NURTURE
Your child is turning 4 soon,
and you already have a
university in mind. Which
pre-school will best help to
accomplish this? Should you
splurge or save? While the
thought of your kid obtaining
prodigy status is appealing,
it is paramount to remember
that there is no one-sizefits-all solution to guiding
them through their crucial
formative years.
According to American economist
and Nobel laureate Professor James J.
Heckman, “learning starts in infancy,
long before formal education begins, and
continues throughout life.”
Parents are increasingly embracing
the significance of this statement
as demands for quality pre-school
education have skyrocketed world-wide
over the years – so much so that many
even go to the extent of charting their
children’s academic futures, long before
they are born.
Whether you might be a “kiasu” parent
or not, here’s what to consider when
picking your institution of choice.
Learning starts in infancy, lo
before formal education be ng
and continues throughou gins,
t life.
Eeny, Meeny,
By Michelle Zhu
Miney,
Mo
Choosing a Preschool
Curriculum
and Culture
Identifying your children’s
needs and personalities
along with the goals you’ve
set with them, will greatly
help you to discover
the type of preschool
you are searching for. If
your toddler is already
the book-loving, wellmannered tot that most
parents aspire towards,
perhaps you would
like to concentrate
on a more ‘holistic
developmental’
approach. Others
might require
a higher level
of discipline and
supervision beyond
your home, and this
naturally calls for even
more focused teacherchild interaction.
A school’s mission statement
is very likely to reflect their
organisational culture and
educational philosophies.
Also, don’t forget to look into
the nitty-gritty details such as
classroom cleanliness, teacher
turnover rate and lunch arrangements;
even trivial impressions can be
reflective of an institution’s performance
and core values. When conducting
research at the possible institution of
your choice, it’s a good idea to observe
14
Family & Life • Sept 2013
the atmosphere during your visit: do the
children and staff look happy, busy or
bored? It is likely that the emotions and
behaviour you detect from the school’s
current inhabitants will largely influence
that of your child.
If all else fails, word of mouth is your
best bet. Find out what your family and
friends, or even anonymous forum junkie
parents, have to say about their own
personal experiences.
Availability and Affordability
Parenting magazines and online articles
targeting “kiasu” parents are always
advising you to start registering your
child for preschool at least a year or
two in advance. If you’re looking at a
“branded” institution for your toddler,
do note that annual tuition fees can
vary by the thousands according to
location. Presently, if your child is a
Singapore citizen, he or she already
qualifies for an up to S$740 per month
child care subsidy* from the Ministry of
Community, Youth and Sports.
It is imperative to select a centre that not
only fits comfortably within your budget
(don’t forget to factor in school bus,
lunch, excursion and entertainment fees,
and so on.), but also one that is near your
area of residence or workplace – think
car pooling, play dates and the option
of dropping off or picking your child up
right before or after work.
* Subsidy figures may vary according to your family’s
monthly income, the child care programme duration
and whether the mother is working or not. For more
information on basic and additional child care subsidies
which your child may qualify for, refer to ‘Parents –
Financial Support’ at www.childcarelink.gov.sg
Teacher-Child Ratio
This subject is much-discussed among
parents of today, with the inevitable
conclusion that lower teacher-child ratios
generally signify a higher quality of
education and care.
MOE’s recommended guidelines would
be a 25:1 ratio at the Kindergarten 2 level,
which “branded” preschools significantly
reduce on the basis that smaller learning
groups allow for higher individual
interaction between teacher and child,
and reduces the time taken for students
to respond and participate in classroom
routines and lesson activities.
However, higher teacher-child ratios may
not necessarily mean that your child is at
a disadvantage – provided that the level
of supervision is not compromised, less
individual attention might also encourage
independence and initiative among kids
as they turn to rely on each other more
heavily. The approach of giving one-onone focus is easily accomplished in small
groups. But in classrooms where a teacher
is able to manage and observe a large
group of students while offering support
and guidance whenever needed, a higher
teacher-child ratio just might be the key
to developing motivated, self-directed
and independent learners.
Do Brands Spell ‘Best’?
It is certain that “branded” commercial
preschools are more likely provide your
child with more personalised attention
with a lower child-to-teacher ratio; an
internationally-recognized sui generis
curriculum that stands out from the
regular local education system; and
appealing state-of-the-art facilities and
campus environments that stand out from
the infrastructure of most kindergartens
in Singapore.
But who is to say that preschool centres
catering to the masses are any less
effective? What’s more important is
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