Our Story

It started with a belief.

In 1998, Teresa "Ma'am Tess" Exmundo and Avegale Chua founded First Crayons Learning Center on a simple belief: every child deserves to be known, valued, and nurtured.

They weren't trying to build the biggest school in Antipolo. They wanted to build the warmest. A place where small class sizes meant real attention, where teachers greeted children by name, and where parents felt like partners in their child's growth.

Nearly three decades later, that founding belief still shapes every corner of our school. The building has grown. The programs have expanded. But the heart has not changed.

FCLC students at a school program in costume

In Memoriam & Legacy

Ma'am Tess, forever the heart of FCLC.

Ma'am Tess was the beating heart of First Crayons. And that heart has not stopped. It beats in every teacher who stays late to help a struggling student. It beats in every parent who trusts us with their child. It beats in the simple fact that this school, after almost three decades, still feels like home. -- Mel Exmundo, Managing Director

Teresa "Ma'am Tess" Exmundo co-founded FCLC with Avegale Chua in 1998 and spent decades shaping its culture of warmth and care. Though she has passed, her spirit continues through the school, its staff, and everyone whose life she touched.

Our Mission

Why we exist.

To provide a nurturing school community to promote the holistic growth of our students while also promoting Filipino values, showing love for God and empathy.

Our Vision

Where we're going.

A nurturing school community that will empower the youth to pursue holistic and integrated growth, while striving for desirable change for the world.

Educational Goals

What we set out to achieve for every child.

FCLC aims to develop holistic students. We seek to give our pupils an understanding of the values of concern for fellow human beings and respect for the world.

We provide varied activities to practice cognitive, physical, and social skills, and an environment that encourages self-discovery, exploration, and creativity.

Every FCLC pupil should:

Learn good manners and correct work-study habits, alone and with peers
Gain confidence and trust in their capabilities to cope with the demands of learning
Develop a sound Christian character through desirable Christian and Filipino values
Grow into a child of God who is socially, morally, emotionally, and spiritually upright

What We Believe

Our core values.

Nurture

We see each child as a whole person, not a number. We respond to who they are.

Community

Parents, teachers, and staff work together. No child is raised alone.

Growth

Holistic growth: cognitive, physical, social, spiritual. Never one at the expense of another.

Character

We build Christian and Filipino values into every day, not as a subject but as a way of being.

Warmth

A smile at the gate. A teacher who knows your child's name and their story.

Excellence

Consistent academic performance that speaks for itself, year after year.

Come see it for yourself.

Schedule a visit and experience the FCLC community first-hand.

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Nearly three decades of nurturing.