We often associate quality with price, but that is not the case when it comes to preschools in Singapore. In fact, early childhood education offered by some of the best preschools is affordable and centered around your child’s social, emotional, cognitive, as well as physical growth.
These preschools offer a quality and holistic curriculum for children through interactive curriculum taught by professional early childhood educators in a safe, hygienic, and conducive environment.
Selecting A Preschool: Pre-Enrolment Checklist For Parents
Let us take you through the various aspects to look at before selecting a preschool and why you must use these as your pre-enrolment checklist.
1. Accessibility
As a parent, time is of the essence. Having to juggle family life requires balance which means you must consider the distance of the preschool. Think of it this way – close proximity = less time spent travelling. Precious time that can be spent on other essential tasks.
Thankfully, there are preschool chains that are available island wide.
Check out NTUC First Campus’ My First Skool which has 145 centres island wide; you’ll definitely find one centre close to you!
2. Curriculum
As early years are crucial for a child’s foundation, curriculum plays an important role in a child’s growth and development. Therefore, it is also an important factor to consider while selecting a preschool.
Hence, take a closer look at the curriculum – besides the obvious focus on academics, can the preschool also provide your child with the necessary soft skills such as social skills, resilience and respect that is essential for one’s growth too?
A holistic curriculum is vital as it nurtures soft and pivotal life skills.
At My First Skool, they offer a quality and holistic curriculum that aims to empower children through a pedagogical approach known as PETAL (Playing, Exploring, Thinking and Applying Learning).
The preschool also employs play experiences to facilitate a child’s knowledge and development.
Their curriculum comprises six learning domains to provide holistic development which are Language and Literacy, Numeracy, Discovery of the World, Motor Skills Development, Aesthetics and Creative Expression, Social and Emotional Development.
In addition, to cater for different interests, My First Skool also offers special curriculum highlights such as STEM, Nature Learning and Arts within selected centres to allow parents to nurture children’s interest at an early age.
3. Learning environment
Your child will spend between 10 to 12 hours exposed to the learning environment in a preschool. As a mother or father, you may end up worrying or having the urge to check on your child every so often.
Thus, another important factor while selecting a preschool is to consider is the preschool’s learning environment, which includes the centre’s safety and hygiene practices, and if the learning environment is conducive for growth and development.
When it comes to health and safety, you can take comfort in the fact that My First Skool prioritises this. Each centre is installed with commercial grade UV-Sterilisers to sterilise commonly used items such as stationery, toys, and kitchen utensils.
This additional touch by My First Skool certainly gives an edge over other preschools as parents can have peace of mind knowing that their children are learning in a safe and hygienic environment.
Meanwhile, a dedicated team overlooks the design of each My First Skool centre to ensure they encompass eight principles.
These are Safety and Health, Age Appropriateness, Comfort and Softness, Competence and Autonomy, Order and Consistency, Aesthetics, Privacy and Social Space and Adult Dimension.
4. Professional and qualified teachers
In addition to the learning environment, your child will be spending a lot of their time with the preschool teachers but are they professional, knowledgeable, nurturing and caring?
Teachers from My First Skool has won numerous accolades such as SkillsFuture Fellowship, Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) Fellows, ECDA Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Development, MOE Awards such as Outstanding Pre-School Chinese Teacher Award (Outstanding Award) and Pre-school Chinese Language Storytelling Aids Competition.
In addition, do check out what parents have to say about them here:
“Thanks for Topaz class 陈老师 and teacher, Shida. We didn’t want a teacher who simply educates our child. We wanted someone who cares for our child. By helping our daughter Elena develop her social skills and feel confident in your classroom, you have been exactly what we were looking for. Your play-based learning approach is amazing! Thank you for instilling this love of learning into our child.” – Cindy, Parent of Elena Yin Xi, (Nursery) My First Skool at Blk 235 Bukit Panjang.
“My child made great progress (more independent, critical thinking, vocal etc.) in just six months after joining MFS Haig Rd. All these are possible with the coordinated efforts from everyone at the centre. Thank you to all, especially Teacher Eden.” - Daniel, My First Skool at Blk 1 Haig Road.
5. Student meals
Mealtimes are equally important for a child’s development. Not only do they discover a variety of food choices, cultivate healthy eating habits (which are crucial for their physical growth), but it also provides them with the energy to ensure your child can participate during learning activities.
At My First Skool, the meals are planned by in-house chefs and prepared by in-house cooks daily to ensure children get a freshly prepared, proper and balanced diet. Additionally, students will be exposed to cuisine from different cultures, including international and local choices.
The #1 sought-after pre-school in Singapore
NTUC First Campus’ My First Skool has been partnering with working families in Singapore since 1977 and giving them a peace of mind, by making quality child development and care services accessible.
In fact, all eligible centres are SPARK-certified, which is a certification that recognises centres which have met quality standards.
My First Skool’s childcare fees are capped at S$720 per month (before GST). Parents will only pay S$420 per month after the S$300 working mothers’ subsidy.