Little Kingdoms School, a nursery and preschool backed by one of Cambodia’s most prestigious educational organisations, MJQE, will open its doors in March, welcoming children from ages two to five.
Dr Mengly J Quach, Founder, Chairman and CEO of the Mengly J Quach Education (MJQE), said the decision to open a dedicated pre-school followed the overwhelming demands, supports and positive responses from MJQE’s other educational institutions, American Intercon School (AIS), American Intercon Institute (Aii) and Aii Language Center (AiiLC).
“We didn’t have enough seats for new students in preschool program, so we decided to establish another school, named Little Kingdoms, a nursery and early learning centre,” he explained.
He said that Little Kingdoms comes at a time when the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport is actively encouraging more education for early childhood learners.
Dr Mengly, an educationist and a medical doctor, said research has shown that between the age of two and three is an ideal time for children to begin schooling as it “helps them become better prepared, smarter and more exceptional students in later age. They will have a higher chance for academic success in the future”.
Little Kingdoms emphasises on small classroom sizes in quality and fun learning environments.
“We’ll launch and open many Little Kingdoms throughout Phnom Penh and, eventually, to many provinces in order to meet the current demands. Currently, there are not enough preschools for early childhood learners in Cambodia, especially, in the provinces and rural areas.
“Little Kingdoms will focus on small schools and small classrooms – about eight to ten classrooms per school and with no more than 15 children in each classroom to make sure they will receive personal attention at this critical stage in their mental and physical development.
“Our Little Kingdoms will be designed for kids friendly conducive to learning, having fun and at the same time, easy for teachers and staff to interact and care for the children’s safety and well beings. It will be the right place for the child physical and mental developments,” said Dr Mengly.
“Every school’s successes depend on the qualifications, competence and talent of its management team, teachers and staff, as well as the level of quality and benefits of the teaching skills and classroom environments,” he added.
Little Kingdoms plans to launch four schools in Phnom Penh this year with campuses on Mao Tse Toung Boulevard, in Tuol Kork, Chbar Ampov and Maida. By 2024, Dr Mengly expects to open nine campuses for Little Kingdoms Schools and14 additional campuses for AiiLC and AIS in Phnom Penh and provinces. According to Dr Mengly, the locations have been selected in response to the public’s demand, and many of the campuses will serve areas that, otherwise, require children to commute.
Mr Sophea M Lay, Vice President of the Aii Language Centers, said the classrooms at Little Kingdoms School are crafted “according to American standards with a hygienic environment and safety assurance for small kids”. He added that the English program taught in the school is designed “to ensure that the students will be equipped with proficient English language for future use”.
“We have foreign teachers and Cambodian teachers,” he said, adding that “the teachers are qualified, specialised and experienced in multiple teaching disciplines and creativity to ensure the highest quality of education for the students”.
According to Dr Mengly, Cambodia has been focusing on garments, agriculture, construction, tourism, general and higher education and finance, especially, in microfinances for these two decades. However, we have overlooked areas such as healthcare and early childhood education. These two fields will be seriously paid attention by both the government and the private sectors.
“From 2018 to 2028, the growths of education and health fields will exceed all expectations,” he said. “But even then, it won’t match the demand.”
