Developing ’future-ready’ children
Little Theo, who’s in pre-nursery, used to have difficulty interacting with strangers. “He would actually cry if he saw someone he didn’t know,” says his dad, Tyrone. But ever since Tyrone enrolled Theo at Mulberry Learning, Theo has stopped crying and started socializing with other children. “He understands the concept of sharing and taking turns,” relates Tyrone. “We’ve seen it in different scenarios with his cousins, strangers outside, and on the playground with other kids.”
Jenny, who is mother to four-year-old Enzo and two-year-old Olivia, says Olivia loves Mulberry so much that if she doesn’t go to school, she cries. She will keep asking, “Are we going to Mulberry? Are we going to Mulberry today?”
Jenny also noticed a big change in Enzo from when he was in his previous school. “Because he doesn’t like to talk to others, he would say, ‘I don’t have friends in school; I only have two,’” says Jenny. “But within one month (of going to Mulberry), I was so surprised because I was asking him where he wanted to hold his birthday party, and he says, ‘I want to host my birthday party in Mulberry, because I want to celebrate with all my friends there.’”
These happy parents are talking about Mulberry Learning, a preschool that started in 2006 in Singapore. Their award-winning curriculum blends several established global educational methodologies, namely Reggio Emilia, Habits of Mind, and Multiple Intelligences, which means that kids are taught not just basic knowledge and skills but also positive attitudes and intelligent thinking habits that prepare them to become leaders and excel in a rapidly changing world. Since then, Mulberry has grown to a network of 18 schools in Singapore, and expanded overseas to Australia, China, Cambodia, Panama, and the Philippines, where it’s opened two branches in Bonifacio Global City and Greenhills.
“I’ve noticed that a lot of schools just focus on academics, so they bombard the kids with facts, making sure they pass their exams,” notes psychiatrist Dr. Evelyn Gapuz, president of Mulberry Learning, Philippines. “But a lot of these schools don’t give attention to the socio-emotional competence or the soft skills that these kids need, like working with a team, thinking flexibly.”
Mulberry’s programs cater to kids as young as two months old, all the way up to 12. “When people see that we offer programs for kids only two months old, it raises eyebrows,” admits Yihan Peh, chief operating officer of Mulberry Learning. “Parents are wondering, does a kid really need to receive education before the age of five? And we tell them yes, because research has shown that a child’s brain — 90% of it — develops before the age of five. So, it’s a very critical golden window for us so that their learning capacity later in life will be maximized. We’ve come across studies at Harvard University that show that the major contributor of individual success later in life is not having the right technical skills and knowledge alone, because now, in an age of AI and robotics, all that’s going to be taken over by AI and computers, but what’s important is having the right attitudes and habits. If someone can persist through failure, if someone knows how to ask the right questions, the right answers will come.”
Mandy Goh, head of research and development at Mulberry Learning in Singapore, met with Gapuz and her team to conceptualize and design the spaces in Mulberry for fun learning activities, like the Busy Baker kitchen, Imaginary Playscape and Wonderment Studio.
Around 1,000 children have graduated from Mulberry Learning over the years, and many have gone on to top primary schools in Singapore and won academic prizes, a testament that their preschool years prepared them well for their “big school” journey.
“The combination of our unique curriculum model, team of passionate and qualified educators with over 250 hours of training, and specially curated, Reggio-inspired environments helps us stand out from the competition,” notes Vanessa Dim-Santos, principal of Mulberry Learning in Greenhills.
But it’s perhaps the wealth of proud moments parents share about their kids that speak the loudest about Mulberry Learning: “The reports that Teacher Angel has given us is another huge benefit of the school,” says Theo’s dad Tyrone. “The program, which is not something we’ve seen in other schools, is that the parents are able to actively participate in the children’s curriculum. That’s a huge, huge, collaborative step. It makes us feel involved. It helps us reinforce what they’re learning in school at home. One of the things that we are very, very happy to see is a sense of wonder, that sense of curiosity and sense of exploration. The fact that his likes have expanded — things that he enjoys and is willing to do. His willingness to look for humor in all situations, hearing him laugh, hearing him speak, hearing him able to express himself in more ways than he was able to before he came to school. That’s one of the most important things that I can attribute to his learning from Mulberry.”
“I know everybody’s name and all the kids’ names here because he keeps on repeating them at home every day,” says Enzo’s mom Jenny. “I believe why they love it is because of how much the teachers care about the kids. Because changing a personality is harder than teaching knowledge. They’ve helped them to build their characters, open their hearts, they’re willing to talk to people, share and help others. I guess every moment is my proudest moment, because every time I open the door I see their happy faces. And then they keep on saying, ‘Are we going to Mulberry?’”
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Mulberry Learning Philippines has two branches: one at GSC Corporate Tower, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig; and the second on Connecticut St., Greenhills East, San Juan. You can book a school tour by contacting 0945-186-6486, emailing inquiry@mulberrylearning.com.ph or visiting www.mulberrylearning.com.ph .
