[KKOOM] Early education for Korean toddlers

As you likely know, if you've been supporting this project for sometime, toddlers ages 2 and 3 (international age) living in Korean orphanages are unable to attend preschool because the government does not provide funding until the children turn 4. With the help of a local preschool in Gumi, KKOOM began sending 2 and 3 year olds to preschool at a discounted tuition rate using funds raised here on GlobalGiving.

In this project report, we are delighted to introduce you to the 8th KKOOM preschool toddler, SH, who will soon turn 2 years old (US age). He began preschool, thanks to your support, in January 2016 when he reached 20 months old.

SH arrived in the orphanage in February 2015 along with two older siblings and quickly proved that he was quite intelligent and curious. His caretaker wanted to send him to preschool at the earliest opportunity due to his inquistive nature and the fact that he was bored at the orphanage home all day after the older children left for school. He would frequently go into his orphanage siblings' bedrooms, pull out their belongings, look for new things, and make a mess, just out of sheer boredom. 

Sending SH to preschool gives him much needed access to peers his age, and he has been able to make friends and receive positive attention from kind and caring teachers at the preschool. Like many other kids, who come to orphanages due to unfortunate circumstances, SH lacks certain basic social skills, which are typically built in a loving environment. 

SH's caretaker shares that SH is introverted and shy, but one he warms up to you, he shows his playful and cute side, including dancing and waving actively. SH's caretaker reports that SH is always happy to go to preschool when the van arrives in the morning. His teacher at the preschool says that he is eager to learn new things, clearly a smart little guy. Additionally, SH has started talking now that he is attending preschool, and we think this is just the first of many developments to come as SH continues preschool for the next 4.5 years.

We can't change the circumstances that brought kids like SH to orphanages in Korea (in SH's case, parental abuse), but we can certainly, with your help, change their outcomes. With much needed care, attention, and education, we are hopeful that kids like SH can have a positive future and grow up to be loving and contributing members of society.

KKOOM certainly could not do this work without your generous financial support and ongoing interest, so we're extremely grateful that you took the time to read this update. If you have any questions or comments, I invite you to contact me directly. Thank you so much for your trust and gifts.

Regards,

Aimee

In the fall of 2011, we discovered that toddlers ages 2 and 3 (international age) living in Korean orphanages are unable to attend preschool because the government does not provide funding until the children turn 4. With the help of a local preschool in Gumi, we began sending 2 and 3 year olds to preschool at a discounted tuition rate. To date, we've been able to send 7 children to preschool two years earlier than they would otherwise be able to attend without KKOOM fund.

The most recent KKOOM preschool child is JY. He arrived at Samsungwon when he was about 2 months old. He was abandoned on the steps of a nearby hospital and is one of the few "true orphans" at Samsungwon. At first he was very malnourished, but once he began eating regularly and growing healthily, his house mom at Samsungwon discovered that he was quite an active little baby with a lot of curiosity.

Previously, we sent children to preschool beginning at 24 months, but given JY's rapid development, we decided to send him to preschool at 20 months this March. We were a little worried about how he would adjust, but he was very excited to ride in the preschool van with the other older children from the orphanage when it came to pick him on the first day. Ever since then, he has enjoyed riding in the van.

As a result of attending preschool, JY has learned the names of animals, types of cars, and other common items. He's also good at putting together blocks, like Duplos. At preschool, JY also has the opportunity to meet other toddlers his age and learn how to play together.

If JY did not have the opportunity to go to preschool, he would spend the weekdays at home with the Samsungwon staff and would not get to interact with others his age. His house mother predicts that JY would not know nearly as many words and would be behind others his age when the time finally came for him to go to school. After seeing JY and others to go to preschool with KKOOM's support, JY's house mother says she can't imagine how bored JY would be if he had to stay at home all day.

Starting next month, in January 2016, we will send another 20-month-old toddler to preschool. We look forward to sharing more information about him in our next update. 

As always, thank you for your support to KKOOM through GlobalGiving. We appreciate not only your financial gifts, but also your encouragement and participation in our work. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Happy New Year!

Aimee