A preschool trial week is a short period, usually a few days, when your child joins the class they would enrol in and follows the real routine before you sign anything. Its purpose is to answer one question a tour cannot: how does this particular child respond to this school's day, its teachers, its food, its nap and its mix of languages? Used well, it turns a hopeful guess into an informed decision.
Global Star School lists trial weeks alongside tours on its admissions site, globalstarschool.com, where you book through the campus you are considering. Arrangements can differ by campus and age group, so this guide focuses on what to agree before the trial, what to watch each day, how to tell normal adjustment from real warning signs, and how to make the decision when the week ends. How children settle in once they are enrolled is covered separately in our section on the first weeks at school.
What a trial week is for, and what it is not
The trial week is a decision tool for your family. It is not an assessment of your child, and it is not a promise that the first days will be easy. Almost every young child finds a new group setting strange at first, and many cry at the door regardless of how good the school is. If you go into the trial expecting a smooth week as proof of a good fit, you may end up rejecting a school for the most ordinary of reasons.
What a trial week can show is the direction of travel. Does your child seem a little more at ease on the third day than on the first? Do they start to recognise a teacher and go to her when something goes wrong? Do they eat something, even if not much? Do they manage a nap, or at least rest? And on your side: are the teachers clear and honest with you about how the day went, including the hard moments?
It also tests the parts of the routine that belong to you rather than your child: the drive at seven in the morning, the parking or drop-off point, the timing of pickup against your working day, and how quickly you can be reached if your child is unwell. A school can be a perfect fit for your child and still be unworkable if the logistics fail by Wednesday.
A trial week also lets the teachers learn about your child, and that is part of its value. They see how your child communicates, what comforts them and which parts of the day are hardest. If you do enrol, that knowledge carries straight into the first proper weeks, so the trial is rarely wasted even when the start is bumpy.
Agree these details before the first day
Trial arrangements are not identical everywhere, so it pays to settle the practical points with admissions in advance. These are the questions that avoid most misunderstandings.
| Ask about | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| How many days, and which days of the week? | Consecutive days show adjustment far better than scattered single days. |
| Full day, or mornings only at first? | Many families start with mornings and extend once the child is calmer. |
| Are lunch and nap included? | Meals and sleep are where many young children struggle; you want to see both. |
| Is there any charge, and what does it cover? | Knowing in advance avoids an awkward conversation at the end. |
| Can a parent stay in the building on day one? | A short period nearby can help, but the plan for leaving should be clear. |
| How will the teacher report each day? | A brief talk at pickup, a note in the parent app, or both. |
| Which class and which teachers? | The trial is only useful if it is the class your child would really join. |
Ask for the arrangements in a short written message. If one parent drops off and the other collects, both should know the times, the contact person and what has been agreed about staying or leaving.
What to hand over on the first morning
Teachers can only respond well to a child they know something about. A few minutes of information on day one makes the trial more useful for everyone. Write it down in English, and in Vietnamese too if you can, so that both the homeroom teacher and the co-teacher can read it.
- How your child usually falls asleep, and anything that helps: a comfort object, a song, a back rub, a particular position.
- What and how they eat at home, how they drink, and whether they still have milk at certain times of day.
- Their words for water, food, toilet, mummy, daddy and 'all done' in every language they hear at home, written phonetically if needed.
- Any allergy, intolerance or health condition, with what to do and who to call. This must be on paper even for a trial.
- Toilet habits: nappies, pull-ups or underwear, and how they signal that they need to go.
- Who will collect them each day and how the teacher can reach you quickly.
Pack spare clothes, a labelled water bottle if the school allows one, and the comfort object if your child has one. Ask what else the class expects, since some items, such as sleeping sheets or slippers, may be provided by the school.
What to watch, day by day
Every child is different, but many trial weeks follow a recognisable pattern. The first day is often the novelty day: some children are so absorbed by the new toys that they barely notice their parent leaving, then become upset on the second or third day when they realise this is going to keep happening. Others cry hard on the first morning and are noticeably calmer by the third. Neither pattern tells you much on its own, which is why a single trial day is a weak basis for a decision.
Rather than judging each day as good or bad, keep a short record at pickup: how drop-off went, how long the crying lasted if the teacher tells you, whether your child ate, whether they slept or rested, and one thing they did or mentioned. By the fourth or fifth day you can see a trend. Children usually show progress first in small ways: a shorter goodbye, turning towards a particular teacher, talking about a classmate, or asking to go back to a toy they played with yesterday.
Watch yourself as well. It is common for parents to find the trial harder than their children do. If you find yourself lingering at the door, take it as a cue to agree a clear, short goodbye routine with the teacher. Long, uncertain farewells tend to make drop-off harder, not easier.
Reading the signals: usually normal, or worth a conversation
This table is a rough guide, not a diagnosis. When in doubt, ask the teacher what they observed and, for health concerns, talk to your doctor.
| What you notice | Often means | Worth asking |
|---|---|---|
| Crying at drop-off that stops within minutes | Ordinary separation protest | How quickly did they settle, and what helped? |
| Eating very little for the first days | New food, new setting, new people | Was food offered without pressure? Did they drink enough? |
| No nap, or a very short one | Common in a new room | Could they rest quietly? Is there a calmer spot? |
| Clinginess and tiredness at home in the evening | A big week for a small child | Is the day too long yet? Could the trial start with mornings? |
| Distress that does not ease at all over several days | The setting or the timing may not suit yet | What did the teachers try, and what do they suggest? |
| Unexplained marks, or vague answers about incidents | A communication or care concern | Ask directly what happened and how incidents are recorded. |
The last row is the one to take seriously from the very first day. In any preschool, bumps and small falls happen. What should never happen is a vague or evasive answer when you ask about them.
The conversation at the end of the week
Before you decide, ask for a short conversation with the homeroom teacher, ideally with the co-teacher present or consulted. This is not a report card, and a good teacher will not give you one. What you want is their honest view of how your child experienced the week, what went well, what was hard, and what they would suggest if your child joins: a shorter day at first, a different nap arrangement, a particular way of handling drop-off.
Listen for specifics. A teacher who says your child loved the sand table, needed a cuddle after lunch and started copying a classmate's song in English has been paying attention. A teacher who can only say "everything was fine" may simply be cautious, but it is reasonable to ask for an example or two. Share your own observations too, including what your child said at home. Children often talk about school in the car or at bath time rather than when asked directly.
Ask the admissions team at the same time what happens if you decide to enrol: whether the place is held, by when you need to confirm, and what the enrolment file and agreement involve. That way the decision you make at home is based on complete information.
It also helps to ask what the teachers would do differently in the first full weeks, now that they know your child. Perhaps your child needs a quieter corner to rest, a familiar song at nap time, or to arrive a little later while the morning rush passes. A teacher who already has a plan for your child after a few days together is giving you a strong sign that your child would be seen as an individual, not just one more name on the class list.
Making the decision: yes, not yet, or no
Yes. Your child showed some progress over the week, the teachers were attentive and honest, and the routine looks manageable for your family. A rough patch is still likely in the first full weeks; that is part of starting anywhere, not a sign you chose wrongly.
Not yet. Sometimes the school is right but the timing is not: a child who has just moved country, just gained a sibling or is unwell may need a few more weeks. Ask whether a place can be held or a later start date agreed rather than abandoning a good option.
No. If your child's distress did not ease at all, if you were uneasy about how incidents or questions were handled, or if the commute proved unworkable in practice, it is sensible to look elsewhere. A trial week that leads you away from a school has still done its job.
Keep the week in perspective. A trial is a handful of days in a child's life. It is a good indicator, not a final verdict. If you are torn, think about what you saw from the teachers rather than only about how your child felt on the hardest morning, and give weight to the trend across the week.
Whatever you decide, tell the school. A short, polite message closes the loop and keeps the door open, which matters if your circumstances change or a sibling becomes old enough to join later.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Is one trial day enough to decide?
Usually not. Many children react very differently on the first day than on the third, either because the novelty wears off or because they start to feel safe. A few consecutive days give a much clearer picture of how your child is adjusting, which is the main thing a trial is meant to show.
Should I stay in the classroom during the trial?
That depends on the school's approach and your child's age. Staying nearby for part of the first morning can help some toddlers, but long stays in the room can make the eventual goodbye harder. Agree a plan with the teacher in advance, including when and how you will leave.
What if my child speaks neither English nor Vietnamese?
Tell the teachers in advance and give them a short list of key words in your home language, written phonetically. Young children communicate a great deal through gesture, routine and play, and teachers in a bilingual class are used to children who arrive with other languages.
Can we do a trial week before moving to Ho Chi Minh City?
Only if you are in the city for the days of the trial. If you are still abroad, use video calls with admissions to narrow your choice, then schedule the trial soon after arrival, allowing your child a few days to recover from travel before starting.
Does a difficult trial week mean the school is wrong for my child?
Not necessarily. A hard week often reflects how big the change is rather than the quality of the school. What matters more is whether things eased a little over the days and how the teachers responded. If nothing eased at all, it is worth discussing timing or other options.
Will the teachers tell us honestly how it went?
They should, and you can make it easier by asking for specific examples rather than a general impression. Ask what was hardest for your child, what helped, and what they would suggest for the first weeks. Honest, detailed answers are one of the best signs of a good fit.