What should your child be learning during their pre-school years? If you said 'phonics' 'maths' or even 'English' or 'Mandarin' you are right , of course. But are you forgetting something? Experts agree that it is at this age when children start building character. And that is why Tutor Time has now developed character building into their curriculum.

Tutor Time is an international school originating in the United States but now can be found around the world. There are over 250 schools world-wide. However, the schools share more than just a name. All Tutor Time schools are closely monitored to conform to the same high standards and, if you visit a Tutor Time school on any given day, anywhere in the word, you will find the children all following the same schedule. The strength of the school lies in the fact that the curriculum is written by a team of educators and specialists, most notably Dr. Vicky Folds, the school's founder. Dr folds has been an early childhood educator for over 25 years, and is an internationally recognised expert in the development of young children, This support is what has made the new "Creating Characters" addition to the curriculum so successful and so well received by the children. Rather than simply tacking on new material, the Creating Characters has been fully integrated into the other aspects of the children's learning programme.

The Creating Characters consists of five main characters. Each month, a different character is introduced with a story. Each one represents a particular character trait, for example, there is a duck named Deciding Dudley. Deciding Dudley makes good decisions, and stories about him relate to making choices. With each stroy comes song, questions and answers, and information for parents to follow up with at home. As each character is introducd, the children learn more about being a good person. The kid's response to the programme has been "unbelivable," according to Cory McGregor, or 'Mr. Cory' as the center director is know to his students at Tutor Time's Kowloon Tong campus. "It has been the 'nicest' enhancement to the curriculum so far, and follows our goal to teach to 'the whole child'," he adds.

"According to the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC), children have five developmental stages: cognitive, language, creative, physical, social and emotional. Tutor Time's curriculum is designed to target all five of these stages at a correct level for the children's age. I like to think of 'character' as being the 'sixth elements'," says Cory.

Character as part of a child's education used to fall in the domain of religious education, either taught at home or int he family's house of worship. However, many children today are not attending religious services, which means they might be missing out that part of their edcation linked to values and ethics. However, chaaracter ethics and values are not inextricably linked to religion. And there is nor reason why children can't leran about them in secular way. The Tutor Time programme does just that, using characters and stories to introduce children to these important concepts.

Although every Tutor Time follows the same curriculum, the Hong Kong schools have one important difference. Exactly half of the curriculum is taught in Mandarin. That means 1-1/2 hours are taught by an English native speaker, and 1-1/2 hours are taught by a Mandarin native speaker. This system is considered to be more successful in teaching a second language than trying to learn both languages simultaneously. Although there is this spearation of language, the curriculum i shared so the children still follow the same themes and concepts from one language to the other.

The week I visited Kowloon Tong Campus, the them was Valentine's Day, which was echoed throughout the school with heart-shaped paintings, words beginning in 'V', and even the Chinese characteer for 'heart' hung proudly on walls and windows. Mr. Cory, was making the rounds, clearly enthusiastic and proud of all his students. Mr. Cory also teaches, which means he is familiar with every facet of the school from the curriculum down to the individual needs of every student. A 'character' himself, Mr. Cory is very popular with kids and parents alike.

Looking at the children's journals and schoolwork, it is clear that the curriculum has focus and direction. But there is plenty of evidence that the children are also having fun and being creative.

Tutor Time is more than a school. It's a learning environment. If you are looking for a nursery school or kindergarten that values each student and their progress, this school would make an excellent choice. Even Deciding Dudley would have to agree.