Prabhakar Kalavacherla, a senior executive with KPMG heard about Stepping Stones while in the US, through friends. Coincidentally, it so happened that he moved to Bangalore and found 'Stepping Stones' was situated in Koramangala. He didn't look elsewhere. For his daughter Sandhya, 'Stepping Stones' it was. One year later, he has no regrets. He says, "This school provides opportunities for children to excel and their natural abilities come right out. We are very happy with our child being here."
According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Washington, all children must know their ABCs and the sounds that letters make in order to communicate verbally. And this can happen easily with an understanding of phonics. The question in early childhood programs is not whether to teach phonics or with whole language learning, but how to teach phonics in context – rather than in isolation – so that children make connections between letters, sounds and a meaning. The key is to have a balanced approach and attention to each child's individual needs.
And 'Stepping Stones' is bang on target. Explains Seetha, "Phonics will give children the tools and teach them the clues. Once they know these tools they'll know how to break down the sounds for spelling, how to put it together for reading and then, they will be able to read any material given." The phonics system has been extensively researched and time-tested. It serves all children including those from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds. So, the system works for all especially for those whose mother tongue is not English – Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, etc. |
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