Hansel & Gretel Early Childhood Education Center was established in June 1996. From its humble beginning as a preschool, the school has successfully advanced its course offerings to include the K-12 Basic Education programs accredited and recognized by the Department of Education (DepEd). As time passed, the institution went on to become Ferndale International School (FIS) and now Ferndale Colleges-Zamboanga Peninsula Inc, offering programs of study that encompass Preschool, Elementary, Junior High School, Senior High School, and College Degree programs. Catering to all groups of students of various nationalities, ethnicities, religions, and exceptionalities, 'Ferndale Colleges' is also home to special education students with physical and learning disabilities under the Center for Exceptional Children (CEC).
Our curricular programs follow the DepEd K-12 Basic Education Reform curricula. The curricular programs are strengthened and anchored on the theory of Multiple Intelligences based on the research, philosophy of Harvard-based Professor Howard Gardner and the work of cognitive psychologist Professor Jean Piaget and his constructivist theory of teaching and learning.
As an international Multiple Intelligence School, our curriculum is further enhanced with the adaptation and use of the Colorado Curriculum Standards in Science and Math and the California Curriculum Standards for preschool education and English Communication Arts.
Our Senior High School programs encompass five major strands to cater to the needs of students coming from more advanced urban schools as well as students coming from rural national high schools. Our approved SHS strands include STEM, ABM, HUMSS, GAS, ICT, MARITIME, TVL-HE, and TVL-ICT.
Our college programs offer degree courses in the fields of criminology, multi-media arts, early childhood education and technology, and livelihood education. The college courses are designed to address the most sought-after manpower in the global community - sociologists, political scientists, social workers, criminologists in the criminal justice system; multi-media graphics designers and animation illustrators; early childhood teacher specialists; and for the program in technology and livelihood program, several specializations and training leading to national certification (NC II) - manpower in the hotel and restaurant service industry, event management planners, housekeeping, bartending, hotel managers & receptionists, bread & pastry production, cookery, health & wellness. Equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and high-quality curricular programs, our Institute for Technology-Vocational Education (ITVE) is taught by trainers who are NTTC holders and NC II accredited in various specializations. These trainers continuously upgrade their professional knowledge and competence to impart the necessary skills to students following global standards.
Ferndale Colleges is a TESDA Training and Assessment Center. With this recognition, the institution has become a Tech-Voc Institution (TVI) partner of the Technical & Educational Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in providing scholarships to students to train in short-term skills courses. On passing the TESDA Competency Assessment Test, student trainees earn a National Certification (NCII) which can earn them higher salaries and a chance to work overseas.
