Why a preschool in Vietnam?

A child's education begins with an adequate learning environment. Access to preschool is the building block for a successful primary and secondary education. Early learning makes a significant and positive impact in the educational development of young students. In addition, preschools offer an organized learning environment in which small children can be nurtured. This arrangement frees up the time of parents, grandparents, and siblings (especially older sisters) who would otherwise be needed to provide care. If the young children could attend school, the villagers could focus on farming and better support their families. In addition, a preschool begins to teach the children the critical skills they need to improve their lives and ultimately end the cycle of poverty.

In most developing countries, the government does not sponsor preschool. In Vietnam, the Education and Training Ministry understands the importance of preschool education, but the funds to build preschools simply do not exist. The village communities are often too poor to contribute the material and labor to construct community preschools on their own. For 2009, our Preschool in Vietnam Project, planned in a rural area in the Mekong Delta, consists of a three-room building and includes appropriately-sized furniture for the little students, as well as lavatory facilities. These structures will have plenty of ventilation and a strong roof to withstand the heavy rains of the monsoon season. The facility will have a school yard with a fence and gate to provide protection and possibly a playground for the children.