One of the first things we set out to do after we arrived in South Africa was find a good preschool for Claire & Rhys to attend. It really dictated where we established our home base. We wanted them to have other children to play with and as there is a serious lack of accessible playgrounds in Johannesburg we needed to ensure the preschool had plenty of activities & fun for Claire & Rhys.
I did a lot of research while we were still in Canada and I mostly focused upon Montessori schooling which Claire & Rhys have never participated in before. In actuality, Claire & Rhys have had a very ‘free & fun’ childhood so far. Lots of flexibility with their Dad, pacing their days based on weather, how everyone was feeling etc. We had only started preschool with them in Canada in September 2012 and it was minimal at only 2 days per week for 2 hours in the morning.
When we went on the tour around Johannesburg with my boss Rob and his wife Sharon we got a great idea of where we were compared to potential schools. We toured a Montessori in one area we liked but we knew it would not work very well for Rhys. It was just too much structure for him at this point in time. We also decided to stay in the suburb near my work office and the airport as I will be doing lots of flying to Botswana. This aided us in narrowing down preschools but I have to say it is difficult here. There are so many preschools in Johannesburg. It seems like there is a facility on every corner. The majority of the ones we viewed had kids from babies up to 6 years old so there were so many kids enrolled. Some facilities were older and had lots of rooms with narrow hallways which gave it a spooky feel. Everyone we spoke with at the preschools were very friendly and very helpful though. The cost of preschools here is so cheap compared to Canada. Full-time care can reach upwards of $1330 CDN per month. Most preschools or child centres (crèches) here cost R2000 to R3000 which is loosely equivalent to $200/$300 CDN per month. A huge difference!
The last facility we visited was newer and was located within a beautiful home estate; a nice relief. The gardens are lush and well maintained. The play equipment is in good order with no rust – all the play equipment is metal here and some schools had seriously dangerous play equipment or perhaps our North American safety standards are too high. Breakfast, snack, and lunch is included and of a healthy variety. The biggest thing for us is the student/ teacher ratios which are small.
We have only been taking the kids for ½ days for a week now and everyday gets a little bit better. It is a huge change for all of us especially being in a new country. Any first-time first drop-off parent anxiety was certainly heightened and multiplied! Claire & Rhys are being exposed to many things like different accents, increased ethnic diversity, different food (i.e. marmite!) etc. It is overwhelming for them at times and they (we) miss Canada but we all know it is a wonderful thing having an opportunity like this and we are all making the most of it.
