The ABCs of choosing the best preschool for your child

Singapore currently has over 1000 childcare centres, more than 500 kindergartens and several playgroup centres. With such diverse options, how do you choose the "best" preschool for your child?

There’s no need to be overwhelmed when you know what you and your child need from a preschool education. Here’s a checklist of what to keep in mind when choosing a preschool for your child.

Type of Preschool

Based on your child's age and your work arrangements, you can decide which type of preschool might work well for you and your child.

Child Care Centres

Provide full-day and half-day care programmes to children below the age of 7. This is a good option for mummies who are working full time and need reliable care services, but at the same time, are looking for developmental early childhood programmes.

Kindergartens

Provide a structured 3 to 4 year preschool education programme for children aged 3 to 6, covering Nursery 1 & 2, Kindergarten 1 and Kindergarten 2.

Kindergartens function daily, 5 days a week, with schooling hours ranging from 3 hours to 4 hours each day. Some also offer full day programmes.

Playgroups

Offer toddlers their first experience of formal learning through structured play-based programmes. Most playgroups function 5 days a week, and programmes usually last about 3 hours per class.

For parents with children below the age of 3, and with home care support, playgroups are a great way to let your child experience communal learning without the need to spend long hours at "school".

Set your search criteria when choosing a preschool

After deciding on the type of preschool you need, you need to know if you would prefer the preschool to be near your home or workplace, what your budget is and at what age you want your child to start preschool.

Do your research

Based on the criteria above, do a search for childcare centres on the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA’s) Child Care Link portal (www.childcarelink.gov.sg), or kindergartens on Preschool Connect portal (www.preschool.edu.sg).

All childcare centres in Singapore are licensed by the ECDA for 6, 12 or 24 months. Childcare centres are subject to a rigorous licensing assessment. Those that receive a 24-month licence tenure are of excellent quality as they have exceeded the minimum licensing requirements.

To better gauge if your chosen preschool is of good quality, check if it has got the Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework (SPARK) mark. SPARK is a quality assurance framework introduced to raise the quality of preschools in Singapore.

Make a visit

A good preschool should have a welcoming, friendly atmosphere and provide a nurturing environment and stimulating curriculum. It is definitely a worthwhile effort to schedule visits to your short-listed centres before you make up your mind.

Most centres expect parents to make appointments prior to visits.

Communicate openly with the Centre Director

During the visit, feel free to raise your concerns with the Director. Get information on the following: the school's philosophy, curriculum approach, menu, environment, safety, health and anything else you are concerned about.

Find out clearly what the centre’s approach on managing an outbreak of infectious disease is. It's essential that you feel comfortable with the school's director as it is he or she who runs the establishment and sets guidelines for your child, and with whom you'll be interacting in the future.

Bring your child along for the visit

See how they respond to the school and the teachers. Does they like the environment? Do the teachers seem interested in getting to know your child?

By watching how your child reacts, you'll have a better idea whether the preschool is a good fit for your child.

Observe how the teachers interact with the kids

Make sure they're friendly, caring, and encouraging, and the interaction is warm and nurturing. If you see the teachers shouting at children, this might not be the place for your child. If you can, observe them resolving a dispute between children.

One mum crossed off every school where the teachers did not go down to eye level to have one-to-one discussions with a child. Know what it important to you and see if the teachers reflect your own philosophy.

Observe the children carefully when you visit

If they're genuinely happy and confident, and even come up to greet you, this is likely the place where you will want your child to be nurtured.

Ask about the teacher-to-child ratio in your child’s class

The fewer children a teacher has to be responsible for, the better for your child since he/she will receive more attention. But good class ratio comes at a price, so be prepared to pay more in school fees for this privilege.

Find out how long the teachers have been there

This gives you an indication of the staff turnover in the centre, and reveals how happy the teachers are.

Children need consistency and the opportunity to form strong relationships with their caregivers, so you don't want a preschool where teachers come and go too often.

Get to know the curriculum philosophy and approach

Have the Centre Director explain to you how your child will benefit from the curriculum. A good preschool will also invest in reviewing and enhancing its curriculum periodically.

Find out if the preschool has attained any curriculum-related awards or accolades from the governing body or preschool industry.

Trust your own judgement

Internet forums are sometimes a platform for disgruntled parents to vent their negative views. Such parents may simply have had a bad experience with the school or a personality conflict with the preschool director.

This experience can't be generalised to portray an accurate picture of the quality of the school and its teachers. Trust your own judgement based on your visit and interaction with the staff.

Believe in your instinct

Don’t get distracted by any marketing gimmicks that the preschool offers such as its new sets of books and toys, or its location in a swanky building.

Ultimately, you should feel secure and pleased with the Centre Director and teachers, who will be spending many hours with your child every day. The best preschool is the preschool that suits your child’s development needs the best.

We hope you find this information useful when choosing an appropriate preschool for your child. What your child learns in preschool, the interaction he or she has with the teachers and other children there, and the type of environment it provides (learning and nurturing) all contribute to the foundation for your child's future. So choose wisely!

Written by

Tiffany Yip

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