About Us
Philosophy
At Small Wonder Children's House, we believe toddler and early childhood education is the very foundation of social and intellectual development. We aim at the holistic development of the child to create a strong foundation for lifelong learning. As the Montessori philosophy dictates, the formative years of a child's education are not those of high school or university but the first six years of life. It is during this time that children form attitudes toward s learning and education that will affect their lifelong learning. It is important to allow children to develop lifelong learning skills - independence, autonomy, logical reasoning and problem-solving. There is a direct link between children's sense of self-worth, empowerment, self-mastery and their ability to learn and retain new skills and information. Education is a transition from one level of independence, competency and self-reliance to the next rather than a process of passing exams and completing assignments.
Montessori coined the phrase "The Absorbent Mind" almost 100 years ago, and this holds true even till today. Children are born naturally curious, with creativity and the motivation to observe and learn things. A classroom that is too competitive can stifle creativity. At Small Wonder Children's House, we strive to make school a joyful experience. Each child leaves us with not only wonderful memories of their early initiation into education, but a joy in learning and a thirst for knowledge.
Our Story
Small Wonder Children's House established in 1991 by Zahariah Othman. A young mother at the time, Zahariah channelled her love for children into this unique Montessori, and together with her husband, Nik built a name for Small Wonder Children's House. In 2002, Small Wonder Children's House was taken over by Jelita Rubina Kayani. As it grew, in 2011, Tengku Rosna Shah, joined in as a partner, to take SWCH to further heights. Finally, in 2015, the female heads-of-school trio became complete with the addition of Afiza Khadir. SWCH has children ranging in age from 2 to 6 years, who are happy and love attending school.
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Small Wonder Children's House attracts Malaysian and expatriate children from young families residing in the suburbs of Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam even as far as Bangsar, Damansara & Klang.
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Adopting the Malaysian preschool curriculum and executed the Montessori way, English is the mode of communication at The House. A comprehensive Montessori English and Mathematics curriculum which complements the national curriculum was formulated by the famous Maria Montessori and customised by Jelita herself. Over the recent years, Afiza has added in her expertise to keep the curriculum as Montessori as possible while at the same time, ticking all the boxes for the Malaysian child who is entering primary school. The humble beginnings of the school and the tribulations endured, has led to the development of this successful nursery/kindergarten operating model that is executed at Small Wonder Children's House today.
Principles we live by
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Our strengths and grounding principles are a reflection of our success and we attribute this to the following:
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We believe toddler and early childhood education is the very foundation of everything that follows. The most important formative years of a child's education are not high school and university but the first six years of life.
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It is critically important to allow children to develop a high degree of independence, autonomy, reasoning and problem solving skills.
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There is a direct link between children's sense of self worth, empowerment, self mastery and their ability to learn and retain new skills and information.
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Education is a transition from one level of independence, competency and self reliance to the next rather than a process of passing exams and completing assignments. There will be plenty of time for that when they get older.
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Children have absorbent minds, are born curious, creative and motivated to observe and learn things.
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Children learn in different ways and at a different paces.
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Children learn best through hands on experience, real world application and problem solving.
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Children are capable of making choices to guide their own learning.
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We believe that a classroom that is too competitive can stifle creativity
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School should a joyful experience for children.