Preschools, playschools, playgroups, kindergartens

Lots of posts on parents moving or who have moved looking for preschools. My husband and I just moved here a month ago. I visited twice before to get a feel of Munich, housing, house hunt, schools, etc. I have 2 daughters who will be 4 and 2 in a few days. My oldest went to a private preschool back home 3 days a week 9 to 1 or 2 (depending if she did an afterschool activity like Gymboree). My 2 year old only went to Mommy and Me classes.

I was only interested in sending our girls to an English-speaking preschool. We will live in Germany, maybe London some day, but will eventually head back home to the USA. It is my feeling from personal experience of growing up as a billingual child that a child that a child should learn in the language you want them to have as their native language and that they should be encouraged to pick-up other languages on the side. So in our case, I feel that my girls need to have English be their dominant language and thus they need to get a good solid foundation in grammer, phonics, spelling, reading, etc now. Thus my husband and I opted to put our girls in an English-speaking preschool. They will learn German at school 2x a week and by living in Germany. We also speak a different 2nd language at home. So in a few years, they will probably speak 3 languages - English being the dominant one (good verbal / written / reading skills), the other two should be able to understand, speak, and hopefully write/read somewhat - but not as important to us.

The preschool our girls attend back home was AWESOME!! So I had a hard time finding one here that I liked because I kept comparing it to the one back home. Some schools were to liberal for me. Others seemed too sad or strict. The kids did not seem happy. No laughter, smiles. Some schools did not provide a warm environment - dark / no sunshine through windows, not colorful / no artwork up, supplies/ toys to play with limited, space small, etc.

German preschools especially in the city are often in homes that are converted into schools. So that's one difference from America. Many preschools will not give you the option to send your child 2 or 3 days instead of 5 like in America. I asked once at one school if I could just pay for 5 days and send my daughter 3 days and I was told that it would not be good for the child or group. The child apparently needs to be part of the group / team and the team needs to feel her participation. Some schools are flexible but you need to ask. On the other hand, mini-preschool like my 2 year olds has a 2 / 3 / or 5 day option. It's from 9 to 1 while regular preschool is 9 to 1 or 9 to (3-4PM).

Another thing to keep in mind besides how you feel emotionally as you walk through the school - like it because it is bright, clean, cheerful etc - is the class composition. Many preschools I found were mostly German kids. The end result is that you have the kids speaking in German even though the teachers try to reinforce the English only rule but if they are playing on their own - German will dominate and if your child does not speak German he or she may feel isolated. So ask about class composition. My daughters classrooms are about half and half or a bit more English speakers. Some kids are totally billingual and they help interpret between the German-only and English-only students.

The really good English-speaking preschools tend to have a waitlist. You need to apply early - I think you need to apply by April for the following school year that starts in August / September. The big International schools like MIS or BIS you need to apply by early winter (Jan / Feb) I think. Many English speaking preschools give preference to native English speakers since it is an English-speaking preschool. So you may have an advantage there if you are from say the UK or the USA. German parents who put their children in English-speaking schools do it so their child can learn / be fluent in English. So it helps to have them surrounded by many English speakers. They also like diversity to make the class room International. My daughters teachers speak very little German since they just moved here but have taught around the world.

Possible Bad News - Good English-speaking Preschools are EXPENSIVE - not as expensive as MIS or BIS for regular (K-12 grade) but expensive. The mini-preschool program my little one goes to is comprable to what I paid for the older one back home $400 month 3 days. My oldest daughter's tuition is almost double - 4000 euros per semester plus you have to pay a one time registration fee 750 euros, and a annual materials fee 700 euros. Lunch is separte - about 20 euros a week.

So what school do my girls go to? Its the one that has a campus in Grunwald and Pullach - International Preschool in Munich. I live in the city and commute door to door 30 minutes and I do it because I really like the school and I think my girls will learn a lot there, it offers a cheerful, bright, caring environment, and the teachers / programs are great. My oldest daughter LOVES it! She wakes me up early every morning because she wants to get ready for school and not be late. In just a few weeks, I have already noticed a lot of the stuff she has picked up. The schools official website is: preschool-munich.com

Hope this helps all those new or soon-to be expats in Munich.

Hello there,
I'm the English-speaking kindergarten teacher at Treehouse.
Treehouse e.V. is a bilingual parent-initiative kindergarten in Schwabing. We're currently seeking children ages 4 to 6. Our facility is brand new, and the atmosphere is warm and caring. For more information, please contact Meredith at: info@treehouse-kids.de. Hope to meet you soon!

Additionally, I teach kids music...

I am a patient native English-speaking guitar teacher with a Masters in Education. I just moved to Munich from NYC, and I am excited to teach music to your kids (and you!). Having taught in the classroom for 7 years and instructed guitar at two rock and roll camps for girls, I am eager to teach your children how to have fun playing the guitar. For more info, please see munichmunichmunich.blogspot.com, email mariaanncincotta@yahoo.com, or call (089)189.55.99.7. Thanks!

Love`N`Joy Day Home is looking for a new child to join our group.

As of January 1st 2008 we have an opening.

We are currently 4 children (age range 11 months to 21 months)and we are searching for a new friend.

Opening hours from 7:30 till 18:30

You may reach me by e mail at
SPapist@t-online.de
or by telephone at 0151/19470739
Stephanie Papist

I moved to Munich in May with my 4 year old daughter. My husband is staying back home while I am here on a new work assignment. So I was looking for a kindergarten that would keep my daughter happy while I am at work. We spent one day travelling up and down the kindergartens in Isarvorstadt (close to my work) but could not find space for her in any of the kindergartens - the wait line was huge. Finally on the third of our search we visited Lilli and Lori International Pre School and they accepted my daughter. The fees is exorbitant but at least my daughter is happy - I had never imagined that on the second day she would wave me a good bye, but she did as the kindergarten has alot of fun things to do. The teachers are very caring and understanding and the directors are great help when it comes to understanding needs of single mother in a new town. It is a 30 min door to door travel from my present accommodation - but for the sake of this kindergarten I am moving closer so that we can walk to the kindergarten in the morning.

Hi
we just move here to munich end of june..n im currently looking for a bilingual kindy for my almost 4yr son..we are in Baldham..Does anyone know of a good kindy in my area?Thanks alot..

Hello everyone,
does anyone know a "tagesmutter" that will take care of my son twice a week from 8:00 to 5:00? I prefer someone that already has other kids about the same age as my son (13 monts).
Any recommendations appreciated.
Thanks,
Isabell

Hi there,

There is an English speaking playgroup called Munich Stay and Play for ages 0 - 3 years which is very nice. The web site is called www.munichstayandplay.de.

Good luck.
Christina

Hello everyone.
My daughter is turning 5 yrs old on Sept 25, 2009. In the US, she'd be starting kindergarten at a public school in most any state. Unfortunately, my husband's employer says they will not pay for schooling until she is 5 yrs old by Sept 1. That means she won't be able to start MIS until Aug 2010.
Can anyone give us some good, and updated, advice on where we might be able to bring her for socialization and preparation for kindergarten (EC 5/6)?
I've looked at lots of websites that are listed on this thread, and the prices are just too much for our single income family. I am a stay-at-home mom and work with her at home as it is. I just wonder if I'll be enough preparation for her to do well without something more formal.
Are there any cheaper schools? We pay $150 a month here for her 5 day, 9a-11:30a, Pre-K classes. We'd be able to pay more than that if needed, but not much. Maybe 200 Euros, or so, per month at most.
Also, are there any parent groups that get together, or take turns, providing early childhood education and socialization?
Thanks in advance!