Since 2000, Singapore’s preschool landscape has evolved and changed at a faster rate than before. In the last six years, there has been a strong desire to improve the quality of pre-school Singapore education, as seen by the development of new legislation and the execution of new programs.
These policy revisions have resulted in major modifications in different parts of Singapore’s preschool education quality standards.
This article discusses the context of Singapore’s pre-school education policy and practice, as well as recent important reforms implemented by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to encourage high-quality kindergarten education.
An Overview of Preschools in Singapore
In Singapore, pre-school education is composed of children aged two months to six years who are cared for and educated in child care centers licensed by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).
More than 95 percent of children aged four to six years are enrolled in one of Singapore’s 488 kindergartens or 721 child care centers, indicating that the country has a high pre-school participation rate.
Nursery lessons for four-year-olds, Kindergarten One classes for five-year-olds, and Kindergarten Two classes for six-year-olds are provided by both kindergartens and child care facilities, which are usually referred to as preschools in Singapore.
Singapore’s Preschools Achieve Excellence
It is now commonly known that high-quality early education is critical in developing a child’s potential for lifelong learning.
With the growing challenges and competitions that come with globalization and a knowledge-based economy, effective communication and information technologies, as well as knowledge, are essential for economic and social progress.
Education must provide our children with positive values and attitudes, as well as appropriate information and skills for the new millennium’s economy and society. As a result, an increasing number of educators regard students as important to the learning process.
What are the Benefits of the Singapore Preschool?
At the end of kindergarten, students should have gained the following skills:
● Understand what is right and wrong;
● Be willing to share and take turns with others;
● Be able to relate to people;
● Be curious and willing to explore;
● Be able to listen and talk clearly.
● Have developed physical coordination and healthy habits
● Have a positive attitude toward their families, friends, instructors, and school.
Pre-schools are places or centers where our children can receive care and learn about socialization. Nursery school teachers with a passion for teaching younger children generally operate playschools. Children that enroll in Pre Schools are often between the ages of 2 and 5 when they are still very young.
Are Preschools Free in Singapore?
A Basic Subsidy is currently provided to all Singapore Citizen families with children enrolled in childcare and infant care programs. The income threshold for this supplementary support has been raised to $12,000 per month, up from $10,000 last year.
How Do I Enroll My Child Into a Preschool?
You can express your interest in the school by using the ECDA’s Preschool Search Portal (PSP). You can register up to a year in advance of your desired start date. You can register your interest in up to ten centers at a time through the PSP.
In addition, many schools offer a school tour and after that the parent can collect the admission form. The fees are usually divided into 4 parts and only the Security deposit is refundable.
Is Preschool a Must?
While preschool attendance is on the rise, it isn’t strictly compulsory in most regions. Compulsory education in aSingapore school begins in Primary 1, or when a kid reaches the age of seven.
What is the Right Age?
The preschool age range is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as three to five years old. There are no hard and fast rules, though.
Some preschools accept children as young as three years old, while others accept children as young as four years old. The average age of entry is between three and four years old.
What Makes a Preschool Unique?
A strong community reputation, a warm and welcoming environment, dedicated teachers and staff, active learning, and child-friendly facilities are all qualities that exceptional preschools should possess.
What Are the Fees?
For Singapore citizens, it is 171$, but for permanent residents, it is approximately 256$. In addition, it is 342$ for foreigners. The preschool fees here are affordable, or if you find it expensive it is due to the infrastructural facilities and the level of care and pedagogy they provide.
What Are Some Reformations Made to KG Here?
In recent years, Singapore schools have placed a greater emphasis on pre-school education. The increased focus on the early years is due to a greater public understanding of the relevance of high-quality early childhood education in children’s learning and development.
There is also a growing realization that providing children from less-advantaged parents with a decent foundation for life-long learning and a good opportunity to thrive in life through quality pre-school education is a long-term measure to counteract social disparities.
A Word of Warning
Children of this age should be treated with caution. “An inexperienced person will not recognize a child’s developmental stages.” Different skills emerge at different times.
An inexperienced person will have no notion of what to anticipate from a child of a certain age and may attempt to push the child beyond his or her capabilities. This could harm a child’s development.”
Ending Anemia
Parents’ primary focus may have been toddler nutrition and healthcare, but play schools throughout Singapore have begun to join the fight against anemia, iron deficiency, and poor eating habits among children as young as three or four years old.
Others offer a gymnasium program or health check-ups, while some have introduced specific healthy meals in addition to healthy living instruction in class. Pediatricians are also forming partnerships with several pre-schools here.
Several ‘premium’ pre-schools in Singapore now provide frequent screening and medical check-ups during or shortly after class, with some of them integrating a variety of health assessment measures ranging from ENT and audiology to oral hygiene and eye examinations. The presence of in-house nurses is also noticeable.
Also Read: Seven School Tour Tips for Choosing the Best International Preschool for Your Child
Bringing this to a Close
Choose a preschool that identifies children with a weak linguistic foundation and offers targeted language support while they are still in preschool. Identifying five-year-old children who do not attend pre-school and making arrangements for them to do so.
Identifying six-year-old children who do not attend pre-school at Primary One registration and encouraging them to do so to acquire exposure to the English language and socializing at school.
Above all ensure that the preschool your child trains in focuses on numbers and language. Children should also be toilet trained and fed good meals at the school.
