Frequently Asked Questions — Kinder Academy Preschool

Kinder Academy Preschool is a boutique international preschool at 204/25 Nguyen Van Huong, An Khanh Ward (formerly Thao Dien), Ho Chi Minh City, founded in 2016. The school enrols children from 12 months to 5 years old and accompanies them through the end of kindergarten, graduating at age 6 to begin primary school.

The programme is built on the Reggio Emilia philosophy combined with STEM, with a maximum of 15 children per class to international standards and a parent community drawn from more than 20 countries. Depending on the programme, children learn either entirely in English with foreign teachers, or bilingually in English and Vietnamese with time split evenly across the daily early-years activities.

That quality has been recognised by Cambridge International Education — the school is a Cambridge Early Years Centre, school code VN243.

The school operates Monday to Friday, 7:30 – 17:00.

There are three age-based programmes:

• Nursery — children aged 12 to 36 months
• Preschool — children aged 3 to 4
• Pre-Kinder — children aged 4 to 6, building the foundation for primary school

Children are enrolled between the ages of 1 and 5. Kinder Academy teaches through the end of kindergarten; from age 6, children move on to primary school.

Boutique means the school stays deliberately small: a maximum of 15 children per class, with teachers and school leadership who know every child by name and by temperament. Rather than running large classes on a single fixed curriculum, the school tracks each child’s individual progress and adapts activities accordingly. It suits families who want close, personal attention rather than a crowded environment.

Fee schedule for the 2026–2027 academic year. The year comprises 224 school days across four terms.

Tuition already includes academic fees, canteen fees covering 4 meals per day, enrichment programme fees, festival fees and field trip fees. Tuition is based on the full academic programme for the year and is not calculated on a daily or monthly basis.

The full Tuition and Fees Policy for 2026–2027 — including the four-term payment schedule, the withdrawal and refund policy and force majeure terms — is available as Tuition and Fees Policy 2026–2027 (PDF).

Yes, the following separate fees, all non-refundable:

• Registration fee: 4,000,000 VND — a one-time fee paid once the application is accepted and the school emails confirmation of the child’s place.
• Infrastructure fee: 9,000,000 VND per year — payable at the beginning of each school year, covering maintenance, repairs and annual improvements.
• Materials fee: 3,500,000 VND — applies to children aged 3 to 6 joining the pre-primary programme in early literacy and mathematics.
• Transportation fee — optional door-to-door bus service, charged separately based on distance and route.

Tuition paid after the due date incurs a late fee of 200,000 VND per school day. If a delay is unavoidable, please notify the school at least 7 days in advance.

Three discounts apply for the 2026–2027 academic year:

• Annual one-time payment: 10% discount — must be completed by 1 June 2026.
• Siblings enrolled together: 3% off for the second child, 5% off for the third. Applies to the term payment plan only and cannot be combined with other offers.
• Re-enrolment: 5% discount — for students who have attended continuously for at least two consecutive terms.

These discounts apply to the 2026–2027 academic year; rates in later years may change in line with cost conditions.

The school runs two parallel programmes, both built on the same Reggio Emilia and STEM foundation, differing in the balance of languages of instruction:

• Global Programme — the entire day is conducted in English along Reggio – STEM – Cambridge lines, with foreign teachers. Available as half day or full day. Places are limited by nationality: priority is given to children holding foreign passports, and the proportion of Vietnamese students is kept at around 30%.
• Bilingual Programme — combines English along Reggio – STEM – Cambridge lines with Vietnamese following the Ministry of Education and Training curriculum, split evenly across the school day. Available as full day, open to both Vietnamese and international students.

Both programmes serve the same age range and share the same facilities, kitchen and maximum of 15 children per class. Parents are welcome to discuss which programme fits their family’s language goals during a school tour.

Reggio Emilia, originating in Italy, treats the child as an active explorer rather than a passive recipient. At Kinder Academy this shows in learning activities built around the children’s own questions and interests, and in the Atelier — a dedicated art studio where children express their thinking through materials, colour and form. The classroom environment is treated as “the third teacher”, arranged to invite curiosity.

The school places particular emphasis on a rich variety of learning materials and on themes close to nature: protecting the environment, recycling projects, and building models of streets and houses.

At preschool age, STEM is hands-on experimentation and problem-solving rather than theory: building, measuring, trying and retrying, and observing nature within the school grounds. Children learn to ask “why” and to find their own ways to test an idea.

Recurring themes include natural weather phenomena, how simple machines work — wheels, water wheels, the force of flowing water — and questions of natural science such as planets, the universe and animal life cycles. This sits naturally alongside Reggio Emilia, as both begin from the child’s curiosity.

With a maximum of 15 children per class, teachers can follow each child’s own progress rather than measure against a class average. Every child develops language, movement and emotional skills at a different pace, so activities and goals are adjusted per child. Parents receive regular updates on their own child’s progress, together with a development report mapped to the early-years developmental competency framework.

Kinder Academy is not a school delivering a pre-packaged curriculum. Its identity lies in the Reggio Emilia philosophy combined with STEM, an English-speaking environment led directly by foreign teachers, international standards for class size and facilities, and a genuinely multinational parent community — together forming a multicultural educational identity built on respect for difference and on kindness (Diversity and Culture Recognition — Multicultural Education).

Cambridge International Education has assessed and recognised the school as a Cambridge Early Years Centre (school code VN243) — meaning its teaching quality, staff and facilities meet the standards of an independent international education body. For parents, this provides an objective benchmark and a smooth transition pathway into international, bilingual or state primary schools in Vietnam and abroad. Every graduating student receives a letter of recommendation together with their school record and development assessment.

The team brings together teachers from the Philippines and from native English-speaking countries alongside Vietnamese teachers fully qualified in early childhood care and education. Shared standards:

• Bachelor’s degree or above in education or early childhood education
• Experience teaching children aged 2 and above
• Completion of Cambridge training
• Genuine care for and experience with young children

All English instruction is delivered directly by foreign teachers. The teaching team is rearranged each school year — please contact the school for the current year’s details.

A maximum of 15 children per class — a fixed limit under the school’s boutique model.

The teacher-to-child ratio varies by age group, from 1:3 in the youngest classes to 1:5 and 1:7 in the older ones. Each class has a homeroom teacher supported by teaching assistants, with 4, 3 and 2 adults in charge respectively as children move up through the age groups.

Founded in 2016, over nearly ten years the school has welcomed children from more than 20 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, France, Poland and Malaysia, along with others across Asia, Europe and the Americas. This multinational environment helps children become comfortable with cultural difference early, and makes English the natural language of daily interaction.

Yes. Young children acquire language through environment and daily activity rather than memorisation, so no prior English is required before enrolment. With a maximum of 15 children per class, teachers can give individual support during the settling-in period. Parents are welcome to discuss their child’s specific situation during a school tour.

Children are served 4 meals a day: breakfast, morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack.

Meals are prepared in the school’s own one-way kitchen, meeting food safety and hygiene standards set by Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training. Kitchen staff hold catering certificates and retain food samples as required. Ingredients are fully traceable and delivered fresh daily by the school’s supplier.

Menus follow both Vietnamese nutritional standards and those of the American Academy of Pediatrics, combining Asian and European dishes suited to Vietnamese and international families alike, with baby-led weaning applied for the youngest children. Olive oil, natural butter and cheese made from 100% cow’s milk are used in preparation.

Parents should inform the school at the time of enrolment, providing medical results and the doctor’s instructions. The school will then provide a separate diet for the child in line with that professional guidance.

• Internal security monitoring running 24/7
• Facial recognition system controlling entry to and exit from the school
• Medical staff on site throughout operating hours
• Only individuals registered by the parents or legal guardian, and enrolled in the facial recognition system, may collect a child

Parents and guardians provide full details of authorised pick-up persons at the time of enrolment.

The campus covers a 1,800 m² garden setting and includes:

• Swimming pool
• Sports playground
• Natural outdoor play area
• Library
• Atelier — a Reggio Emilia art studio
• Spacious classrooms built to international standards

Parents can book a tour directly on the website at the Book a School Tour page (kinderacademy.edu.vn/landing-page-en-2026), or contact the admissions hotline on 096 1825 876 (Zalo available), telephone 028 3535 5153, or email admin@kinderacademy.edu.vn. The school is open Monday to Friday, 7:30 – 17:00.