Starting Saturday (8 May), preschools and early intervention centres in Singapore will have higher entry restrictions. These measures have been taken to address safety concerns for preschoolers.
According to a statement from the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) last Wednesday (5 May), such tight measures will slow down viral transmission in the country.
COVID-19 Restrictions Tightened At Preschools And Early Intervention Centres
The safety measures in preschools and early intervention centres will be implemented together with current rules. This includes more cleaning, temperature and health checks up to three times a day as well as cohorting in centres.
From 8 to 30 May, the new restrictions will address safety concerns for preschoolers and early intervention centres and include the following:
- A ban on all parents except those with newly enrolled children
- Only people who are needed to support operations will be allowed entry within centres
- Mixing of children between different classes will not be allowed
- Field trips and other large group activities that take outside centres to be suspended
Parents should also note that children under seven will not need to use the TraceTogether application.
Safety Concerns For Preschoolers: Reducing The Risk Of Further Transmission
During this time, contractors who provide supplementary programmes such as enrichment can only serve up to four preschools. The providers of the Development Support-Learning Support programme and Development Support Plus programme have been made an exception to this rule.
This is likely to reduce the risk of transmission between centres and ensure the safety of the students and staff. Some more advisory rules include the following:
- Parent-teacher conferences should be conducted online.
- ECDA also says virtual tours are more advisable for prospective students.
- Staff meetings and training should also be conducted online.
- Children will only be allowed to participate in activities within their own class and in small groups. These sessions should be conducted in groups of five pupils– in line with national guidelines.
All centres with existing plans at external venues are also advised by EDCA to push them back for the time being.
"ECDA will be working closely with preschools and EI centres to ensure the implementation of the SMMs for the continued safety and wellbeing of children and staff. This will require the collective support of all providers, preschool and EI staff, parents and children," the agency writes in their press release.
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