Little Park is not your typical nursery school. Parents were so impressed with Nina’s methods that word quickly spread about her unique school. Every educator’s goal is to impact their students through their teaching so that they will eventually make a difference in the future. This was Ninas purpose too: Bring change to the ways we traditionally raise our children in the early years, even if this change is done at a small scale.
Her motivation to start a nursery school came after Nina overheard an Ayi telling a child that if he kept crying, mommy wouldn’t come back! She was shocked to hear this. Nina understands it is quite common in China for people to say things like this to stop a baby from crying. She knows there’s no bad intention behind it, it is just a mindset. But Nina was ready to make a change
by teaching parents and ayis how babies can grow and develop by themselves if shown the right steps. Teaching parents and ayis new techniques to let children grow and express themselves emotionally without the fear of something bad happening to them was and has been Nina’s philosophy. “Kids have the right to grow in a healthy, safe environment, not with the old traditional ways that are still very present in us. Many things in society grow and develop, like the economy for example, but the way we treat or raise our babies is still old”, Nina added.
With that in mind, Nina prepared a corner of her living room to start a child playgroup. She was eager to put into practice her knowledge and continue her observations and research on child development in the early years. Nina posted a sign on her apartment window for a child playgroup for 0-3 years. After a month of no one showing interest, someone finally knocked on her door to see about this playgroup idea. May of 2015 marks the beginning of what later became Little Park.
Nina is a certified high school teacher, however, she has taught throughout all grade levels. Her desire to continue learning about the newest trends in education led her to find interest in education for the early years. Her school adapts the RIE approach which stands for Resources for Infant Educators. This approach is based on the idea that children are capable and understanding of the world around them, able to learn and flourish if given a safe space and freedom from too much adult direction. (source, healthline parenthood).
We teach children to say No, Thank you and Please
At Little Park, teachers serve as a secure base to support children in their social skills. Kids are given the opportunities to solve problems among themselves with little intervention from adults. Nina was asked by a parent what she teaches children at her school, she responded candidly, “I teach them to say no, thank you and please. It’s ok for children to say NO when they are not ready to share. If another child says no to them, to sharing a toy for example, they won’t feel bad or rejected, they will understand that sometimes a child is not ready to share, that they need more time”. These personal boundaries will teach children mutual respect. “If their decision is respected, they will respect other children’s decisions as well. We also model and show them ways on how to deal with emotions. Children should be able to express their emotions, not telling them “ don’t cry” but to guide them and give them opportunities to solve problems among themselves.”
Podcast “Amazing Parents”
In order to stay connected with her community of parents Nina created her own podcast as a way to maintain ongoing support during the closure of the school. She invites parents to share their educational experiences, professional knowledge, or any parenting tips. Through her podcast, Nina realizes how they can all learn from each other. “Parents are a great source and have valuable information that will help us grow”. Her podcast is bilingual (Chinese and English) to make it accessible to more audiences.
These past five years with her school, Nina has felt that she has grown professionally, mentally and personally thanks to the support and encouragement from her families. This gives her the ongoing incentive to keep her nursery authentic and pure as she intended to do when she first founded her school. Her vision will always be to educate and support parents and keep the focus of her school into making a difference for those that she can reach out to.
*This article is published in Beijing Kids magazine in June 2020.