All parents want the best for their children, and that includes picking the best preschool in Singapore. After all, what little ones pick up in their early years will help to set the foundation for further learning and development in the future. But does expensive mean the best? We explore the 10 most expensive preschools in Singapore, as well as what each of them can offer—you be the judge.
Please note that school fees listed here are subject to change and are ranked based on their basic fees at the time of publication.
10 Most Expensive Preschools in Singapore
1. EtonHouse
EtonHouse Pre-School Robertson Walk. | Image source: EtonHouse Website
Children are placed at the heart of learning at international education group EtonHouse that’s been here in Singapore for over 20 years!
The preschools’ curriculum varies with some centres following the IB programme and others, an Inquire Think Learn Curriculum (ITL) where teachers and students co-construct the curriculum together. The ITL is strongly inspired by the Reggio Emilia methodology where students undergo self-directed and experiential learning, built upon the interests of the children themselves.
The school also aims to enhance children’s language and literacy capacities and offers a Chinese Immersion Programme delivered entirely in Mandarin at selected campuses. Some centres also offer a third language option such as Malay, Hindi to Spanish and Japanese.
School fees: Varies across centres. Fees for Mountbatten 223 centre start from $6,476.40 (full-day) per 10-week term
Address: View all 12 centre locations here.
2. The Little House (Montessori)
The newly revamped The Little House Montessori style preschool/kindergarten gives off a home-away-from-home vibe that makes one feel like settling into it immediately.
Both English and Mandarin are spoken in equal proportion here, and there are a variety of activities to hone the skills of little ones: from music movement to weekly science experiments and cooking sessions where each child gets to whip up their own dish. Plus, the school has its own garden for outdoor play—definitely a bonus.
The Little House also focuses on equipping the kids with life skills such as leadership, being a team player, to building empathy and self-confidence. You can view their daily schedule here.
Image source: Facebook/The Little House (Montessori)
School fees: $3,950 per term (10 weeks) for full-day sessions
Address: 200 Turf Club Road, The Grandstand, #06-08 Singapore, Singapore 287994
3. Blue House Nursery and International Preschool
Their preschool programme is suited for kids aged 3 to 4 years old. | Image source: Blue House Nursery and International Preschool
Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to early year’s education, Blue House believes that children are capable, curious and full of potential. Apart from their schooling program, Blue House also offer a series of optional Discover Classes that are hosted by their range of in-house Specialist Educators. They include weekly classes in areas of Music, Art and Mandarin. They also boast a small child to educator ratio in their classrooms.
Image source: Google maps
For the younger kidd0s (6 to 36 months), parents can look to The Blue House Infant & Toddler Atelier which offers drop-In sessions where you can pop by for flexible play sessions with your child.
School fees: $8,741 per term (payable for 3 terms a year; approx. $2,913 per term) for full-day sessions. View their complete school fees here.
Address: 2 Turf Club Road Singapore 287988
4. Lorna Whiston
Image source: Website/Lorna Whiston
At Lorna Whiston, each child is placed on an individualised reading programme where his or her reading progress is carefully monitored on a weekly basis—such as reading comprehension and fluency—to ensure that he or she is progressing at the right pace. With the support and encouragement of teachers, the school aims to help them develop a lifelong love of reading.
School fees: $2,321.90 per month (full-day session). View their complete school fees here.
Address: Two centre locations at Kallang Wave Mall and Winchester. View them here.
5. White Lodge International Preschools & Childcare
White Lodge @ East Coast. | Image source: Website/White Lodge
While the curriculum at White Lodge is based on a mix of education systems from countries like the United States, Australia and UK, play-centric learning is the emphasis here.
Outdoor facilities include child-safe climbing frames, trampolines, areas for painting as well as sand and water play—great for developing little ones’ creativity with sensory play elements.
School fees: Varies per term (full-day sessions), from $2,235.00 for White Lodge @ Lowen Gardens. View fees here.
Address: View all 8 centre locations here.
Note: The River Valley, Upper Bukit Timah & Upper East Coast locations are full-fledged childcare centres, while the others are designated preschools.
6. Pat’s Schoolhouse
Pat’s School Sembawang | Image source: Screengrab from Website/Pat’s Schoolhouse
The school adopts an Inquiry-Embedded Play Approach where teachers and children create the teaching plan together to incorporate and deliver themes, subjects and topics in a cohesive and immersive bilingual environment. Children can look forward to an enhanced music-integrated curriculum where they are exposed to songs, stories, rhymes, games, movement and the playing of percussion instruments by in-house music specialists.
Also, it’s an open secret — Pat’s Schoolhouse is the first preschool to integrate Mandarin into their curriculum! Since then, they have gone beyond the usual Chinese class by weaving Mandarin into every aspect of a child’s day.
School fees: $2,118 per month (full-day session)
Address: View all 15 centre locations here.
7. Brighton Montessori
Image source: Website/Brighton Montessori
With a legacy of 25 years, Brighton Montessori is well-known for its hands-on and individualised teaching approach. Curriculum highlights include practical life skills lessons, sensorial exercises as well as culture studies. Using Montessori materials, teachers help to cultivate each child’s interests as he or she explores a variety of subjects at their own pace. The school also offers enrichment programmes after school hours such as speech and drama as well as computer literacy and educational games.
Parents who are seeking to foster a love and appreciation of Chinese in little ones can also look to Brighton Montessori’s well-structured Intensive Chinese Immersion Programme.
School fees: $2,140 per month (full-day sessions)
Address: View all 5 centre locations here.
8. Chiltern House Preschool
Chiltern House preschool offers half- and full-day programmes from pre-nursery to Kindergarten 2, with the aim to nurture their growing independence. | Image source: Facebook/Chiltern House Preschool
Founded by the late early childhood educator, Julia Gabriel, their curriculum covers a wide spectrum of subjects, including mathematics, science, language and literacy, Mandarin, art and craft, speech and drama, music, computer literacy and physical education. The school is also Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework (SPARK) certified.
Little ones can look forward to specialist teachers hailing from Julia Gabriel Centre who will engage them in weekly speech, drama and music sessions. Parents will be glad to know the centre holds a small class size—which means more focus on each child here.
School fees: From $2,000 a month (full-day session)
Address: View all centre locations here.
9. MindChamps PreSchool
Image source: MindChamps
Catered to both local and international children aged between 18 months and 6 years old, MindChamps PreSchool incorporates highly experiential classroom activities while utilising a structured learning approach.
The school adopts the S.M.I.L.E.S.™ approach, which allows preschoolers to develop Sensory, Motor, Intellectual, Linguistic, Emotional and Social skills and prepares them for changes in teaching styles, environment and routine when they transition into primary school.
Image source: MindChamps
MindChamps also seeks to instill a love for Chinese in their curriculum as well and parents who are keen on a Mandarin focused programme can look towards MindChamps Chinese PreSchool. For younger children in Playgroup and Nursery 1, Chinese is used extensively during most of the lessons to provide greater exposure to the language. Thereafter, the usage and teaching of English is gradually increased from Nursery 2 onwards to prepare children for the transition to primary school.
For those hoping to hone their little ones’ artistic talents, take to MindChamps Performing Arts PreSchool which has been launched this year. Their curriculum incorporates four disciplines of performing arts: drama, dance, music and singing.
With these performing arts disciplines interwoven into the S.M.I.L.E.S.™ environment, each specialist performing arts teacher works with both English and Chinese teachers to deliver lessons that creates a holistic learning experience for young learners.
School fees: From $1,965 per month (full-day session)
Address: View all 40 centre locations here.
10. Little Village on the Grange
Housed across 4 pre-war bungalows amidst expansive outdoor spaces, Little Village also offers a bilingual programme. | Image source: Facebook/Little Village
The Little Village adopts an inquiry-based learning curriculum that is closely related to the Play-Based methodologies. It seeks to support children in exploring, experimenting, hypothesising, and problem-solving—skills that are extremely sought after today.
Strongly focused on outdoor education and nature, teachers here work and learn alongside children to support them in discovering their passions and interests and nurture their natural sense of wonder. The centre boasts multiple playgrounds, water play troughs, sandpits, bikes, scooters, and even a cycling track! Children also have the freedom to choose the activities they want to do indoor.
School fees: $1,600 per month (for full-day session)
Address: 41 Grange Road Singapore, Singapore 239704
While their website is currently unavailable, you can check out their Facebook page here.
With so many preschools options available in Singapore, parents can find themselves in a dilemma searching for the perfect one. While factors like curriculum, school environment, meals, teacher to student ratio, and even distance to one’s home can be deciding factors, perhaps one thing to ask yourself is whether you see your child integrating into the environment.
Else, there are many schools that offer school tours, if not virtually, now for you to make an informed choice.
If you found this article useful, perhaps look to other related articles like these ones below:
8 Bilingual immersion preschools in Singapore for your child
Is Living Near Your Child’s School Really Worth It?
14 popular preschools in the North of Singapore that will excite your kids
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