Testimonials

Alexis Richardson - Ilenes’ mum:

I am continually grateful that my daughter attended Saigon Kids during our time in Ho Chi Minh City. When selecting a school for Ilene, I searched for an organization that was truly child-centered and would facilitate the students’ imagination and creativity. I wanted a center that focused on the child’s need to experiment and not necessarily the adult’s need for control. I found this at Saigon Kids. The moment you enter the gate of Saigon Kids, you know you are in a caring sanctuary.

Every day that I dropped Ilene off with Ms. Victoria, Ms. Trang, and Ms. Kim Anh, I was thankful that she would be spending the day with these attentive teachers and the children in her Little Lambs class. If I could have brought the school with me to the United States, I would have. Ilene always looked forward to school and playing with her friends—whether they were going to be swimming or exploring in the bamboo. Ilene would come home and sing songs or recite book lyrics she learned at school. I knew she was happy at Saigon Kids. Moreover, Ms. Victoria is clearly a confident teacher, well-versedin early childhood education. She and the other teachers are well-organized and intentional about how the children spend their day. The special events at school for the mid-Autumn festival, Halloween,
Christmas,  and Parent Information Day were an added bonus. I will always be grateful that this was Ilene’s first educational experience. 

Rob & Yelena Zamacona:

Dear Saigon Kids,

We want to say thank you for creating such a friendly, inviting, and playful learning environment.  Our daughter, Sophie, loves going to school at Saigon Kids: she loves her friends, she loves her teachers, and she loves the learning, or, as she knows it, the play. 

From a parent’s perspective, there are many reasons why we are impressed with your school. We really appreciate the open communication with parents that helps us stay involved in Sophie’s learning and activities.  The daily diaries have been an excellent way to know the happenings of the school day and have been a wonderful conversation tool when the answer to “what did you do in school today” is “we played.”  Additionally, your grounds and the facilities are both terrific.  We are thrilled that in a place like Ho Chi Minh City, where outdoor play areas are scarce, Sophie has such a lovely space in which to run around.  We are also very impressed with the phonics element in the Eagles’ class.  Although we believe strongly in a play based teaching approach at her age, we want to foster her love of reading and give her a concrete tools towards learning to read.  Initially, we weren’t sure if that would be something she would get with a play-based approach.  But, we need not have worried – Ms. Rachel has done an amazing job integrating phonics.

 We had intended for Sophie to attend Saigon Kids for just one summer.  But, she had such a good time, and we were so pleased with her teachers, how much she was learning and the school overall, that we enrolled her in program full time. We are also excited to have her little brother and sister start at Saigon Kids!

But, perhaps the best testimonial is from Sophie herself.  Recently, she was home sick for a few days where she was allowed to watch movies and eat only her favorite foods.  However, despite such royal treatment, after one day, she was upset because she wanted to go back to school!  As a parent, I couldn’t ask for more. Thank you.

Julie Marion & Julien Griselin - Teo’s parents:

Our son Teo started to go to Saigon Kids at 18 months old in Little Lambs Class... Like all parents, we were a little bit worried about how he would adapt, especially within a new English environment but everything went so smoothly. It was a delight to see our son going to school smiling every morning.

The atmosphere and teachers are just amazing, focused on an individualized approach of kids’ development and capabilities. I was impressed by the pedagogic involvement of the teachers.

The play-based philosophy, fully integrated and supported by teachers, and the amazing school facilities enable them to offer a wide panel of activities (crafts, outdoor activities, water play, music ….).

As the kids can choose what they want to do according to their development level or simply their taste, it made our child growing in harmony in respect to his own rhythm.

As a working mum (i.e not so often at home), I’ve also highly appreciated the communication between parents and teachers, either through few minutes of talk on morning, either through the diary (sent every afternoon) or the portfolio. This  creates a strong connection between parents, kids and school. It enables also parents to follow the daily progress of their child and initiate talk with them about what they have done during the day.

As we leave Vietnam, we will miss the school, teachers and all Saigon Kids the most. Thank you for this unforgettable year!

Alexandra Lancksweert & Gauthier Lagasse de Locht:

Like many parents, we wanted to find the perfect kindergarten for our daughter. We had only heard positive word of mouth about Saigon Kids, and when we arrived for a visit, we knew we wanted to put her here. We even wanted to go there ourselves and play! The environment is green and clean; the teachers are passionate and involved in the personal development of each child; the atmosphere is just so positive.

As working parents, we enjoy receiving daily feedback by email on how the day was spent. It allows us to see the many different activities the children take part in on a daily basis and how happy they are.

Caroline Zimmermann:

It is always such a joy to collect Jamie from school with such a big smile on his face. He certainly has lots of fun. We also feel very safe to give our son to these wonderful teachers who are so engaged and warm with every single kid. They have created a very homey classroom for the kids with great educational and creative toys. We are impressed how much effort the teachers put in the everyday set up of activities’; there is a different theme every day.

It is amazing to see how much Jamie has learnt since he joined Saigon Kids. He has developed not only great social & English skills; he has also become a very confident little boy who cannot wait to go to school in the morning.

The outdoor space is unique and is a great opportunity for kids to be outside climb up a tree and explore nature every day. Sometimes they pick mangoes from the tree and eat it right away. We are happy to see that Jamie can grow up freely and happy. Thank you very much, Saigon Kids. 

Rebecca Mansfield:

My son was excited from the moment he entered the gate at Saigon Kids. The green grass, open spaces and variety of outdoor play options was very new for him and hard to find in Vietnam. Saigon Kids reminds me of kindergartens back in Australia, where children can enjoy outside play in a safe and clean environment. The teachers at Saigon Kids are also very friendly and professional and made my son and I feel very welcome. My son was comfortable coming to Saigon Kids from very early on and I think the gentle nature of the teachers helped him to settle quickly.  I would strongly recommend Saigon Kids to parents who are looking for a small international school where their child will be nurtured and cared for while learning essential skills for their life to come.

Talia Marques:

I am always delighted by how happy our 3yo is when I collect her from school. She always greets me with a great big smile and happy cuddle, and always eager to show me around the little tracks of the school grounds. I truly feel that we were blessed with the school moving to D2, as I had been wanting my daughter to start school in the Reggio Emilia program. Despite waiting till 3, my daughter has had no issues of separation, being only too happy to be with the teachers. The atmosphere at Saigon Kids is clearly one of warmth, love and kindness. In the short month that we have been part of the Saigon Kids family, I feel most welcome and am impressed by how quickly all the staff have got to know her, including the delightful staff at the security gates. My daughter is a much more generous and creative child since starting at Ladybirds. I am so looking forward to the coming months at Saigon Kids.

Louise Young:

Thank you so much!  It is wonderful.  We will miss you.  Your class has been the best educational experience we have had.  Our school at home pales in comparison.

Irena Miniotaite Loh:

Our family’s experience with Saigon Kids was positive from day one. Our first born daughter Alessandra started going to this kindergarten when she was 3.5 years old. From the very beginning she has been very excited to wake up in the morning, quickly get ready and run to the school bus: Alessandra is just so happy to go to her kindergarten each morning. 

She continuously talks about her teachers and what she is doing at school and keeps on talking about her classmates. Alessandra’s confidence and communication grew with each day at school and it is an amazing feeling for us as parents to see her develop in this direction. Learning through play taught her communication skills with her peers and adults. 

Back home she sings songs which she learned at school and we spend three or four evenings each week at home viewing the update pictures of her day at Saigon Kids which her teacher Ann Marie keeps emailing to all parents. It is great opportunity for us to follow up on what Alessandra has learned and gives us a chance to participate in her daily learning activities at school. 

As we have a second babygirl, Mikaela, we definitely want her to attend Saigon Kids too. It is truly the best place for little children to grow their potential.

Dana R H & Kham Doan:

It is a joy to drop Kai off at school every morning just to see all of the creative ways the teachers at Saigon Kids present everyday objects in the outdoor play areas and in the classroom. And we love the twice weekly updates from his teacher, which helps us to understand and visualize what he is learning in class each day. We are truly impressed with the warm and welcoming learning environment for our son as well as the communications between the faculty and parents.