How to choose a kindergarten in Phuket: a parent’s checklist
There are dozens of kindergartens on the island and almost all of them look equally good in photographs. The difference shows on a visit — if you know where to look.
Format first, kindergarten second
Parents usually start with “which one is best” and end up with a place that simply doesn’t fit their week. Answer three questions honestly first.
How long are you here. A month, a season, or permanently. Places on an annual contract work out cheaper per day, but if you leave in March the difference stays with them. For a short stay, look for somewhere that takes children by the week or the day.
How many hours you actually need. A full day to six, a half day to lunch, or after-school care — three different services at three different prices. A half day in Phuket costs roughly a third less than a full one, and it is enough for many families.
Language or settling in — which matters more. If your child is three and has never been away from you, an English-only group adds to the stress. A second language catches up within six months; a soured attitude to nursery does not.
Paperwork: what to ask and how to check
This is the awkward conversation and the important one. A kindergarten in Thailand operates through a legal entity, and that entity has a registration number. Ask for it — a sound place gives it without pausing and shows you the certificate.
Then separate two different documents. Company registration means the business exists legally. Permission to run educational activity is a separate matter, and not everyone has it. Many kindergartens for expat families operate as children’s centres or clubs: that is not a scandal, but it is not the same as a licensed nursery either.
“We have everything, we’ll show you on site” is fine — if they actually show you on site. “Everyone here works this way” is a bad sign. “Why do you need that?” — leave.
Ask about insurance separately. Whether the kindergarten carries liability cover and whether it extends to injuries on the premises is a question best asked before, not after.
Language: marketing versus reality
“Bilingual kindergarten” in Phuket can mean almost anything. Ask for specifics.
- What language the teacher speaks during the day. Not in a lesson — in ordinary group life: outdoors, at lunch, when a child is crying.
- How many sessions a week with a native speaker, and where they are from. “Native speaker” sometimes means a teacher from the Philippines with good but not British pronunciation — that is not a problem, just know in advance.
- What happens when a child doesn’t understand. Switch to their language, or explain with gestures. Both work, but the first is gentler for a newcomer.
A child will pick up English at any decent kindergarten. The question isn’t whether the language happens — it’s what the first few months cost them.
Group size and how many adults are in it
“Up to 10 children” without a second number tells you nothing. Ask how many adults are with the group at once, and what happens when one of them takes a break.
| Age | Reasonable group size | Adults with the group |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 years | up to 6–8 children | two, at all times |
| 3–4 years | up to 10 children | a teacher and an assistant |
| 5–7 years | up to 12–14 children | a teacher, assistant for part of the day |
These are guides, not a standard: there is no hard rule for private settings on the island. But if you are told fifteen two-year-olds to one adult, that is your answer.
The kitchen: where food is cooked and what happens with allergies
Three arrangements, with very different risk. An on-site kitchen is best: you can see who cooks and what from. Delivered by a contractor is acceptable if they name the supplier. “Parents bring their own” is not catering, it is the absence of it — and in this heat a lunchbox from home is a problem by midday.
On allergies, don’t ask “do you accommodate them” but “how, exactly”. A working answer sounds like: it goes in the child’s record, the list goes up in the kitchen, the cook prepares a separate portion. A non-answer: “we just don’t give them that dish.”
And ask for last week’s menu rather than a sample one. The difference is usually visible.
The pool: the safety question that matters most
Almost everywhere has one and almost everywhere sells it as a feature. In practice it is the one place in a kindergarten where an adult’s inattention costs too much.
- How many adults are at the water, and is at least one in it rather than on the edge.
- How deep the children’s section is. The benchmark: up to a child’s chest, no more.
- Whether a child needs to swim, and what is provided for those who can’t.
- How often the water is tested. A sound answer is every morning, recorded.
- Whether the pool is fenced and closed off outside lesson times.
If those five get confident, specific answers, the rest of the setting is probably in order too.
What to do on the visit
Arrange to come on a weekday during working hours, not at a weekend when nobody is there. A good kindergarten doesn’t resist that.
Watch the children, not the decor. What the ones not in the lesson are doing. A bored child in the corner is normal for five minutes and not for half an hour.
Listen to how adults talk to children. The tone in an ordinary moment tells you more than the whole presentation.
Go into the toilets and the sleeping room. The show classroom is prepared; those rooms almost never are.
Ask whether you can come for a trial day. A refusal without explanation is itself an answer.
Money: where the surprises usually turn up
Ask not “how much is it” but “what is included and what costs extra”. The usual items beyond the headline fee: a joining fee, uniform, learning materials, extra classes, trips, the summer term.
Settle the refund rules separately. What happens if a child is ill for two weeks, if you leave early, if the kindergarten closes for public holidays. “We handle it case by case” is worth turning into concrete terms before you pay.
Red flags
- You aren’t let inside during working hours, or only walked along a corridor.
- They won’t name the legal entity and dodge questions about paperwork.
- They want several months paid in cash up front with no contract.
- Asked about incidents, they say “that never happens here”. It happens everywhere; what matters is the response.
- Staff turn over every couple of months — ask who has been there more than a year.
- Every review was written in the same week in the same voice.
The checklist: take it with you
Twelve questions that cover almost everything that matters:
- What is the legal entity and its registration number
- What permits exist and can we see them
- How many children are in my child’s group right now
- How many adults are with the group at once
- What language is spoken to children in ordinary moments
- Where food is cooked and how allergies are handled
- Who supervises the pool and how deep it is
- What happens if a child falls ill during the day
- How many of the team have been here more than a year
- What the fee includes and what costs extra
- How refunds work for illness and early departure
- Can we come for a trial day
We answer all twelve on a visit and show the paperwork in the original. The kindergarten page covers most of it in advance, and the questions page covers the rest.
See the kindergarten for yourself
Visits to Limpopo run weekdays 10:00–12:00 — we show the groups, the kitchen and the pool, and answer all twelve questions from the checklist.
