About us

Our History

Established in 1996, Saigon Kids was one of the very first International Preschools to open its doors for expatriate children in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

Originally opened in District 3 by founder of the school Ms Kieu An, Saigon Kids was relocated to its current site in 2012. Moving all our teachers and families to District 2 was a huge undertaking that was achieved with the support of our entire school community, and was a successful venture primarily due to the dedication and hard work of Ms Kieu An, and Early Childhood Teacher Ms Victoria Cropp. Ms Victoria joined Saigon Kids in February 2009, and after a lifetime of teaching in Australia and Vietnam, is now the Educational Director at Saigon Kids. 

 

In 2016, to commemorate the 20th Birthday of our school, we began building a beautiful new art studio and cooking lab in the Bamboo Garden of our school. The art studio has been a long term dream of ours since moving to our new site in District 2, and is now a unique feature of Saigon Kids Early Learning Centre. It was completed in collaboration with Australian Early Childhood Teacher and Artist Ms Denise Savins, who joined our team as Atelierista in the art studio in August 2016.

 

Our Vision

From the very beginning, our aim has been to create a small, friendly, warm and welcoming learning environment, where children can learn and grow with the support of professional Early Childhood Teachers. After more than 20 years of establishment, we are proud to say that our original aim remains unchanged as a foundational aspect of our vision for Saigon Kids.

 

As new ideas for teaching and learning emerge from early childhood research, we continue to draw inspiration from what we believe to be the best practices of International systems of education, and the vision for our school continues to evolve.

 

Please see our Mission Statement and School Philosophy for more information on what underlies our thinking and teaching practices at Saigon Kids Early Learning Centre.

 

Our Amazing Team

As Ms Kieu An dedicates equal time between her cattle farm in the North Island of New Zealand and her School in HCMC, she and Ms Victoria are supported in the work of the school by a dedicated team of professionals.

 

Our educational team includes six International Early Childhood Teachers with a Bachelor or Masters degree in Early Childhood Education, and a team of 10 Vietnamese educators who work alongside our Head Teachers in each class room/group. The majority of our local team of educators have Degrees or Diplomas in Early Childhood Teaching. One of our Early Childhood Teachers also has a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and supports our children and educators in the development of creative and artistic knowledge within the school and curriculum.

 

A full time Education Administrator, two cooks, and additional support staff complete our team and contribute to the smooth running of our School.

 

Our Early Childhood Community

The children, families and teachers that make up our school community are from diverse cultures and come from many different countries around the world. With up to 35 different nationalities represented in some school years, Saigon Kids children learn about diversity, similarities and differences in a very natural way while working and playing alongside their teachers and friends. While English and ‘play’ are the primary or foundational languages of our school, we encourage the sharing of culture, ideas and knowledge as an integral component of our everyday experiences. 

 

Hours of Operation

Saigon Kids is open Monday to Friday between the hours of 8.00am and 4.00pm. We offer full-day, half-day and part-time care for children 18 months - 6 years in four separate class groups.