Daycare / preschool / nanny in Yongin, Korea?

I and my husband are returning to Myongi University in Yongin - after three years' hiatus in Canada - as ESL instructors, this time with our young daughter. Katherine will be three at the end of January, and we will be arriving in Yongin at the end of February. As we will both be teaching during the day, we are looking for either a daily drop-in 'nanny' at our on-campus residence, or a Korean daycare / preschool program, about four to five hours, four days a week (MWThF).


We'd like to find a place that will offer appropriate care for an intelligent and outgoing three-year old girl who is quite articulate in English and already has a few words of Korean. She is homeschooled and works at a kindergarden level in many of her textbooks (knows her alphabet and letter/sound correlations, is beginning to sound out words, and has excellent reasoning / deductive skills). She is tall for her age but not yet toilet-trained, and we have chosen not to 'push' training in the next few months with all the upheaval and culture shock she will have to deal with, but will begin again once we are settled in Yongin.


Any and all advice, suggestions, links, and ideas are appreciated!


Judith

Can't answer specifically for Yongin area, but I can answer some questions about the daycare system in Korea which I find VERY good in contrast to what I know to be daycare in the US.


They are called "children's house" or "uhlenee gip" in Korea - and they vary in price, depending on location and sort of what they "offer." A local one - generally, for your daughter's age, I think on average runs in the $300/month range. For this, you get early drop off care - 7:30-9:00, which generally means the kids are zoned out, all put in one room with the TV on. Not the best time. Then many schools from 9:30-5:30 have a structure program which includes a theme, crafts, books, songs, stories and play based on this theme. At age 3 however, the places tend to be more "play" oriented than "academic" oriented - but I find the play to be really fun and refreshing.


My daughter spoke little no Korean when she started about a year ago. (she was 22 months when she started.) After about six months, she was speaking more Korean than English. (my husband and I are Korean american.) Now I just speak solely English to her at home as she is getting lots of Korean at her school. Her particular program I have been very pleased with and I think it's been a wonderful growing experience for her.


AT age 3, potty training at most Korean schools is a must. If she is not potty trained, she will not be excited. (cruel and horrible I know.)


Otherwise, you can probably get a parttime nanny for about 1,000,000 W per month. (around $1000 USD.)

Thanks so much - that's very helpful, HK! The only thing I didn't understand was your sentence:


"If she is not potty-trained she will not be excited"... (:O Did you mean she won't be ACCEPTED?


Anyhow, that gives me another avenue to research, so your help is very much appreciated. Hugs, Judith

sorry - was too excited when writing - my younger daughter was clapping like crazy.


yes - accepted. Koreans have a hardline potty training thing. My daughter is a bit stressed because she's the only one in her class who doesn't poop in the potty (she prefers her diaper/panties.) She's a massive master of the pee, through naps and sometimes even overnight, but somehow the poop doesn't work and she knows she's the only one. So she's refuses to admit to the teacher that she has poop in her pants and starts telling the teacher that it's her classmates. HAHAHA.


let me know if I can help more.