KINDERGARTEN OF KINDNESS

(PART 1)

By Christopher Quah

Tadika Seri Delima kindergarten isn’t just about giving preschoolers a head start into formal education. Neither is it about money. In fact, it’s all about the kids. This emphasis is the key to the success of Mrs Bernard Poobalan’s Tadika Seri Delima, a family operated Kindergarten which she started almost 20 years ago in USJ 2.

The kindergarten which started in 1990 has been successfully running till today. In fact, the kindergarten has gone one step further by catering for children with special needs too.

Kindergarten Of Kindness
Mrs Bernard and one of the books that she uses to teach the children with

“My passion for teaching children has been cultivated since young. Even in my teens, I had already been using this gift to help others. My family used to help and care for a young boy who was left with us by the parents. Later, as the mother was not very keen on having him and my family decided to adopt him. At that time, I would use different types of vegetables specimens to teach him to write their names. Such as tomato, cucumber and so on. In just a few days, he could read the words and associate them with the correct vegetables. This further fueled my interest in teaching,” Mrs Bernard said.

It wasn’t until she got married to Mr Bernard, that she began her journey into opening the kindergarten.

Kindergarten Of Kindness
Mrs Bernard teaching one of the special needs children

“It was my husband who gave me the support. When I we have children, he bought for me a book, “Teaching Children how to read” by Glenn Doman. When I read the book, I was very inspired by it, and I read it again and again, many times. Then I started practicing what I read. I used it to train my own children to read and they could do so in just about 6 months. All my children are addicted to reading books. They read till 3am-4am in the morning at times. It became a big problem humorously, as they were so interested in reading till so late at night. This further my drive to teach other children. I took a course in child education to get a permit to open a kindergarten.  I always wanted to operate a kindergarten. So, I prayed about it and God answered my prayers. Today I have one. I believe my prayers had been answered. I am very passionate in teaching children how to read. To me I find that you can teach any child, to read. It’s possible, it takes time and effort for each individual child,” Mrs Bernard explained.  

Kindergarten Of Kindness
Mrs Bernard getting the children ready for a lesson

She began with regular kids, but many years down the line, she began to take in autistic kids in her kindergarten.

“In 2009, I started taking in autistic kids. I was asked to teach the autistic children. This got me very excited, as I am very keen in their education so I enrolled myself for special courses to help me teach the autistic children. I attended course in early childhood with special needs and child psychology. This is because I to do my best for the children. Not for myself or monetary gain. Therefore, teaching children has not been an issue with me. And it’s with this selfless attitude that the parents begin to trust me,” she explained.

Kindergarten Of Kindness
Colin with the original copy of the book his mother, Mrs Bernard gave him

She further added that some of the children whom she first taught are ‘still with her’ after so many years.

“I have had these ‘children’ with me for almost twenty years. What I meant by this, was that, after they left, they always come back, not to go redo kindergarten again but to introduce their younger brothers sisters, their cousins, and now even their own children! Yes, some of the parents who send their kids here were once my students,” she laughed.

But her success did not come without some struggles. She started out with a business partner who left when the going got tough.

“I had a partner when I first started. Then all of a sudden, she decided it wasn’t the right business for her. She just told me her decision and left. I was left to manage the kindergarten alone. It was very hard, running a new tadika on my own. But I found that it was not impossible if you kept pushing on,” she said.

She said when she first started her kindergarten, she faced stiff competition. There were 18 kindergartens in the same USJ area.

“Today, all the competitors have closed down. In fact, in the period of time many new ones sprouted up but after some time they too, closed down. Some for them only lasted up to one year or two years only. Today, only mine and a big franchise kindergarten remained. In the whole of USJ area, I can proudly say that mine kindergarten is the oldest,” she added.

She explained based on her observations that one of the main issue that kindergartens don’t last long is because those who entered the field of kindergarten education would not last long, they come and go. According to Mrs Bernard many kindergarten teachers do not see this career as having a good career prospect, to them this is a dead-end job and this is due to how they are treated.

“Most kindergarten operators provide only temporary employment for their teachers. Thus many of them find employment being only part time will bring them nowhere career wise so they will leave when they find another more permanent job. For me, I do things differently. The way I see my teachers as an important asset. We need to take care of them. I grow them, and expand their horizons and give them opportunity to become something like the manager of the kindergarten or principal of the kindergarten, so they can also expand into other avenues of our business,” she stated.

Kindergarten Of Kindness
These books are the classics which they use from the start
Kindergarten Of Kindness
Mrs Bernard's own self made cards

Another thing which Mrs Bernard explained that allowed her kindergarten to stand the test of time is the quality of the education and impact she gives to the students.

“Quality not quantity is important. This has been proven time and time again. Some of my students left for other rival kindergartens, as they appeared fancier and posher. But they always came back. And even brought other kids from those kindergartens with them. I was never afraid of these other kindergartens as I am very confident that what I do benefit the children, and not just to make money out of them. My rates are cheaper and I teach with the motive that the kids will really learn with understanding. Its children over money. The children coming back to me confirmed this. In a way it is a very good testimony too,” she said.

To find out more about Tadika Seri Delima, check out part 2 of Kindergarten of Kindness (https://asianbeacon.org/kindergarten-of-kindness-part-2/)