There’s a new kid on the block! Cherie Hearts @ Merchant Square is officially the newest member of the Cherie Hearts family, which has been dedicated to educating and caring for children for nearly a decade now. Cherie Hearts is not only the largest, but also the fastest growing brand of childcare centres in Singapore with over sixty branches and still growing. We were definitely very excited to get the chance to explore the new centre before it even opened!
The moment we entered Cherie Hearts @ Merchant Square, we were warmly welcomed by Branch Director, Mrs Vimala Mano, who showed us around the centre, beginning with the entrance of the centre, decorated with a reception table and a row of cosy seats for waiting parents. We stepped further inside to find a spacious learning area, split up into different corners designated to the various subjects and activities that children will be able to enjoy during their lessons. The Library corner has a shelf filled with colourful books and even finger puppets for storytelling and role playing activities, while the Art corner is well stocked with large pieces of blank paper and multi-coloured tubes of paint for kids to express their creativity and imagination. Designed specially to pique young children’s interest in learning, the walls of the centre are lined with lively alphabet and number charts to stimulate the children’s learning and reinforce their knowledge gained from their lessons.
Located at the fringe of the CBD area, the centre is great for working parents who may be unable to take care of their kids during working hours. The centre offers a whole range of services, from infant care for babies from the age of 2 months old, to preschoolers up to 6 years of age and even student care services for primary school children. Better yet, even if your child is not enrolled at the centre, their Flexi Care and Emergency Care services mean that stay at home parents can drop their kids off for a day to run urgent errands or even just to have the day off!
A Day in the Life of a Cherie Hearts Kid
A day for children at the infant care begins with a shower, which is carried out in the specially designed infant shower room, a feeding of milk, baby massage session and short nap. This is followed by playtime, which means playing with stuffed toys and for those above 8 months old, water play and exercise on the kids’ gym set to help develop their motor skills, as well as lessons to introduce them to numbers and words. Sounds like a great day, if you ask us!
For the older preschoolers, they start their day at school with assembly, where they will sing the national anthem, recite the school pledge and listen to the announcements – this helps them develop a routine that will make the transition into primary school life easier. If it happens to be any child’s birthday, the staff and children sing them a birthday song as well. In order to instil the value of responsibility from a young age, the children are required to mark their own attendance on a chart before they head off to enjoy their water or sand play with their friends. Shower and lunch time is next on the schedule, followed by a much-needed nap. After a quick tea break, the kids are involved in English, Mandarin, Mathematics, Music and Art lessons according to the theme of the week.
Creating an Environment to Play and Learn
At Cherie Hearts, providing a holistic education and environment to grow and learn is definitely the top priority. With a teaching philosophy centred on play-based learning, playtime is an integral part of the curriculum as it develops the children’s logical thinking, creativity and teaches them how to work as a team. The school’s mission of ‘Touching Hearts, Moulding Lives’ is one that is close to Mrs Vimala Mano’s heart. “I have always had a passion for children and have many years of experience working with them”, said the centre’s branch director, who, as a state-registered nurse, has delivered over a hundred babies in her career! Her love for children led her to become a childcare teacher and eventually to open a centre of her own.
Mrs Mano strongly believes that treating children with love and respect will help kids understand the consequences of their actions and develop good behaviour. However, she acknowledges that parent involvement is crucial to a child’s growth so communication books are used to facilitate regular updates between parents and teachers. She plans to go one step further by starting up a Parents’ Support Group which will allow parents to work hand in hand with the school by providing feedback and volunteering their time, skills and expertise to help the children realise their potential.
With all the plans already put in place and finishing touches being made to the centre, Cherie Hearts @ Merchant Square is excited and ready to welcome it’s pioneer batch of children!
Basic info about the services, Student capacity: infant 1 to 4, childcare 1 to 10, age group 2 months to 6 years, before and after school care for primary school children up to 12 years old, emergency care, flexi care, opening hours 7am to 7.30pm. Find out more by calling 6536 6001
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Call 6356 6001 to find out more about Cherie Hearts @ Merchant Square
Play Time!
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