Good news! Jakarta actually has a French International School. The Lycee International Français (LIF), is located in the heart of South Jakarta, and welcomes students from over 15 different nationalities .

They have classes for kids from preschool till secondary school. There are a total of 82 children in the preschool, while in total, there are 370 students in the French school, including in the elementary and secondary schools.

Not all of the students are of French nationality. There are some Moroccans, Algerians, Canadians, Germans, Americans and children with Indonesian and French parentage. All classes, however, are conducted in French.

Students in the preschool study from Monday to Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. In the afternoon, there are extracurricular activities for those who are in second and third grade. Students may choose classical dance or swimming for the extracurricular activities. In regular classes, swimming is taught one hour per week.

Annual school fees are 4530 € for preschool and 6090 € for primary/secondary levels.

You can try:

Sekolah Global Indo-Asia

The Sekolah Global Indo-Asia is an independent co-educational day school that offers an international curriculum for Indonesian Nationals as well as expatriates from preschool through grade ten residing in and around Batam (age 2-18). The language of instruction is both English and Indonesian, with Mandarin being offered as an additional language. Students learn English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science in English. Students at all levels study Art, Music, Physical Education and Information Technology. SGIA teachers and administrators come from Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. SGIA has an enrollment of about 573 students from around 10 countries. Most expat students are Chinese from Singapore, though.

Jalan Raya Batam Centre Kav. SGIA
Batam Centre, Batam Island
Indonesia
Tel: +62 778 467 333

International School Batam

The International School Batam (ISB), a smaller school, is located in Sekupang. It was founded in September 1999 by a group of parents and members of the expatriate business community. They follow the British National Curriculum, and take students from Prekindergarten to elementary levels. They currently have under 100 students.

Kompleks Rosedale Block E No. 123 – 124
Batam Centre, Batam Island
Indonesia 29400
Tel. (62-778) 461-696

Sekolah Djuwita

Sekolah Djuwita follows a curriculum from Singapore and the US. It takes in students from preschool to highschool. The school is equipped with computers & science labs, indoor or outdoor playground equipment; air conditioned classrooms, video surveillance, security personnel, swimming pools & other sports facilities.

Playgroup (KB)
Komplek Anggrek Permai
K2- 8
Batam, Indonesia
(0778) 457146

TK (Kindergarten) – SMA (Senior High School)
Komplek Anggrek Mas
Batam Centre
Batam, Indonesia
(0778) 464004

Real Education

REAL Education offers a  playgroup session for children from 2years to 4 years. .It operates form 7.30 a.m. to 9.30a.m and maids can pick them up when they finish at the play group. The curriculum includes introduction to zoo animals colours and counting.

Komplek Ruko Permata Niaga
Blok C 28, 29, 30 Sukajadi Batam
Tel: (0778) 430208

For Germans and other expats who speak German such as Austrians and Swiss, there is the German school, Deutsche Internationale Schule Serpong and in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta. The one in Serpong has a kindergarten, elementary school and high school, while its branch in Pondok Indah only has a kindergarten.

The kindergarten in Serpong has three levels for children between two and six years old, while the one in Pondok Indah has two levels for children between two years and a half and five years.

Hi there, I am a Chinese expat from Malaysia and I’m expecting my first child. I don’t want to fly back to Malaysia to give birth. Currently living in Pluit, Jakarta. Are there any recommended hospitals and gyneas in Pluit Hospital/Pantai Indah Kapuk that are use by expats?

You can go to Pantai Indah Kapuk Hospital and ask for dr Tjien Ronny. He speaks fluent Mandarin and English so language shouldn’t be a problem. As far as his credentials, the man is excellent. He is very friendly and spends time with his patients, unlike many obgyns here. But popularity has a downside, waiting list is long.  Alternatively, go see Dr Eric of Siloam Hospital Kebun Jeruk. It’s not too far from Pluit.

Did you grow up speaking English and die a little inside every time you had a Mandarin test in school? Did your parents speak to you in crisp English but insist that you and your brothers have tuition for Mandarin with a tutor who always gave you spelling? Are you repeating the whole procedure to your child now?

You are not alone.

Like you, many parents speak to their kids in one language at home but expect them to have good grades in both languages. Singapore has put it across clearly in the past few years that children here are grappling with their second language. I remember having friends in college who opted for the Chinese Language B-Syllabus paper for A-levels, much to the annoyance of the others who were not doing Mandarin and could not enjoy the same format of the paper for their second language.

As a working parent, whatever little time you have at the end of the day to spend with your little one, I’m sure you’d rather not spend it teaching him Mandarin spelling words or English vocabulary. But what if he could learn it in the shortest time, have fun while learning and still spend time with you (and perhaps, you could brush up on yours as well)?

WinktoLearn DVD Cover

If you’re sold on that, say hello to WINKtoLEARN Flashcard DVDs. These DVDs have an aim to help children (and even adults) learn the Chinese language effectively. Former head of the business division in a company, Mr. Lee Han Yang, is now the managing director of WinktoLearn. He begin this in 2006 after watching his wife teach their little girl words, using the flash card method. TheAsianParent.com caught up with Mr. Hann Yang Lee to find out more about this effective product of learning.

TheAsianParent (TAP) : Hi Mr. Lee, when was this company started?

Mr. Lee (M.L) : The product development work started in 2006 whereby we formed a group of experienced Chinese teachers, early childhood specialists and also multimedia experts. We had also send our professional photography crew over 6 continents to take pictures. I am DAD-preneur!

TAP: What make you decide to go into this?

M.L : We see a problem in Singapore society esp. in Chinese. Kids are getting more and more against the language. Parents have difficulty and lack the know-how to introduce English and Chinese effectively to their children. We believe in flashcards and our children had been learning using flashcards. It’s highly effective but one has to be mindful to manage the important elements of flashcards to ensure effectiveness for speed of flashing, size of fonts, real image association and frequency of flashing and etc.

Over the past 45 years, there is so much proven research done on flashcard methodology and early childhood learning. For mothers and fathers, there are indeed so much efforts and time behind flashing and hence we decided to help more families by creating WINK to LEARN Flashcard DVDs.

TAP : Why did you decide on DVDs rather than PC CD-ROMs?

M.L : It’s easier to slot in the DVD in the player, especially if the children are being looked after by a helper or their grandparents who would be more DVD savvy then computer savvy.

TAP : Do schools use this or is it more for home use?

M.L : Yes. Some pre-schools, kindergartens and even Chinese teachers in primary schools use our programs. But the main purpose of our programs is to help children in learning Chinese and English AT HOME. Today, the problem lies within our homes. We are no longer using Chinese frequently or we no longer speak proper English.

TAP : What is the age group for the programs?

M.L : Age group is from 6 months old till 7 years old.

TAP : Is the product popular with the overseas market?

M.L : Overseas web orders are increasing over the months. We sell to Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, USA, UK, Australia, Japan and New Zealand.

WINK to LEARN DVD programs are available here and also at major department stores and bookstores (Takashimaya, Isetan, Popular and Robinsons)

Hello, I am from Japan and will be moving to Jakarta. I would like to know if there are any Japanese linked schools in Jakarta.

The Jakarta Japanese School  is located in Tangerang (Jalan Elang Bintaro, Jaya Sektor 9, Perigi Lama, Tangerang, Indonesia). Established in 1969, It has about 700 students. All of the students are Japanese and the lessons are in accordance with the Japanese curriculum. It’s a huge school with three buildings, a playground and a swimming pool.

Another international school popular with the Japanese is JIS (Jakarta International School), so you might want to check that out too.

EX Plaza Indonesia
2nd Level

2) Prefere 72 Playground, Kemang
Prefere 72 is probably one of the best playgrounds in Jakarta. It has an indoor (air-conditioned) play area, and a great outdoor area.

Kemang Timur No 72

3) Waterbom Jakarta @ Pantai Indah Kapuk
Waterbom Jakarta is an amazing waterpark in Jakarta. Their packages range from 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 for 20 kids and 20 adults. This includes a reserved area, tent and mattress, admission tikets, food and beverages, goody bags, games, an MC/HOST as well as group photos.

Pantai Indah Kapuk, North Jakarta,

4) Kidzania
KIDZANIA is a unique EDUTAINMENT CENTER for children between 2 to 16 years old and their parents. It is a kid-sized replica of a real city, with streets, buildings, retail and different vehicles going around the City.

Here, children play adult roles and they learn how to be a doctor, a pilot, a construction worker, a private detective, an archaeologist, an F1 driver and over 100 other PROFESSIONS and OCCUPATIONS.

Pacific Place Mall

5) Doctor Rabbit
A great outdoor space with tons of activities that must be pre-booked for use. They have several different themed parties – Spiderman, Harry Potter Magic Party and Grenade War Party. Their rates include invitations, entrance fee, kids meal, party bags and all entertainment.

Jl. Taman Sari I/77, Karang Tengah, Lebak Bulus
Tel: 769 4786 / 769 4750
Fax: 750 8371
Email: doctorabbit@link.net.id

6) Dunia Fantasi (Fantasy World)
They can organize big parties of up to 200 people.

Jl. Lodan Timur, Ancol Pantai Indah
Tel: 682 000

7) Planet Hollywood
This theme restaurant will organise children’s parties.

Jl. Gatot Subroto No 16
Tel: 526 7827

Family Park Alam Sutera
Putt Putt golf, water park, train, rides, paintball, food court, birthday pavillion. Offers inexpensive Birthday Packages (40-75,000 per person min. 30).

Sutera Boulevard, Alam Stuera-Serpong, Tangerang
Tel: 5312 2525

9) Fast Food Outlets
If none of these work, stop by your local outlet chain like Pizza Hut or KFC and find out what they can organise.

Q: Hi, I am looking for a school in Pluit, North Jakarta for my preschooler. We are originally from Singapore.

A: There are quite a few good preschools for expats in Pluit. Since you are from Singapore, we advice that you stick to a curriculum that’s from Singapore. Such schools would be:

Raffles House (Singapore), Modern Montessori (Singapore), Tumble tots (Singapore) , Kinderland (Singapore). Alternatively you can try idear (Taiwanese), High Scope (US) or Lollypop Preschool (Indonesia). They all have branches in Pluit.

Q: Hi , I am moving to Jakarta from Korea, and would like my children to still study in Korean. Is there any school you can recommend? My eldest is nine and my younger on is five.

A: You can send your eldest to the Jakarta Korean International School located in East Jakarta. Established in 1978, JKIS has 1,500 elementary and high school students. There is no kindergarten at the school, but you can send your younger child to TK Hana, a Korean kindergarten located in Kapuk, North Jakarta, or you can home school.