LHAF 1-5 Pre-Schools Program

As in the United States, children of 5 years of age in Viet Nam are required to attend kindergarten. Unlike the United States, kindergartens in Viet Nam often serve children from 1-5 years old; in some cases infants in cribs are also cared for. Also unlike the United States, attendance is often predicated on the parent's ability to pay the required school fees. Generally, the Vietnamese government does not have adequate funding to support construction of preschool / kindergartens in the rural areas. Because rural communities are generally comprised of subsistence farmers they rarely generate the surplus cash to build schools. Few communities can afford to build their own kindergarten. Consequently many children miss this initial opportunity to begin the educational process early.

However, rural preschool / kindergartens are a godsend to parents. More than likely parents in rural areas are farmers, managing a subsistence life style with perhaps a little produce to sell for income. It is often necessary for both parents to tend the fields. Having a preschool or kindergarten provides the parents with a safe, clean, educationally oriented place to leave their young children during the day. Where no such facility exists, one parent would not be able to work the farm or an older child would be held from school to care for the younger sibling.

Rural kindergartens are much in demand. Not only do they provide direct support for families but they also help prepare children for entry into primary school and very likely enhance their learning abilities throughout their childhood development. District and Commune People's Committees are always keen to find funding for such projects. LHAF staff in Viet Nam are adept at identifying communes that will contribute and fully support our projects.

LHAF's 1-5 Preschool Program is designed to meet this need. Initially these projects will be implemented in the A Luoi Valley of Thua-Thien Hue Province and later in mountainous Minh Hoa and Tuyen Hoa Districts of Quang Binh Province. The goal is to replace existing temporary single and double room structures made of wood, thatched roofs, dirt floors, and a single light bulb with permanent brick and mortar buildings. Our projects provide clean, spacious, well-lit classrooms including with electrical and water systems and indoor bathrooms.

With on-going donor support we will follow-up with the addition of a surrounding fence, concret playground, a kitchen for providing lunches, educational supplies, toys and equipment.

The District People's Committees often request new schools to replace dilapidated building in flood zones and areas of high population density; and rightfully so. However, LHAF plans to start slow, focus on poverty areas, build small preschools, and build on success.

Quang Binh's Committee for Population, Family, and Children (CPFC), with whom we will partner with in this endeavor has already agreed to support this plan. Partners at the local level (district and commune People's Committes) will provide building sites and construction inspection. Local communities receiving the projects will prepare the site for construction, including clearing and eveling of land if necessary, water to the site for construction and post-construction use, and electrical hook-ups.

Pre-Schools Proposed | Pre-Schools In-Progress | Pre-Schools Final Reports