Finding a preschool for a child with additional needs in Saigon starts with honesty on both sides: tell schools what your child needs in everyday terms, and judge them by how specifically they say they would meet it. Vietnamese law treats inclusive education as the main way to educate children with disabilities, but in practice schools vary widely in experience, staffing and willingness. The right school is the one that already has, or will build, a concrete plan for your child.
This guide is for families whose child has a diagnosed condition, a developmental concern still being assessed, or a speech delay. It does not offer medical advice; a paediatrician or developmental specialist should guide assessment and therapy. What it offers is a way to approach schools, the questions that reveal real inclusion, and some facts about bilingualism and speech that parents often hear confused.
What Vietnamese law says about inclusion
Vietnam’s Law on Persons with Disabilities 2010 establishes inclusive education as the principal mode of education for people with disabilities, meaning children should, as a rule, learn alongside their peers in mainstream schools with appropriate support. The Ministry of Education and Training has set out how this should work in Circular 03/2018/TT-BGDDT on inclusive education for persons with disabilities, which covers areas such as admission, individual education plans, assessment and the responsibilities of schools, teachers and families.
In practice the law sets a principle more than a guarantee of a place at a particular school. Public and private preschools differ in how prepared they are, and private schools in Saigon set their own admission policies within the law. Some welcome children with additional needs and have staff with relevant training; some will accept a child only with a support worker; some will say honestly that they cannot meet a particular need. The city also has public centres that support inclusive education, which can advise families and schools. The useful thing to know is that a school declining to discuss your child at all is not following the spirit of the law, and that a school with a clear plan is usually a better sign than one that simply says yes.
Bilingualism and speech delay: separating the facts
Parents of bilingual children with speech delays often hear that two languages caused the delay, or that dropping one language will fix it. Research does not support either claim. Studies of bilingual children, including work summarised by Johanne Paradis, Fred Genesee and Martha Crago in their book on dual language development and disorders, have found that learning two languages does not cause language disorders, and that bilingual children with a language disorder show similar patterns in both languages to monolingual children with the same condition.
Bilingual children may know fewer words in each language separately than a monolingual child knows in one, while their combined vocabulary is comparable, and they may go through a quiet period in a new school language. Those are normal features of learning two languages and can be mistaken for delay. Equally, real delays can be missed because adults assume they are due to bilingualism. This is why assessment by a professional who understands bilingual development matters. For choosing a school, the point is that a bilingual setting is not off limits for a child with a speech delay; what matters is that teachers understand the difference and work with your child’s therapist.
What real support can look like
An individual plan. Circular 03/2018 refers to individual education plans for children with disabilities. In practice this means written goals for your child, agreed with you, reviewed regularly, with notes on how teachers will support them in daily activities. Ask whether the school uses such plans and who writes them.
Adapted routines. Visual timetables, a quiet corner, warnings before transitions, extra time to respond, or seating near the teacher. Small changes like these often make the biggest difference and cost little.
A support worker or shadow teacher. Some children benefit from an adult who works alongside them for part or all of the day. In Saigon, schools sometimes employ one, or allow families to hire one. Ask who trains and supervises that person, and how they work with the class teacher.
Coordination with therapists. Speech, occupational or behavioural therapists may visit the school, observe, or share strategies with teachers. Ask whether the school welcomes this and how often it has happened.
Training for staff. Ask whether teachers have had training in inclusion or specific needs, and whether anyone on staff has led support for a child with similar needs before.
Questions to ask before you enrol
These go beyond the general questions you might ask on any tour. They are designed to show how a school thinks about inclusion in practice rather than in principle.
- Have you included a child with similar needs before, and what did you learn from it?
- Who would be responsible for my child’s plan, and how often would we meet to review it?
- How many children with additional needs are in the group, and how many adults?
- Can my child’s therapist visit or speak with the teacher, and how would you use their advice?
- If a support worker is needed, who provides and supervises them, and how are costs handled as published by the school?
- What would happen if my child had a difficult day, for example a meltdown or a safety concern?
- How do you talk with other children and parents about differences, while respecting our family’s privacy?
- What would make you feel the placement was not working, and how would you raise it with us?
The last question is important. Schools that can describe how they would raise concerns early, together with you, are less likely to end a placement suddenly. Schools that cannot imagine any difficulty may not have thought it through.
Being open with schools about your child
Many parents hesitate to share a diagnosis or concern, worried that the school will refuse a place. That worry is understandable, especially in a competitive market. But a placement that starts without the school knowing your child’s needs is more likely to break down later, often after your child has formed attachments. Being open at the start gives you a clearer view of which schools are genuinely willing and gives the willing ones a chance to prepare.
You do not need to share medical records on a first visit. Describe your child in everyday terms: what they find easy, what they find hard, what helps them, what upsets them, and what therapy or support they already have. Then watch how staff respond. A school that asks follow-up questions, talks about specific adjustments and suggests a trial period is engaging with your child. A school that becomes vague, mentions only limitations or rushes to reassure without detail is telling you something too. If you do share reports, ask who will see them and how they are stored, since your child’s information should be shared only with staff who need it.
Trial periods and the first weeks
A trial period is especially useful for children with additional needs, because it lets both you and the school see how your child copes with the real environment: the noise, the routines, the number of children, the transitions. Ask whether the school offers a trial, how long it lasts, and how it will review it with you at the end. A trial of several days or a couple of weeks gives a much better picture than a single visit.
During the trial, ask for short daily feedback, ideally with specific observations rather than general comments. What did your child do during morning activities? How did they manage lunch? Were there moments of distress, and what helped? If your child has a therapist, ask whether they can observe during the trial or speak with the teacher afterwards. At the end, sit down with the teacher and, if possible, the head of school to agree whether to continue, what adjustments are needed and how you will keep communicating. This meeting is a good test of the partnership you can expect over the year.
Plan for language, too, if the school uses a language your child does not yet understand well. A child with a speech delay may find it harder to follow instructions in a new language, so ask whether key routines can be supported with pictures, gestures or a few words in your child’s strongest language during the first weeks. Small supports like these reduce frustration while your child learns the setting.
When a school says no, or says yes too easily
Some schools will tell you they cannot meet your child’s needs. Disappointing as that is, an honest no is better than a reluctant yes that leads to an unhappy placement. Ask, if you feel able, what would need to be different for the school to include your child, such as a support worker, a shorter day or a later start. Sometimes the answer opens a possibility; sometimes it confirms the school is not the right fit. Either way, you have learned something about how the school thinks. Keep a short note of each conversation, including who you spoke to and what they said, since it helps when you compare schools later and when you explain your child’s needs to the next one.
Be equally careful with schools that say yes immediately without asking about your child. Inclusion takes planning, and a school that promises everything will be fine without knowing your child’s needs may not have the experience or resources to deliver. The best sign is a school that is warm and open but also asks detailed questions, proposes specific adjustments and is honest about what it has and has not done before. That combination of willingness and realism is what makes inclusion work over the long term.
Keeping the wider picture in view
Choosing a preschool is one part of supporting a child with additional needs, not the whole of it. Assessment, therapy, family routines and your own wellbeing all matter. The school’s role is to give your child a safe, warm place to learn alongside other children, to adapt where needed and to work with you and any professionals involved. It is not to diagnose or to replace therapy. Keep a simple record of your child’s progress, the school’s observations and your therapist’s advice, so everyone works from the same picture. A one-page summary of your child, updated each term, is easy for a new teacher or support worker to read and keeps important details from getting lost when staff change.
Families often find that the school that works best is not the most prestigious but the one where a particular teacher understands their child. Give weight to the people you meet, the openness of the head of school and the willingness to learn, as much as to facilities or programme. If a placement does not work out, it is not a failure on your part or your child’s; it is information about fit. Many children find their place after a change, and a calm, well-planned move is often better than staying in a setting that is not meeting their needs.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Can a bilingual preschool cause a speech delay?
Research on bilingual children has found that learning two languages does not cause language disorders. Bilingual children may show normal features such as a quiet period or fewer words in each language separately. If you are concerned about your child’s speech, ask a paediatrician or speech therapist who understands bilingual development to assess it.
Should we drop one language if our child has a speech delay?
Specialists in bilingual development generally do not recommend dropping a home language just because of a delay, since the child needs that language to connect with family. Decisions about language use should be made with a speech therapist who knows your family’s situation and understands bilingual children.
Do private preschools in Saigon have to accept children with disabilities?
Vietnamese law supports inclusive education as the main approach, but private schools set their own admissions within the law, and readiness varies. Ask each school directly how it includes children with additional needs and what support it can provide. Public support centres for inclusive education in the city can advise families.
What is a shadow teacher?
A shadow teacher is an adult who works alongside a particular child in the classroom, helping them take part in activities and routines. Some schools employ them, and some allow families to arrange one. Ask who trains and supervises the shadow teacher and how they coordinate with the class teacher.
Should I tell the preschool about my child’s diagnosis before enrolling?
Being open usually leads to better placements, because the school can prepare and you can judge its willingness. You do not need to share full reports at first; describing your child’s needs in everyday terms is enough. Ask how any information you share will be stored and who will see it.
How can I tell if a school is genuinely inclusive?
Look for specific answers: experience with similar children, a written individual plan, regular review meetings, coordination with therapists and honest discussion of limits. A school that asks detailed questions about your child and proposes concrete adjustments is usually more inclusive than one that simply says yes.