Montessori curriculum, and an integrated Chinese programme. They have also incorporated thematic curriculum to their programme. The grouping of children is not by age but by capability. The teacher-child ratio is 1:8 and for the younger children – it’s 1:4. All the teachers in Twinkle Stars Montessori are trained and certified in Montessori and/ or Early Childhood. They have 2 main sessions – AM: 9-12pm and PM: 12-3pm and an optional full day session: 9-3pm.
Classes start at 9am – I see students coming in at about 8.55am – very independently putting away their bags before washing their hands in a make-do sink, then having their hands and feet check + temperature taken. I had the opportunity to observe the class in session – they started off with a whole group circle time – for this day, the circle time was led by the Mandarin Teacher. They started off with a song (CD recording accompaniment), morning greetings, acknowledgment of guest (me), reinforcement learning of the day, month and year. Then the teacher showed them a cooking activity for Mother’s Day that they will be doing the next day. The activity was demonstrated above eye level, the children were naturally excited and started to gather around but were told to sit down. The teacher should have anticipated that and set up a bigger space so that the children could stand and surround her to watch. After circle time, children went to their respective groups to work – some with manipulatives and others on books and worksheets.
The owners of Twinkle Stars Montessori have their hearts in the right place, to teach with passion and ensure the children are well-rounded (their curriculum and character development). The centre would be even better if they incorporated outdoor play and engaged the students through music via musical instruments as part of their circle time. And on the more practical side, a toilet that is within the premises would be great too.