Help preschool children access English early

English introduction hour for children at To Hieu Kindergarten, To Hieu ward.

According to statistics from the provincial Department of Education and Training, the whole province has 227 kindergartens, with more than 85,000 children, the rate of children being familiar with English increased from 9.3% (school year 2021-2022) to nearly 40% (in 2025). Previously, organizing English learning for children was mainly spontaneous, lacking assessment criteria, lacking qualified teachers, and limited facilities, especially in disadvantaged areas. The differentiation between central and remote areas is very large.

From that reality, in 2024, a group of officials from the Department of Education and Training of Son La , led by Mr. Nguyen Chi Chung, Deputy Director, proposed and implemented "Management solutions to improve the quality of organizing English familiarization activities in preschools", advising the Department of Education and Training of Son La to issue Instruction No. 03/HD-SGDĐT dated October 17, 2024 on organizing and improving the quality of English familiarization for preschool children in preschools, which specifies in detail the plan, duration, methods, facilities and responsibilities of each management level, helping 100% of preschools have a basis for implementation.

Ms. Dinh Thu Ha, an expert from the Department of Education and Training of Son La Province, co-author of the initiative, shared: Our goal is to create a unified management framework, ensuring fairness for children in all regions, whether in the city or remote villages, to have the opportunity to access English in a suitable environment.

Preschools have created conditions for teachers with English proficiency to participate in training courses meeting B1 and B2 standards according to the 6-level competency framework of Vietnam; and have linked up with English teachers in general schools and foreign language centers. As of July 2025, preschools have created conditions for 18 teachers to participate in studying and graduating with the international Aptis ESOL certificate; 1,315 teachers have received online training on English software. To date, 35% of professional clusters in the province have had at least 2 core preschool teachers meeting B2 standards, capable of sharing experiences and guiding colleagues.

Ms. Le Thi Dan, Vice Principal of 8/3 Kindergarten, Chieng Khoong Commune, said: In the past, many teachers were afraid to teach English because they were afraid of mispronouncing. Now that we have received proper training and international standard software support, we are more confident and the children are much more interested.

English class at Hoa Mi Kindergarten, Ta Khoa commune.

Currently, the whole province has 150 kindergartens implementing English teaching programs, in which many schools in difficult areas, such as Bac Yen, Quynh Nhai, Song Ma... have organized English classes for children aged 3-5. The new point of the initiative is to mobilize parents to become "companions" in their children's English learning. Schools use English learning software with native accents, combine organizing game shows "Sing English with children", "Bilingual storytelling", and instruct parents on how to support children learning at home through phone applications, Zalo class groups.

According to the survey, up to now, the rate of parents participating in learning activities with their children has increased to 65%, the time parents spend talking in English with their children has increased by an average of 20 minutes per day. The rate of schools that organize English activities independently has increased to 34.4%, the number of preschool children learning English has reached over 26,000, nearly three times higher than two years ago.

In many classes, English is no longer a “strange subject”, but has become a part of games, music , and daily communication. Children in the mountainous areas of Son La can now confidently say “Good morning!” when meeting their teachers, sing simple songs, and name objects around them in English.

At To Hieu Kindergarten, To Hieu Ward, every morning, you can hear children greeting their teachers in English: “Hello teacher! How are you today?”. In the classrooms, there are colorful flashcards (double-sided flashcards), and a TV connected to English learning software that plays the native teacher’s standard voice, helping children get acquainted with English early.

Ms. Doan Bich Ngoc, Vice Principal of To Hieu Kindergarten, said: The school has introduced children to English from the 2021-2022 school year, with 2 lessons per week. The school has a teaching method suitable for preschool age, mainly through letting children learn English through experiences, games and daily practice in class and guidance as well as at home.

Ms. Tech Thi Tru, parent of Pham Quoc Uy, class 5-6 years old, To Hieu Kindergarten, shared: I don't know much English, but thanks to the teacher's guidance, I can sing some simple songs with my child and play with him every night. Seeing him speak boldly, I am also very happy.

The initiative "Management solutions to improve the quality of organizing English familiarization activities in preschools" has become an effective model in preschools in the province, contributing to the implementation of the policy of making English the second language in schools in the period 2025-2035, according to Decision No. 2371/QD-TTg dated October 27, 2025 of the Prime Minister; at the same time, creating equal learning opportunities for children in mountainous areas and the Education and Training sector, affirming the pioneering position in innovation.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/khoa-giao/giup-tre-mam-non-som-tiep-can-voi-tieng-anh-lDnPNKiDR.html