Taiwanese society has changed over the years and now it is very common for both parents to work. In these cases the grandparents are important figures in the lives of children in Taiwan. It is very common to see groups of grandparents waiting outside schools and buxibans (bushibans - private before and after school learning institutes).
Children run from school to the welcoming embrace of their grandparents where they drop their bookbags, lunch boxes, are various school projects and run home ahead of their grandparents. A common site is of an elderly Taiwanese person walking down the street with a Hello Kitty backpack and a coloring assignment in hand.
These young children are doted and often no expense is spared to make sure they have all they need and that they are exposed to every aspect of learning possible. Through media and various education resources these children are afforded every opportunity to learn and explore any area of interest.
At present, most kindergartens in Taiwan are run by private operators. In fact, there are two times as many private kindergartens as public ones. There are also 3.4 times as many preschool students in these private institutions as there are in the public ones. Ninety percent of private kindergartens are independently operated, whereas most public kindergartens are affiliated with public elementary schools. Taiwan's kindergartens admit children aged from four to below six years of age to receive one or two years of education.
Bilingual pre-schools have become quite common around Taiwan where children are educated in English and Mandarin equally. Oddly enough, it is illegal for a native English speaker to teach in these schools. Having said that, there are a great many bilingual pre-schools and kindergartens that employ native English speakers though they have strict instructions that if the authorities visit the school for an inspection that they are to "run away" or say that they are a "guest". Be careful if you are in this situation and make sure you have a well thought out action plan.
This is a great age group to teach and the kids are like little sponges for anything and everything you throw their way.
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