- When to start preschool?
There are no specific age when you should put your child in preschool. Due to various circumstances, parents place them as early as 2 months or 18 months in infant care (check with the preschool on the minimum age for admission as each center varies).
If you are a stay at home parent care for each child till they reached 3 years old, then placed for a full day programme at the child care center. A later placement is due to the immunity of a child younger than 3 years old child are usually weaker.
Before you start preschool, ensure that all compulsory vaccinations are done as you will need to submit your child’s health booklet for record.
- Choosing the preschool
Child care center – if you can afford the monthly fees
Both below steps (#1 and #2) to take before deciding on the preferred center.
1. Give a call or walk in to fix an appointment before visiting to “tour” the center. You visit during class hours when the current students are around so that you get a feel by observing how the teachers handle the students, how the students are fairing and how the classes are conducted.
2. Ask when the preschool’s open house will be held and keep a look out. If you decide to register on the spot some preschools offer waive off on the registration fee and/or a free set of uniform. No current students will be around as this is the time when you will see displays of the works of the current students of the level your child will be in, speaking to their teachers to review on the lesson plans and how each day is being run.
Bring along your child to gauge his/her comfort level and assess how the teachers will interact with your child.
Some centers are very popular due to being located within the office premises where priorities are usually given to the office workers in the same building.
For me, getting a space half a year earlier, as I did for my second child, exposed the risk of the possibility of change eg. the teacher whom you are comfortable during a chat during the open house, may no longer worked there.
For public servants, there may be some “designated” centers where the fees are offered at a cheaper than public rate.
Some choose solely due to location convenience to their home.
SPARKS accredit preschools – Bonus for your child’s education. The preschool may be in the process of attaining or have already attained the accreditation. The certification lasts 3 years and thereafter the center will be reevaluated base on certain criteria by the officers visiting the center.
“SPARK Certification (Commendation) recognises centres with strong teaching and learning practices which include a well-designed and integrated curriculum, and strong pedagogies to support children’s holistic development in an environment conducive for learning. (Check out SPARKS for preschools with SPARKS and more details)”
There are no school holidays in a childcare center thus you will still pay for the whole year. There are no formal lessons during the June and December school holidays.
Kindergarten – eg. MOE Kindergarten, Sparkle Tots
For those opting for Kindergarten, the classes are shorter in duration i.e 2 hours for N1, 3 hours for N2, 4 hours for K1-K2.
No child care services such as sleeping. Tea breaks are still available.
School terms follow the calendar for MOE’s school holidays.
School fees are within S$200 or less for Singapore citizens.
They also have SPARKS accreditation.
- Q&A – finding out more about your interested preschool
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- Search online for blogs or forums that may have reviewed on your interested preschool.
- Chat with friends or current parents of your interested preschool to get personal insight into how the preschool functions, the teachers, etc
- Lesson plans and what happens in a typical day.
- Qualification of the teachers.
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- How long your child’s teachers have worked in the location of your preschool or for the preschool to gauge their turnover rate of teachers.
- Any SPARKS accreditation.
- If the meals are cooked in-house.
- Observe the hygiene and safety precautions in place at the preschool. How often does the preschool conduct sanitidation of the center and compound?
- Even though I have yet to seen any that requires fully toilet trained child, most do not require your N1 to be fully toilet trained when they enter preschool.
- Frequency of extra-curriculum activities or school trips.
- After the official school hours, what do the children do while waiting for their parents to pick them up.
- Briefly, what happens in a typical day in the preschool?
A full day programme versus half day programme is approximately S$100-S$200 or lesser difference per month (price range varies among the preschool). Go for the full day programme as there may be instances lessons may spill over into the afternoon session.
Each term the lessons are conducted around a theme.
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- Health CheckBreakfast included before the class starts at 9am.
- Lesson starts at 9am. Most preschools will have a theme for each term and subjects revolve around Speech & Drama, Music Movement, Science, Maths, Chinese, Arts, and English catered for each level.
- *Children will be off for their school trip (payable), if any.
- [Bath time (Timing differs for different level). The children will be required to change into either their PE attire or outside clothing (set by the center).
- Lunch (Most have in-house cook)] *Interchangeable
- Milk time for nursery level only.
- Afternoon nap
- Tea break at 3pm.
*Any birthday celebration will take place during this time.
*Some centers have chargeable extra-curriculum lessons with instructors from a third party vendor, which will start in the afternoon after tea-break.
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- Continue of lesson or learn through play till 5pm depending on the level.
- Parents are to pick their child either 7pm or 7:30pm (each center differs). Some schools offer the children some light bites in the evening. Note: Penalty (pay $) will apply if parents pick their child after the official time.
If you are particular with what your child does after the “official” class hours, each preschool varies. Children will gather into a room or area and they will have computer or TV times where the teacher will play YouTube of children songs or watch educational children programmes or cartoons. Some preschools practice revision of what they had learned earlier or allowed to play with their friends, grab a book to read or play with the educational tools placed in the class.
At the childcare center, the child gets to interact and play with other children for a longer duration, interact with the teacher (adults), get into set routines, learnt to be independent, and music/ academic/ creative learning.
Kindergarten
Nursery level –
No set timing for N1 and N2.
Each term the lessons are conducted around a theme.
Actual time spent:
10-15 minutes Health Check
30 minutes English conducted lessons – Storytelling / Sing-along / Show and Tell – Talking in front of the class / Maths – Numeracy
30 minutes tea break
20 minutes Chinese lessons – Sing-along / Reading Short story
Curriculum
- Communication between the preschool and parents
A communication book will be given out to each student and this is to be brought daily. This book pens down what the teacher or parent will like to inform or take note, including the instructions for medications.
The preschool will hold Parents-Teacher-Conference (PTC) for each term reviewing your child’s progress and their work done for the term.
Now and then I like to chat with the teachers to find out how my children are progressing or doing during lessons when I pick my children up from school. This is because by the time you meet the teachers up for PTC, it will be an overall term assessment of your child and some observations (be it positive or negative) may have been missed out.
- Preschool attire
Each preschool observes different attire. Some require all day uniform or PE attire, half day uniform with outside clothing in the afternoon, or whole day outside clothing.
- What to bring to childcare?
- Toilet trained?
If your child is not toilet trained (not diaper free in the day) by the time of entering preschool bring about 5 pieces of diapers or more for each child (no harm in bringing in extra pieces for contingency). Bringing a new pack of 56pcs of diapers is not necessary as some schools require you to bring back all your child’s items each day.
If toilet trained you may still need that extra 1-2 pieces of diaper for contingency.
Informed the teachers whether your child is/ is not toilet-trained. You will want to develop consistency at home and at the preschool. Do expect some disruption for some children as your child enter preschool for the first few weeks.
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- Milk powder for breakfast and/or afternoon milk time.
- 1 bath towel.
- 1 laundry bag.
- 2 sets of clothes and panties.
- Shower foam and Lotion if your child has sensitive skin. Bring in a smaller version and label your child’s name and class.
- 1 sleeping toy from home for the first two weeks while your child get used to preschool. Slowly wean off if you do not want to form a habit.
- 1 small pillow, 1 small bolster, 1 babycot bedsheet and 1 blanket.
- Some parents prepare their own snacks for their child’s afternoon tea.
- Water bottle.
- Do not form a habit for your child to bring in toys and accessories from home as there may be a tendency of it getting lost. Hair accessories for girls, the teacher will usually place back into your child’s bag when they prepare your child to shower.
- Withdrawal from the center
Preschools will require one full calendar month of advance notice if you decide to withdraw your child, unless the child is on a trial class the notice is 3 days (check out).
As a parent it is important for you to judge when it is of absolute necessary to withdraw your child from the center.
- Signs to look out before you decide to withdraw your child
- Refusal to attend school
This is subjective as it is normal that sometimes your child may have mood swing and does not want to go to school. Encourage your child to attend school and talk about the positives of attending school.
When your child returns to school, have a chat with your child’s teachers and continue to talk about the positives of attending school.
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- Persistant or Extreme behavioural change
Have a chat with your child’s teachers as sometimes the child is not able to verbalize their thoughts. Continue to monitor your child.
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- Frighten of the teacher
Have a chat with your child if they can verbalize their thoughts. Approach the principal for a private chat.
- Your child continuously falls ill every other week
Preschooler most often tend to fall sick once they start preschool while their body adapts to build immunity. Switch school if your child falls ill every other week. I see no reason to continuously subject a child to medicines aside from the medical bills, which in turn lower down their immunity and your child suffers from being sick too. Vitamin C helps to a certain extent but the preschool may be located in a ‘sick building’.
Information on ‘sick building’ syndrome.
Judging from some children who attend school while not fully recovered (mucus flowing down from the nose while they continue to play, etc) or without wearing a mask, tells a lot on the level of consideration parents have. Some may disagree and say this is how a child’s immunity is build up, etc. Yes, there are various reasons or excuses one can think of, but that is how unbeknownst virus or bacteria continuously spread around, through the mucus or droplets of an infected person.
Important do form a good rapport with other parents of your child’s class so that you can have another mode of sharing or discussing whenever needed.
Check out my reviews on the preschools my children attends or attended (more to be posted).
2016, Star Learners at Tanjong Pagar
2012, Learning Vision at Cecil Street(Permanently closed)
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External links:
- Early childhood Development Agency (ECDA): authority of kindergartens and child care centres.
- Guide for children in childcare centre →
tot2travel.wordpress.com 