Bea Garcia-Choy: Nurturing tomorrow’s bright hearts and minds today
Motherhood can be very daunting, especially in the beginning. It can make you feel like you’ve lost yourself. It can make you feel beyond exhausted. But the ups and downs are more than balanced by the joy and inestimable love that our children bring into our lives. The positives, undoubtedly, outweigh the negatives.
“What I realized is that there is so much strength and power that women possess, which are only revealed when she becomes a mom,” shares Bea Garcia-Choy, an educator and a mother of two—under two. Her eldest, Shivy, is 18 months old; the youngest, Ocean, is five months.
This rings true whether you’re a full-time or a working mom, the real-life superheroes, who are constantly “on” 24/7.
“As mothers, our role is not only limited to nurturing children and taking care of home. We are also our children’s first teachers,” notes Bea. “Our children take in bits and pieces of what we are teaching them by our words and actions.”
And in today’s fast-paced world, the early years of education play a pivotal role in shaping a child’s future.
“I was an early years and lower elementary teacher before becoming a mom,” shares Bea. “And being an educator has somehow prepared me for the challenging journey ahead. Still, working full-time while raising kids (as a mom) is just plain hard. Being a teacher by profession and being a mother are very different.”
‘Imagine Playschool is not just another educational brand; it’s a promise — a commitment to ensuring that your child is not just school-ready, but life-ready, says co- founder and owner Bea Garcia-Choy. ‘We want to create a safe space and community for children and their families to thrive, learn through play and shine.’
And moms who need an extra hand in preparing their young kids for the real world have found an ally in Ms. Bea.
Mother, Teacher
Even before becoming the new mom that she is now, Ms. Bea, which is what her students call her, was most passionate about the arts and children’s development, dedicating eight years as an educator in Hong Kong.
“I did professional theater back in college (Ateneo) up until after I graduated,” she relates. “I really enjoyed the stage. It was my first love. During the seven years I did theater full-time, I realized that I must do something more stable. And so, I got into real estate which was a completely different world from theater.”
So, when a friend from Hong Kong called her and asked if she would be interested to teach drama and Kindermusik in Hong Kong, Bea said yes right away.
“That’s when I realized my true calling. I wanted to be a school teacher,” enthuses Bea, who considers herself a creative arts educator as she believes in the power of music and arts in teaching children. “However, the journey to becoming a licensed and registered teacher in Hong Kong wasn’t easy.”
Bea experienced discrimination. “I remember in one of the job interviews I had, the interviewer found out that I was a Filipino, she asked if I have ‘any other blood,’ as they did not want parents to think of the Filipino stereotype when they thought of me,” relates Bea. “Even as a teaching assistant, some children would innocently ask me if I was an ‘auntie’ (domestic helper).’”
While there’s nothing wrong with being an “auntie,” Bea took that as an opportunity to educate them on how in the Philippines, there are different kinds of people who do different things, doctors, construction workers, domestic helpers, lawyers teachers, etc.—all very noble jobs. She also shared with them how awesome Pinoys are.
And so, from being a licensed Kindermusik teacher to furthering studies in the UK, she became a registered teacher in Hong Kong and worked in international schools such as Chinese International School and Singapore International School, Hong Kong, after pursuing further studies in the University of the Philippines and taking her postgraduate Certification in Education at the University of Sunderland, United Kingdom.
Together with other moms and educators, Bea also started a family center in Hong Kong, where babies and young children come to create special milestones with their families and their communities.
But the pandemic hit. Bea’s dad passed on.
“I was stuck in Hong Kong with my husband Kevin, who’s a physiotherapist,” she shares. “COVID restrictions there were very strict but I also lost my father, which was extra-difficult because I’m an only child. Seven months later, my father-in-law died. But what made it worse was we both couldn’t fly home during those times.”
So in 2022, Bea got pregnant and that’s when the Choys decided to come home to the Philippines.
Welcome to the world of imagine (Playschool)
“My plan was to go back to my teaching job and my life in Hong Kong after I gave birth to my first child,” shares Bea.
But soon after, her husband started building his career in the Philippines. “It was his way of giving back. He had always made it clear to me that one day he would come home to do that. It also didn’t make sense to leave my mom anymore. And now that my own family is growing, it’s my turn to bring everything that I have learned to the place that matters most to me.”
Together with her friends, professional dancer and early childhood educator Sky Bautista and Maui Mauricio, a dynamic brand and marketing professional, Bea decided to start and put up Imagine Playschool—your child’s first academic ally.
“We want to create a safe space and community for children and their families to thrive, learn through play and shine,” explains Bea, who created Imagine’s curriculum. “Imagine Playschool is not just another educational brand; it’s a promise — a commitment to ensuring that your child is not just school-ready, but life-ready,” she explains. According to Bea, they were meant to launch Imagine Playschool a while back but she got pregnant so they had to pause.
Catering to babies up to six-year-olds, Imagine’s discovery classes serve as a bridge between the nurturing confines of home and the dynamic environment of a school. “So we were only able to do one pop-up class last year before I literally ‘popped!” she says with a hearty laugh. “The response was very good.”
At Imagine Playschool, Ms. Bea, Sky and Maui believe in letting little minds make choices, explore freely, and think on their own.
“It’s about growing self-reliance, and problem-solving skills,” notes Bea. “Teaching all these to toddlers are very important, especially after the pandemic. For two years, they were stuck at home; everything is being done for them. They also had a hard time interacting with other kids and adults. So, there’s a need to help them prepare for big school without the intimidation of being in a big school.”
Imagine Playschool is the gateway to educational excellence.
“And for a child to succeed, he/she needs the right set of skills, attitude, enthusiasm and most importantly, a child needs to be happy,” Bea enthuses.
Grow together
Imagine Playschool provides unique opportunities of learning and growth through child-led and meaningful play, family and community.
“We’ve developed an educational philosophy of our own with the Foundations of Enlightened Learning Approach, which has 5 pillars: Holistic Development, Experiential Learning, Inclusivity, Values and Partnership with Parents,” explains Bea.
- Holistic Development. Imagine Playschool’s programs are intricately designed to cater to every facet of a child’s developmental needs, be it cognitive, physical, emotional, or social. By providing them with a rich learning environment, the educators ensure that every child grows at their own pace and develops their understanding of the world around them. “I often remind parents to be patient with their children because each child is unique. They all have different learning paces and modalities. Others learn to do things by watching. But there are those who observe first,” advises Bea.
- Experiential Learning. Imagine Playschool believes that children learn when they’re actively engaged and having fun. “Our hands-on approach ensures that children are not just passive recipients but active participants in the learning journey,” adds Bea.
- Inclusivity.Again, every child is unique. The curriculum respects and celebrates those differences. “Here, we ensure that every child feels seen, heard, and valued,” she adds.
- Values. “There is a need to instill values within each child. It is what ensures them to be good and decent citizens of the world. Imagine Playschool believes in imparting this to children at a very young age and providing them with opportunities to practice it in school, at home and in the community. “
- Partnership with Parents.“We believe that parents are the primary educators,” stresses Bea. Imagine seeks to work in tandem with parents, keeping them informed about their child’s progress and guiding them on how to further nurture their budding talents and interests of their kids. “Our accompanied classes are also designed in a way that parents (or caregivers) are able to bond with their children and model for them what the children are meant to learn.”
Imagine Playschool offers four classes for babies to six years old: Mini Musicians (focuses on music and movement); Messy Artists (which is anchored in the belief that hands-on, sensory experiences are pivotal for a child’s cognitive and motor-skill development); Little Imagineers (tailored to older toddlers on the verge of starting school) and finally, Musical Theater for bigger kids. This is a program that helps young children develop discipline, self regulation, creativity and self expression through theater (singing, dancing and acting).
“During their toddler years, children are malleable,” says Bea. “You can impact them positively. You can ingrain values in them which I think is the most important part of teaching. And for me, more than phonics, more than math, more than motor skills, it’s the right values that will carry them through in life.”
And it is Bea’s dream to be able to give back and offer these classes to the kids who need them most—the less fortunate.
“I’m manifesting it,” Bea says. “Through God’s grace.”