Many Singaporean parents relate to the struggle of choosing the perfect preschool for their kids. School in Singapore is not compulsory until Primary 1 for seven-year-old children. However, 99% of children are already attending preschools before Primary 1. Preschool is for children around ages 3 to 5 and it establishes their foundation for development. Essentially, it is their first step out of their ‘homely comfort zone’. Which is why, as parents, you’ll go the extra mile to choose from the best preschools Singapore has to offer.
Preschool sets the foundation for learning and growth at an early stage in life and it is important that the foundation built is a solid one. Preschool is a safe and fun place where kids interact with one another, honing social skills such as learning to share (although not so much in the COVID pandemic), being considerate and so on.
Basic academic skills like spelling are also being taught. Exploration of curiosity and creativity is highly encouraged during this time, which is vital for learning in subsequent stages of education.
What to Expect When Your Child Starts Preschool in Singapore
Preschool is the time when children have fun and learn through active play. There is a wide range of activities offered in preschools which nurture their holistic growth. Some of these activities include:
- Arts and Crafts - This is a good way for kids to express their creativity through various media. There is no wrong or right artwork and kids learn to appreciate art as a form of creative expression. It could improve fine motor skills as well.
- Science experiments - Cool science experiments can pique the interests of children, which help in developing critical thinking. Demonstrations, followed by hands-on activities, is one of the best ways for children to explore their curiosities.
- Physical play - Physical activity is proven to be beneficial for a growing child. It helps increase ossification of bones, develop fundamental motor skills, and improve muscle memory.
- Learning musical instruments - Music is highly recognized as one of the best means for brain development. Research has shown that learning music at an early age provides a positive impact on children’s overall well-being and improves learning too!
- Language acquisition through song, dance etc - Combining language and music proves very effective for young children’s learning. Providing a fun-filled atmosphere for children promotes learning rates.
Most preschools share similar concepts of how a young student should be nurtured. To be creative, curious, innovative and morally-grounded. At the same time, different preschools use different pedagogies to promote learning. Each pedagogy has its unique points. Just to name a few, we have:
- Reggio-Emilia approach - Students have a certain level of freedom in deciding what they are interested in and pursue those interests. Educators often create projects based on these interests to kindle the children’s curiosity. Projects help children to hone their collaborative skills and connect with others.
- Montessori method - Another student-centric pedagogy, the Montessori method’s objectives are similar to the Reggio-Emilia approach. The difference lies in that it has an additional consideration of the young mind being like a sponge, absorbent and quick to pick up on things. Auto-learning takes place and the educator is simply there to facilitate the activities with less intervention while the children are allowed to complete the tasks head-on.
- STEM-based method - STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Although it is relatively new, it is gaining popularity in the education system. Some may argue that it may be too difficult for the young kids, but think about it, doesn’t building a structure from lego blocks rely on these principles too?
- Waldorf-Steiner education - This method follows the framework of engaging the head, heart and hands: thinking, feeling and doing. Essentially, this methodology reflects upon the children’s thoughts, feelings and actions to inculcate critical thinking, imagination, and action.
Criteria to Consider When Looking at Preschools Singapore Offers
There are many things to consider when searching for the best preschool for your child but we are here to help you break down the main points you would be looking for in a good preschool. Here are some of them listed below:
- Safe environment for learning - Children at this stage are taking their first big step out of their comfort zone so it is crucial for the children to have a learning environment where they feel safe in expressing their ideas and positivity.
- Inclusivity for children coming from all backgrounds - Diversity amongst students is key when teaching children social skills. It is important to emphasize good social behaviour by educators’ role-modeling.
- School fees - While ensuring your child attains quality education, blowing a hole in your wallet is not ideal. It is best to strike a balance and find a preschool that offers quality education at an affordable price.
- Location; distance and accessibility from home - The journey to school shouldn’t be an arduous one. Instead, kids should be looking forward to school and it would greatly help if the preschool is conveniently located with easy accessibility. It means more sleep for both caretakers and children too!
- Facilities and activities offered - Having well-maintained, safe and clean facilities can drastically increase the quality of play and learning as it reduces the risk of injuries and illness. Activities monitored diligently by educators can also play a role in keeping the children safe, healthy and happy.
- Teacher-to-child ratio: A smaller ratio can prove beneficial for the children’s learning as the teacher is able to give more attention per student.
The Best Preschools Singapore Has To Offer
Not sure where to start? Don’t worry! We have consolidated a list of 6 best preschools Singapore offers.
Pat’s Schoolhouse - Best Preschool known for its Bilingual Immersion Core Curriculum
Pat’s Schoolhouse boasts of its highly recognized bilingual immersion core curriculum which has won multiple awards since 1988. The cohesive English and Mandarin program optimizes the children’s language acquisition, with equal exposure to both languages. The English and Mandarin educators work together to deliver common themes. When a particular theme, for example, fruits (‘水果’ in Mandarin), is taught in both languages during the same time period, children can form links between the English alphabetical spelling and Chinese characters of specific fruits, enhancing their understanding of the theme. From a young age, a Pat’s kid is taught to be flexible and open-minded to forming connections while learning.
Apart from the bilingual core curriculum, Pat’s Schoolhouse also recognizes the benefits of integrating music in its curriculum. Their enhanced music-integrated curriculum helps with the children’s development of their cognitive skills and muscle memory. The capable team of educators, together with their very own in-house music specialists, use games, songs, and playing of various instruments among many other activities to keep the kids’ creative juices flowing.
Pat’s Schoolhouse uses play as the main mode of learning. Their inquiry-embedded play approach helps children to explore their curiosities, expand creativity and think out of the box in a safe environment with well-maintained facilities. The preschool views each child as a capable learner and believes in the natural creative potential of a child, thus working to bring out the best in them. This approach also teaches the children to quickly tap into their creativity during problem solving. This is fundamental in building critical thinking skills in the future, all while creating beautiful childhood memories.
The team of passionate educators at Pat’s Schoolhouse acknowledge that learning and play go hand in hand to nurture the future thinkers of Singapore. They encourage the children to speak their mind, ask questions and challenge ideas, helping to build critical thinking skills. The small teacher to student ratio is conducive such that each kid receives more attention from the teacher, thus giving more time for the teachers to nurture each child customized to their individual characters.
At Pat’s Schoolhouse, it is their aspiration to give children a vibrant and memorable childhood, while building a strong foundation which prepares them to become Challengers of the future.
Highlights
- Continuously adapting curriculum to suit children’s needs.
- Enhanced music-integrated curriculum.
- Renowned bilingual immersion core curriculum.
- Inquiry-embedded play approach.
- Well-maintained facilities.
- 15 preschools and 2 infant care centres nationwide.
Click here to see their locations.
For enrolment enquiries, contact +65 6781 2288.
Kinderland - Best Preschool for Technological Development
Kinderland provides a holistic education by combining the best learning approaches from the West and the moral values of the East, getting the best of both worlds. Their STEM based program touches on children’s creativity and includes projects to allow them to explore. Their Chinese Language Program is backed by expertise and resources from the network in China. The preschool makes sure to synchronise the English and Chinese syllabus so that kids can build more links between topics and form a more comprehensive understanding of the world.
Their non-academic focused programs include the Children’s music program, KinderFit, and Literacy through I.T. These programs allow children to try various things and be exposed to a world of possibilities. With ever-changing technology in the 21st century, exposing a child to I.T. equips them with basic knowledge and skills to sieve out information efficiently when they reach later stages of education.
Highlights
- Recognises the uniqueness in every child.
- Safe environment with caring and capable adults.
- S.T.R.E.A.M. program (Science, Technology, Reading & wRiting, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics)
- Fun and effective Chinese program.
- Music, Physical Activity, I.T. integrated programs
- Offers half day and full day care.
Sparkletots, founded by the People’s Action Party, is the largest preschool operator with 360 preschools islandwide. Sparkletots focuses on six main areas in their education system:
- Aesthetics and Creative Expression
- Discovery of the World
- Language and Literacy
- Motor Skills Development
- Numeracy
- Social and Emotional Development
This combination builds the academic skill set and social awareness of the child. Grounded by strong moral values, Sparkletots’ children are encouraged to appreciate their world by allowing them to interact with their surrounding environment in a safe and constructive manner.
In addition, one of their main goals is learning with application to practical context. They also strive to develop budding thinkers who are able to communicate confidently. They put forth the health and safety of the children, and highly qualified educators ensure this.
Highlights
- Mother Tongue curriculum
- Enrolment available for 18 months to 6 years old.
- Childcare includes quality care like meals, nap time, etc.
- Singaporeans can enjoy government subsidies.
- Affordable fees
- Many locations islandwide.
Safari House - Best Preschool for Linguistics Development
Safari House bases their teaching methodology on the principles of Zoo-phonics, which is globally recognised. It helps children form a strong base in reading and writing by optimising understanding and application of learning across these academic areas.
Their bilingual program helps kids with strong acquisition of both English and Madarin. The kids are exposed to music as it is shown to enhance brain activity.
Apart from academics, Safari House integrates nutrition, grooming, self-care and social skills so that the kids can put forth their best selves. This will also greatly help build their confidence, which is incredibly important during this age period.
Highlights
- Award winning zoo-phonics principles.
- Enrollment for 3 months old to 6 years old.
- Bilingual immersion with equal exposure to English and Madarin.
- Intentional hands-on and collaborative activities.
- Self-care and social skills emphasized.
- Centres located in North, South, East, West, and Central areas.
- Offers full and half day classes.
Lorna Whiston - Best Preschool for Custom-Made Education
Since 1980, Lorna Whiston schools have been establishing solid foundations for children with high quality education. Each individual child has their own learning pace and the preschool respects that.
The individual reading programs help children achieve optimal learning while learning to enjoy the curriculum. They also have the bilingual immersion program so that children learn to effectively communicate in English and Mandarin.
They conduct Masterclasses every afternoon to develop well-rounded children, and to enrich them with a wide variety of skills. The school strives for excellence in providing the most conducive environment for enjoyable learning.
Highlights
- Builds the confidence of each child.
- Small class sizes.
- Acknowledges each child’s learning pace.
- Experienced and passionate educators.
- Vibrant and aesthetically-pleasing facilities.
- Offers classes for 18 months to 6 years old.
- Flexible programs from 7am to 7pm on weekdays and Saturday morning.
EtonHouse - Best Preschool with Small Class Size
This is one of the top international preschools Singapore has to offer. At EtonHouse, children learn to appreciate nature, solve problems, communicate, be active, and hone their social skills.
EtonHouse develops young critical thinkers and prepares them for future challenges. With the I.T.L. (Inquire. Think. Learn.) framework based on the Reggio Emilia education approach, our little explorers are encouraged to inquire throughout everyday life. They emphasise that learning is not all about teaching different subjects separately, but about linking them together seamlessly.
The school offers dual language programs as language acquisition is one of their top priorities. Apart from Chinese as a second language, they also have Japanese, Tamil, and Malay.
Highlights
- EtonHouse teaches students to be global citizens.
- Childcare services run from 7am to 7pm.
- Small teacher to student ratio of no more than 1 teacher to 6 students.
- Beautifully decorated classroom environments.
- Enrollment available for 9 months to 6 years old.
- Singaporeans can enjoy government subsidies.
Price Comparison
Here’s a quick comparison of the best preschools Singapore has to offer so you can better decide where to send your child.
***Fees may change from time to time. All school fees are with GST and before subsidies. Does not include registration fee, deposit, purchase of uniforms, annual insurance.
Early Intervention Programme For Autism And Developmental Delays
Every child deserves the best possible education available for them; this includes children with developmental delays or learning challenges.
If you've been looking for support to help your child improve their academic and social skills, you will be happy to know that various early intervention preschools will welcome your child with open arms and guide them to reach their full potential. You can trust these schools to have your children in good hands and well cared for with experienced teachers, therapists and specialists.
Image Source: Facebook / Applied Behavior Consultants - ABC Center Singapore
The Applied Behavior Consultants of ABC Center Singapore has helped thousands of individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities for over 30 years.
Highlights:
- Through their Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) method, children with autism get to go through programmes that could help them prepare for school readiness and for teens to develop their independent living skills and social skills.
- You can ensure that your child will be given appropriate focus as programmes will be designed individually to fit each individual's needs.
- They also include an Early Preps Preschool for early intervention where kids ages 3 - 6 years old get to learn in small groups while still having individualised education plans.
- The programme aims to better prepare your kid for primary mainstream or special needs school in the future.
Image Source: Facebook / All Hands Together
For early intervention programmes to help your child with special needs, All Hands Together has lesson plans developed in line with the Ministry of Education's NEL framework but personalised to fit diverse learning styles and needs of their students.
Highlights:
- The centre provides multi-sensorial learning experiences through other different programmes to suit the specific needs of children.
- They also offer a personalised learning programme where you could either have a tutor come to your home or choose to teach your own child through their guidance.
Image Source: Facebook / Bridge Learning
Children with learning difficulties and learning disabilities can find specialised early intervention to improve school readiness.
Highlights:
- Bridge Learning is the first and leading one-step centre with a range of comprehensive services for children ages 7 months to 12 years old.
- Their Dynamic Diagnostic Assessment (DDA™) consists of a series of stress-free and enjoyable activities and games while assessing the child's learning skills including reading age, comprehension age, auditory and visual memory, fine and gross motor skills, attention span and more.
- After completing the DDA™, they will provide an Individualised Developmental and Progress Profiling (IDPP) based on your child's performance to help them through their curriculum of core and elective programmes.
- Parents may also access their Bridge Early Intervention E-Portal (BEE) where they can view ready-made intervention plans customised to their child's needs and keep track of their kid's progress within the programme.
Image Source: Facebook / The Growing Academy
By incorporating the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), The Growing Academy helps their students improve their quality of living by bridging the gap between mainstream and special needs learning. This way, children can better prepare themselves to integrate back to mainstream schools with their peers.
Highlights:
- They offer preschool programmes with which their Nursery class enables your child to express themselves through various activities and develop their communication skills by interacting with their teachers and peers.
- For their Kindergarten programme, your child will be able to learn self and social development and improve their academic skills with the help of teachers and therapists.
- Younger kids ages 12 to 23 months may also join their Play Group programme to participate in activities that help them develop their motor skills, sensory explorations and social skills.
The Kaleidoscope Therapy Centre actually offers help children and their families as their services focus on providing the best support for parents by partnering with them in the therapy process.
Highlights:
- Their play-based intervention programme Ready Let's Go helps children improve their skills to succeed in pre-school through activities predominantly in groups while also individual therapy support for each child.
- The activities include the development of the child's language, social skills, fine motor skills, listening skills, sensory exploration, imaginary play skills, and music and movement skills.
Image Source: Facebook / KidsFirst
Children with special needs may find an optimal learning environment at KidsFirst. This early intervention centre helps kids ages 2 to 12 years old with various challenges such as Autism, Language Delays, Global Development Delay, Cerebral Palsy, ADHD and Down Syndrome.
You can trust their team of highly experienced therapists and specialists as they assess their students to create an individualised education program for each of them.
Highlights:
They also offer clinic-based Pediatric Therapy programmes that are available for children ages 0 to 17 years old to help them reach social-emotional, language, cognitive and physical developmental milestones through 1 hour individualised therapy sessions and group-based intervention.
As one of the first full-fledged Special Education Preschools in Singapore, KidzRock International Preschool has various school programmes that provide equal learning opportunities for children with special needs.
Highlights:
- The school's mission is to equip its students with school readiness skills to prepare them for special needs or mainstream school.
- Their Special Education Programme focuses on the five major domains: cognition, communication, social adaptation, fine motor, and gross motor.
- Kids aged 2 to 6 years old get to have individualised support they may need with the school's low 1 teacher to 3 children ratio.
Image Source: Kindle Garden website
At Kindle Garden, your child is sure to be welcomed with the school's approach towards inclusion and their five main pillars of personalisation, accessibility, diversity, partnership and relationship.
Highlights:
- Learning here is personalised for each student to fit their needs best to improve their abilities and character.
- They offer a Toddlers Program for kids ages 18 to 36 months and a Kindergartens Program for children around the age range of 4 to 6 years old.
- Each programme made to be all-inclusive and show development in each child's academic and social abilities.
Nurture Pods focuses on providing children with special needs a learning environment complete with holistic, comprehensive and effective intervention programmes and equipping them to reach their fullest potential as a student.
Highlights:
- Nurture Pods believes that every child has the right to education, and that is why they offer individualised intervention programmes that can cater to kids, whether at home or school.
They also have workshops to raise awareness on development disorder among teachers and parents and online courses and eBooks for online early intervention programmes.
Image Source: Rainbow Centre website
To help your child go beyond their disabilities, Rainbow Centre offers an Early Intervention Programme (EIP) that involves the entire family through the process. With a positive relationship between the school team and the family, children with special needs maximise their potential and learning opportunities.
Highlights:
- There four sub-programmes that the children are placed into that after being assessed would be found to fit them best: [email protected], Intervention, Preschool (Integrated) and Preschool (Autism).
- The Rainbow Centre Early Intervention Programme is open for kids ages 6 years old and below who are diagnosed with "mild to severe developmental, intellectual, sensory or physical disabilities, or a combination of disabilities."
Wee Care
Image Source: Facebook / Wee Care Group Singapore
Let your child learn in a safe and secure environment as Wee Care offers programmes for children to get the best possible support.
Highlights:
- Offer both individual and group therapy sessions for early intervention.
- These sessions benefit children who have difficulty handling fast-paced and demanding aspects in society by helping them overcome these through the help of their Intervention team of dedicated therapists.
- By joining their Kidz Club, your child may also get to build friendships with their peers and develop their social skills through fun activities.
ALSO READ:
A Guide to the Financial, Social, and Emotional Support Available to Families Of Children With Special Needs
Autism Didn’t Stop Him From Performing, and He Now Organises Talent Shows for Those With Special Needs
A Guide on How to Find Out if Your Child Has Special Needs
