Cities / Phnom Penh / Gecko Garden School
Gecko Garden School
A Waldorf-inspired, parent-founded preschool and kindergarten in central Phnom Penh for children from infancy to age seven.
In brief
A Waldorf-inspired, parent-founded preschool and kindergarten in central Phnom Penh for children from infancy to age seven.
Gecko Garden grew out of two earlier playgroups, Little Gecko and Garden, that merged in 2001 into Phnom Penh's first not-for-profit, parent-run early years setting. The current Gecko Garden School was formalised in 2014 and runs a child-centred, play-based curriculum with Waldorf-inspired rhythms, lots of outdoor and nature time, and a deliberate emphasis on social and emotional development before formal academics.
Families pick it for the warmth and the Waldorf flavour rather than for academic acceleration, and the cohort is a real mix of expat and Cambodian children from a wide range of nationalities. Parents talk about a sense of belonging on entry and teachers who genuinely seem to enjoy the early years stage. The natural ceiling is age seven, so the question of where children move next, whether to ISPP, the Canadian International School, iCAN or one of the bilingual options, sits front of mind from the day a family enrols.
Head of school
Mary Velasco-Concepcion
Mrs. Mary Velasco-Concepcion is a licensed teacher from the Philippines, is one of the founding teachers of Waldorf/Steiner Education at Gecko Garden School and leads the College of Teachers. She has been with GGS since 2009 and has an ongoing Masters in Educational Management in the Philippines. Mary has taken part in Waldorf teacher training throughout Southeast Asia and is also a member of the Center for Anthroposophy in New York. Mary enjoys being a teacher and a mother to her 5 year old daughter. She loves storytelling, creating puppet shows and sewing.