On November 28, 2009, Than Hsiang Kindergarten’s branch at Farlim, held its Opening Day. The center is a two storey bungalow situated at No. 2Q Zoo Road, Farlim, (Bandar Baru Air Itam), and the kindergarten will occupy the top level, downstairs being the prayer hall and English Dhamma center.

The opening day had attracted many parents who had brought along their children to view the center’s environment. A counter had been set up to handle the enquiries and the staff was kept busy with enquiries and enrollment for children of three years old and above.

Another two counters had been set up to register the contestants for the art & craft contest, which is a family creativity contest. This contest involved the creative utilization of recycled materials and it was opened to children from five to twelve years of age. Each team consisted of three members, inclusive of parents. They were divided into two groups, Group A for children five to eight years of age and Group B for children nine to twelve years of age. The main objective of the contest is to promote an awareness of the importance of environmental conservation while stimulating the creativity and enhancing unity amid family members.

Materials used for the contest were recycled materials such as paper, metal cans, tissue boxes, egg shells, and others suitable for handy craft. The judges were Madam Loke and Sister Siew Choo, teacher of the Than Hsiang Sunday School. The wining entries were based on creativity, aesthetic appeal, and practicality.

The children and their parents’ efforts sparkled the day with creativeness in their craftwork. The winners for the following awards were:-

In category A, the three winners for the Excellence Award were Chen Zi Yu, Teh Yi Wen and Guo Liang Hong and the two winners for Best Award were Chu Jian Yuan Lin Yu Xuan

And in category B, the Excellence Award winner was Lu Iv Shan and the Best Award winner was Chen Hooi Ting.

Than Hsiang kindergartens’ established four new branches in Sungai Ara, Sungai Petani, Kedah; Bukit Mertajam and Simpang Ampat, over the last four years. And three more centres will be set up in the next academic year of 2010 to cater to Primary 1 - 6 students at Jalan Mandalay (opposite SRJ Union); Prima View (near to SRJ Kwang Hwa and SRJ Shih Chung) in Penang and Bandar Seri Astana in Kedah.

Teachers of Than Hsiang Kindergartens are continuously upgrading their knowledge in teaching skills and methods in order to render the best to the children. The curriculum of Than Hsiang Kindergartens’ early childhood education is based on the guidelines from the Ministry of Education using the Thematic Approach. Components like physical education, creativity in Music and Movement; Art and Craft and basic living skills are also integrated into the programme. Within this learning environment of Than Hsiang Kindergartens, children not only learn to read and write, but most importantly, they also learn the Buddha’s Teachings of the Ten Good Deeds; and to cultivate good moral values.

And it is certainly the children’s good karma to be able to begin their early education in a Buddhistic environment.