A First Step into English at Age 3 — A Taiwanese Parent's Google Review

This is a review a Taiwanese parent left on Google Maps. Below is a full translation of the original Traditional Chinese text.

I brought my 3-year-old daughter to Hana Academy for her first steps in English. I'm really grateful the school was willing to take a 3-year-old — there really aren't many schools that accept children that young! It was my first time in the Philippines, and although I knew English would get me by, I was still a little nervous. But as soon as I had my luggage and walked out, there was the driver waiting to pick us up. At the school, the Chinese-speaking manager who lives in the dormitory welcomed us and added me on Line, so I could ask anything at any time. It made me feel that even someone whose English is terrible has nothing at all to worry about. When we walked into our dorm room, we found instant noodles, water, tissues and travel toiletries waiting for us! They aren't expensive things, but little details like this showed real care. (It reminded me of my student days, when I flew abroad alone to a language school and had to go to bed hungry on my first night off the plane.) The school completely understands how helpless you feel on the first night: the place is unfamiliar, you have no local currency and you don't know where to go shopping. The next morning, the school also arranges a car to take new students to exchange pesos and stock up at the mall. The campus isn't big, but for a 3-year-old it's just right: no fear of her wandering off, and the guards know the students and won't let children run outside on their own. Everyone at the school greeted us with a smile and was so warm to my daughter. Whenever I went to the office with a question, the staff were friendly and willing to sort things out. Several times when we came back by taxi at night, loaded with bags or with my daughter asleep in the car, the guards came over on their own to carry our bags and carry my child back to the dorm. Really so thoughtful. The dorm can't be compared with a big hotel, but to me it felt like home or an Airbnb. It's cleaned twice a week, with sheets and light quilts in a different pattern each time; when it's humid they open the windows and turn on the fan to air the room; and after your laundry is washed and hung up, it comes back folded in the laundry basket. It felt like having your mom come over to tidy your room. In the mornings I often saw people cleaning the pool and cutting the grass to keep the grounds neat. What I loved most is that the kindergarten shares lots and lots of class photos and videos every day, so every day I could see how cute my little one was, babbling away as she learned English. I gave one of my 1:1 classes to my daughter, and the teacher was happy to take pictures of her in class too. Once a week you get a chance to change teachers, so you can adjust your schedule and choose teachers you click with. Every week the school holds a graduation ceremony for the students who are leaving. It's simple but moving: the teachers all come, and almost every student goes up on stage to give a speech in English. Even with the kindergarten children, the teachers patiently guide them through saying a few sentences, so parents get to see how their children have grown, and the learning journey comes to a lovely close. The area around the school is also convenient. Restaurants, supermarkets, sports facilities and spas are within walking distance; golf lovers give it a thumbs-up, and badminton lovers say the courts are good and cheap to rent. The school is in a good location too, so you never have to worry about not getting a Grab.

A dormitory room

The campus pool

A kindergarten class

The weekly graduation ceremony

An English speech at graduation

The photos in this article were posted by the author of this Google Maps review.