Testimonials

Testimonials from Parents

Parents Sharing the Wonderful Learning Experience of their Children

It has been a day of reminiscing as we sort through older files and folders. In looking through parent testimonials, we stumbled upon this never-been-published gem. A true reminder that as early childhood educators, we not only work with the children in our care but also build strong relationships with our families.

Once a Blooming Buds family, always a Blooming Buds family. We miss you Sara, Fabs and Ivar, and we hope with all our heart that our paths will cross again in the future.

“She’s 20 years old. Single, independent, confident, dreamer and doer, beautiful, funny and with a pair of huge wings that make her travel all around the world with different goals and purposes. She’s about to take a plane to visit friends in a far far away country. A girl who cares about people, loving and charming, sweet and strong, balanced and awesome.

This is my vision of Sara, one that might or might not happen. But it’s the model of the daughter that my wife and I would love to raise. Not attached to things but close to people. Not interested in money but supporter to causes. Not a consumer but an enjoyer of the good life. Not a princess but a human being.

But we are certain that we had to work on that since she was born, and even before that. That’s why we decided to leave our comfortable lives in New York City and move to Hong Kong when she was less than two years-old. We knew it was going to be tough for us, challenging and oblivious. While for Sara it was going to be a seed, a unique gift for the rest of her life.

I remember the first time we step inside Blooming Buds, the confidence of Rafi and Vien, the kids’ smiles, the colourful rooms, the games, the magic feeling of certainty about making the right decision for our beloved Sara. It was love at the first sight. Our daughter was going to be just fine developing her skills and character at that gigantic small school of Sai Ying Pun.

Almost 3 years have passed and Blooming Buds have been part of our lives, not just Sara’s but Fabs’ and Ivar’s as well. We all have learned from there, we all have grown, we all have laughed, we all have collaborated, we all have shared and we all have been part of Blooming Buds’ history, or at least a couple of pages.

It is clear that we will miss this part of our lives, but Blooming Buds is coming with us anywhere we go because it will be present in every Sara’s decision, step, sight, dream, goal and conquer. Blooming Buds is forever. Sara is Blooming Buds.

Thank you all the BB team for helping us to raise this wonderful girl.
Special thanks to Rafaella Tung, Linda Huang, Yasmin Tsang, Jessica Lin and Vien Wong.

By Fabs and Ivar,  Parents of Sara

My daughter attended Blooming Buds from 16 months of age until almost 2.5 years. The only reason we stopped attending is because of relocation. Our experience there was truly amazing. Our daughter is beyond bright in my opinion and I believe that has a lot to do with the teachings at BB. The teachers are kind and nurturing. India especially loved the Chinese teachers which I was very surprised by as we only speak English at home. I would highly recommend blooming buds to any parent looking for a high quality education and a healthy safe and creative environment for young children. India missed attending BB very much and we will always remember what a wonderful time she had there.

By Cara G. M., Mother of India

“Hidden Gem, a caring, fun and nurturing environment”
Maria joined the bi-lingual playgroup in Blooming Buds when it first opened in 2012 and eventually moved on to the Pre-Nursery Class a few months later. As an early childhood teacher for 20 years, I was looking for a pre-school that would nurture my child’s curiosity and creativity by providing developmentally appropriate learning experiences. As soon as I stepped inside the school and had a look in the classrooms, I knew that it was the school for Maria. Blooming Buds not only provided a caring, fun and nurturing environment for Maria, it also helped prepare her for big school.
Maria moved on to the Hong Kong Academy after Blooming Buds and I do believe her wonderful first school experience was a big factor in her transition to a bigger school environment and her continuing enthusiasm for learning. I do hope that more families discover the hidden gem that is Blooming Buds.

By Joanne D., Mother of Maria

“Giving my child a good foundation, more importantly, a very happy first year of schooling.”
My daughter Gabriele joined the Pre-Nursery Class at Blooming Buds in September 2013. When she first joined the school, she could not even talk and was crying badly all the time. The teachers were so patient and we were very amazed at how Gaby turned in the middle of the year. She really loves the school (even after she left now, she still asks about it always). She has been so independent and willing to do things on her own. She has learnt to be polite, saying please and thank you most of the times (which we seldom reinforce at home but the school did a great job) and a lot of new vocabulary.
We cannot thank more for the teachers’ great job in Blooming Buds. They have given my child a good foundation, more importantly, a very happy first year of schooling!

By Cindy G., Mother of Gabriele

“The Toddlers in Transit program has been particularly great as it has resulted in Caleb becoming more independent early on, which will no doubt be beneficial when he moves on to the next stage in his education. “

Our son initially visited Blooming Buds for a trial just before the summer camp started in 2013. At that stage, he had been to a number of trials at various preschools and playgroups. My wife attended that trial with him, and could see that he was far more engaged in what he was doing than in any of the other trials. We instantly signed him up for the summer camp, and subsequently signed up for the playgroup there.

During that year, we have seen our son blossom into a confident boy, going from not wanting to spend time with other children, to enjoying play dates with his fellow school friends outside of school time. Part of that is of course down to the natural growth of children, but we feel that a big part of it is down to his time spent at Blooming Buds. The Toddlers in Transit program has been particularly great as it has resulted in Caleb becoming more independent early on, which will no doubt be beneficial when he moves on to the next stage in his education. He is also clearly enjoying his time there, as when we walk past the school on days that he’s not scheduled to be there, he’s always disappointed when he realizes that we are not going to school.

As parents we also enjoy the weekly newsletters (including pictures) that keep us up to date with what our son has done in school; and we’ve also enjoyed the monthly events (Parent Child Activity Day) that they hold. It allows us to witness firsthand some of the teaching methods and see how our son interacts with his teachers and friends. At every one of those events, there were always plenty of other happy children, with equally happy parents who all spoke highly of Blooming Buds.

Sadly, the Hong Kong school system is set up to be more beneficial to those that have been to schools that are well known, popular and deemed to be “best”. It is for that reason alone that we applied for a place at ESF Hillside, and we still had a difficult decision to make when it came to picking one of the two schools. However, despite the fact that he will be going to a different school next year, we hope to be able to make it to the monthly events.

However, given the rising popularity in Blooming Buds that I have seen from the increasing number of attendees at the monthly events (Parent Child Activity Day), and the general satisfaction that parents I’ve talked to seem to have with the school, I believe that Blooming Buds will also join the list of best schools in Hong Kong. I would have absolutely no reservations about recommending Blooming Buds for any future parents. I feel that they have created a fantastic nurturing environment, where children are not only learning, but also enjoying their time there.

By Kenneth, Father of Caleb

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