MerkzBlue

Hey Everyone!

Plan on moving to Bim but need to know about preschools for my children, could anybody give me a link or a list of all the preschools in Barbados and where they are this will help me decide which area to move to!
Thank you

Sunniebgi

there are many around.. most, I would say, on the south coast, but.. don't move to an area just for the pre-school.

http://s2.barbadosyp.com/barbados/Wh...20kindergarten

this is the yellow pages list.. however, some are not included.

also, do a search on this site to see what you can find.. much information about schools in this forum.

the preschool my oldest two went to has since closed down, but was one of the best pre-schools on the island. My son went to Wee Pals, which is not listed in the list above, but is also a very good pre-school.

what is the age of the child. St. Gabriel's Primary School now has a Nursery Class starting from age 3 years.. you can check with them at [email protected] to see if they are full for when you arrive or if they have a waiting list.

MerkzBlue

Thanks, not many have websites so i can't really get information on them without calling. How much roughly does a term or a week cost for a child in preschool? Also how much is uniform? Sorry for all the questions but doing research on Barbados online is hard!

Sunniebgi

can I ask the age of the child?? I would have to say you could be looking at between may 700bbd and 2000.00BBD per term.. (considerably less than in some areas of the world for approximately 12 weeks of education for a young child.. certainly cheaper than a nanny.. I give the range because it depends on age, class they are in and school.

many don't require a specific uniform unless they are attached to a primary school. My sons primary uniform costs about 50.00bbd for the shirt and pants.. my daughters Secondary school uniform is about 80.00bbd.. (shirt, skirt, tie etc).

Yep.. I concur about the difficulty of finding info.. put this website is full of really great information for Barbados.. keep searching and asking..

MerkzBlue

Thanks, yea they are 2 and 4 so a normal preschool would do fine. That does seem quite a fair price compared to other places.

Sunniebgi

Your 2 year old would be in pre-school, but Government mandated primary school begins at age 4 in Barbados.. As long as the child has turned 4 by Sept 1st (meaning 4 turning 5 during the school year). So you need to check out Primary schools for that one. St. Gabriel's (which is always my first choice), St. Angelas, St. Winifreds are 3 of the oldest primary. Wills, is newer, but has been around a while. Providence is much newer, only having been opened just a few years ago (and is also more expensive than the rest).. all of the above, and others in the private system all follow the Barbados Ministry of Education Curriculum.

The Codrington School follows the IB program and will set you back much more than any of the others. but, still have a look and see what you think..

Again, this board has many many posts about education in Barbados.. have a read through (even if it's an older post, they are all very helpful and informative.)

amclean

Hi,


I will be moving to Barbados soon (February 2012) and I have young children - they will be 4 and 2 in January and February respectively. I have read through all the forum posts on pre schools and I would like to get some more information on the montessori schools that are available. Casa dei bambini is mentioned quite often, can any one give me their personal review of the school . My office will be in St Michaels. Will I be able be able to drop my kids to Casa dei Bambini and get back to St Michaels ? Do they offer after school activities? Are there other Montessori schools in St Michaels that are just as good?

I also have a question on St Angela's which also follows a modified montessori approach in their junior classes (according to their website). Does any one have any personal experiences of St. Angela's? How easy is it to commute to that school and back to St Michael's? How do they compare to St Gabriels which seems to be a favourite.

Sunniebgi

amclean, based on the ages of your children, both would go into pre-school at this point. the one turning 4 could go into the lower 1st class at St. Angela's, but starting mid year might be difficult. You would need to contact the school to find out if there are any available spaces at this time.

The 4 year old would also be eligible for the new Nursery class at St. Gabriel's but at this point I believe that is full as well, unless someone has left over the Christmas break or would be leaving during the Easter break in March/April.

St. Michael's is not a "small" area, so you need to decide based on where you live and work and timing to and from both of those places.

I am more partial to St. Gabriel's for the Primary Years as my children all went to school there but St. Angela's does a good job as well. I know St. Gabriel's doesn't say it, they do much of their beginning years classes based on Montesorri and many of their teachers are trained in this method, or have learned from other Senior (long serving) teachers in the school.

there are others on this board who can give you information on Casa de Bambini, but I'd say, unless you plan to live in St. James or St. Peter, I wouldn't suggest heading in that direction for a pre-school and trying to get back to St. Michael (again, depending on where the job is) for work.

Gravy

You can check out feelslikehomepreschool.com (271-6101) and ask to speak to Faye or Julia.
They are year-round so monthly fees instead of by term.
They encourage a lot of outdoor play and learning and do have children who have reached age 4.
There is a mix of non-nationals and nationals, different races and religions

Jweekes

Hi there,
I work at The Codrington School, The International School of Barbados. Children start with us from the age of three and we follow the IB's PYP, the Primary Years Program. It's a great programme of inquiry that develops a well-rounded individual with the social and academic skills needed in life.
If you would like to come and see the school at some point and what we get up to in the Early Years, you are most welcome!
Kindly, James

Serendipidy

Hi Jweekes thanks for your input we get so many questions re schools its really nice to have your input