Meaningful years with The children’s house since 1986

Born out of passion and love of children, The children’s house believes in giving every child the best possible childhood and foundation for life through the Montessori approach.

The first and longest established Montessori preschool in Malaysia, The children’s house (TCH) has grown from a single Montessori preschool in 1986 to 15 schools across Kuala Lumpur and Selangor today.

Our name and logo are a perfect reflection of who we are. The children’s house is not just a preschool, it is a home away from home, a trusted companion, and a steward in the learning journey of your child.

A new venture, a new gain

The children’s house was born out of the vision of Nan Civel, fondly known as Aunty Nan.  Having worked for ten years with Unilever Malaysia, Nan Civel decided to pursue her passion for Early Childhood Education in 1983. Inspired by Dr Maria Montessori, she embarked on a 3-year course of study and work programme in the Maria Montessori Training Organisation in England, United Kingdom, subsequently receiving her Diploma in Montessori Education. This gave her the confidence and motivation to open the first Montessori preschool in 5 Jalan Batai Barat in 1986.

Starting with a small team consisting of a young enthusiastic trainee teacher, an administrator, the family cook and her four-year-old son, Nan Civel managed to unpack, clean and organise the imported materials that came from Europe. “We then dropped 500 leaflets in the letterbox of the houses in the neighbourhood and waited nervously. The first set of parents who came to visit the school were from France. The second parents were from Sweden and they interrogated me for an hour, checked my credentials, knowledge and experience. I was relieved when they finally decided to entrust us with their children,” says Nan Civel.

As the first preschool in Malaysia to apply the complete and comprehensive Montessori Method of education, Montessori not only changed the life of Aunty Nan, but also made a positive difference in the early childhood education landscape in Malaysia.

The co-founder of The children’s house, Nur Jiwawati Aris, also fondly known as Ji Aris has been managing the organisation for more than 30 years now. Initially responsible for the Financial and Business Development of The children’s house, she holds an American Bachelor’s Degree in International Business Management. Her interest in early childhood education began in 1988 when due to close collaboration with Nan Civel, she was also actively involved in operations and the enhancement of quality improvement of facilities and curriculum.

Her quest in keeping the heritage curriculum of Montessori dynamic and relevant is unfading as she believes that the nurturing of the powerful minds of the children must begin now as they have the potential to be the leaders of tomorrow.

With deep respect and love for the unique, magical minds of children, Aunty Nan and Ji Aris continue to keep abreast with new research and best practices improving and injecting new ideas for the betterment of the children.

Celebrating 35 years of The Children’s house

With every passing year, The children’s house has only gotten bigger and better than before, completing 35 years of excellence in early childhood education in the year 2021.

Working together as a family rooted in ethics and respect, we value a child’s development and well being the most.

In the words of our Founder, Nan Civel, “At The children’s house, children are the number one priority and the atmosphere is specially created to make children feel at home in a surrounding, scaled down to a child’s dimensions.”

We always ensure that our Montessori environment undergoes constant refurbishments and is meticulously designed to ensure that it is conducive and stimulating for the ever-changing needs of children in the 21st century and beyond.

Our teachers are our greatest treasure. They are warm, loving, nurturing and respectful of every child. Many of them have grown with us from the very beginning and are committed to providing the best learning experience for our children.

We believe in establishing caring, harmonious and long term relationships with our parents and colleagues.

Each growing moment in The children’s house fills our hearts with joy as we are reminded of why we continue to do what we love best; Children.