Uninspired by the preschools you’ve visited so far? Check out the cool offerings at these new centres.
Uninspired by the preschools you’ve visited so far? Check out the cool offerings at these new centres.
Breaking barriers
You might think a preschool located in research institute would be stiff and uncreative, but The Caterpillar’s Cove Child Development and Study Centre at Jurong East begs to differ.
For one thing, the school practises an openconcept layout. While infants and toddlers have a separate room, the nursery and kindergarten children share the spacious and brightly lit main room. Classes have no walls between them and the space is divided by low shelves instead.
Teachers of the different levels position themselves so that kids’ attentions are directed at them rather than other groups, and instead of a noisy environment, the centre has a nice low-level buzz that’s surprisingly easy to block out.
Visitors will also notice the house-shaped structure in the centre of the space (pictured). Often used by pupils as a quiet reading niche, it also doubles as a space for visiting researchers to observe the children without being too obtrusive.
Conceptualised and designed by NTUC First Campus and Seed Institute, the study centre acts as a place for faculty research and teacher training in early childhood education, as well as a model for new teaching and learning methods.
The kids even resemble pint-sized researchers themselves. During lessons, they ask questions, work with the teacher to figure out where or how they can find the answers, gather information, and then conclude the study with a review.
They are taught bilingually, and the school offers half-day and full-day infant care from $1,300 per month and childcare from $1,040 per month. Visit www.thecaterpillarscove.com.sg.
Feel that breeze
It might sound odd at first to think about a preschool taking residence in a pre-war colonial house, but it’s a perfect fit for Etonhouse’s first heritage preschool. With roughly 32,000 sq ft of space, the three-storey building overlooks the Sentosa Golf Course.
In addition to the brand’s Reggio Emiliainspired, inquire-think-learn curriculum, the school also has cool heritage corners set up around the school. Take the cute custom-built kampung house indoor playground (pictured), for example.
Or the sensory corner in the large multi-purpose hall, which has a generous spread of spices for children to touch, smell and explore. There’s even an old-fashioned rickshaw. And up in the light room, the little ones get a cool look at the old art of shadow puppetry.
Outside, the school has dedicated spaces for sand play and mud play, a pebble garden, an open area for kids to ride tricycles, and a fun sound wall made of various pots, pans and other common household items.
The school follows the international school calendar, which means its year starts in August and ends in June. Fees start at $6,750 before GST per term (10 weeks) for half-day sessions. Visit www.etonhouse.com.sg.
More to love
Just when you thought the premium Mindchamps Preschool programme couldn’t get any better, the brand launches its new Mindchamps Chinese Preschool. What’s the difference? It offers the same curriculum and enrichment as the English preschools, but delivers it primarily in Mandarin.
Playground and Nursery 1 level children will have 90 per cent Mandarin exposure, Nursery 2 children have 70 per cent, and Kindergarten 1 and 2 kids will be exposed to 60 per cent in preparation for Primary 1.
It has also added a Chinese Culture Appreciation programme to give preschoolers insight into China’s history and culture through clay modelling, Chinese painting and calligraphy, Chinese theatre, Chinese chess and Chinese tea.
Fees start at $1,780 per month before GST and subsidies. The school is located at Tampines Central and registration is now open. Call 9769-9025 or e-mail enquiries.cps.tampines@mindchamps.
Up to date
The fourth and largest outlet under the Small Wonder brand, Serangoon North is a bright, spacious and cheerful space. Perhaps it has to do with the 1,184 sq ft indoor playground that takes centre stage (pictured). It even has a cycling track along the perimeter for the kids to ride tricycles on.
To keep parents in the loop with what their children are doing every day, the teachers regularly update the school’s Little Lives system – an online portal where parents can log in to communicate with teachers and see pictures of daily life at school. As part of its security measures, the school also uses facial-recognition technology at the door for all its teachers, so you have less to worry about.
It all sounds rather premium, but Small Wonder falls under the Partner Operator Scheme, a government initiative that offers subsidies to preschool centres in exchange for improved curriculum, teaching standards and preschool quality through the Singapore Pre-school Accreditation Framework. Fees are now $800 for full-day childcare and $1,400 for full-day infant care before GST and subsidies.
Opened in April last year, the centre enrols kids aged two months to six years old, and offers full-day care from 7am to 7pm. Visit http://smallwonder.com.sg.
In my neighbourhood
Demand for preschool care just seems to keep growing and growing in estates with young families, so those living in the north will be glad to know that the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) recently announced its first Mega Childcare Centre.
When complete, the double-storey, purpose-built preschool will have generous green, outdoor spaces, and a rooftop play area, as well as enough space to provide full-day childcare services for 300 children from 18 months to seven years old.
Slated to open in the second half of the year, it will be located at Woodlands Street 13. Kids will also enjoy use of the nearby Woodlands park and sports stadium. Visit www.pcf.org.sg.
LOOK AT THIS!
Yes, this cool futuristiclooking building (pictured) is a preschool. Set to open in the second quarter of the year, the E-Bridge Pre-School is located along Edgedale Plains in Punggol and will accommodate a whopping 500 children at full capacity.
Design steals the limelight here –five circular pods hold spaces dedicated to water play, sand play and construction, performing arts, a library with reading lofts, and an openconcept kitchen studio where kids can learn through food and cooking exploration.
The rooftop garden will also have a running and cycling track, and a movable garden maze. Based on a tropical green building concept, it’s designed to allow ample natural ventilation and light to pass through. As an anchor operator, the school is required to keep fees low.
Childcare fees per month are $720 and infant care is $1,275 per month before subsidies for Singapore citizens. E-Bridge is operated by the Etonhouse group, and offers an inquiry-based curriculum. Visit www.ebridge.edu.sg
Registration opens this month through the Early Childhood Development Agency’s online Registration Management System at www.childcarelink.gov.sg
Living the language
Start them young and make it fun – that’s the approach that Etonhouse 681 Bukit Timah takes. Unlike the brand’s other centres, kids in Nursery 1 and 2 here undergo full Mandarin immersion – the teachers speak nothing but Mandarin to them, even if students use English to respond. In K1 and K2, the kids move to a bilingual environment, where each class has two teachers – one Englishspeaking and the other Mandarinspeaking – so they can develop English skills in preparation for formal schooling, without losing the strong Mandarin foundation they’ve built.
To facilitate its Reggio-inspired curriculum, the classrooms are set up for specific learning areas. These include the light area, where pupils learn explore light and shadows, the print area, which focuses on language and literacy, the performance and visual arts areas, and the construction area.
As part of its Mandarin focus, Chinese culture and arts are also incorporated in lessons. The centre offers only three-hour preschool services with the option of morning or afternoon sessions. Fees start at $2,100 per term (10 weeks). Find it at 681 Bukit Timah Road, on the Hwa Chong International School campus.
While this centre does not have ties to Hwa Chong, the Etonhouse International Education Group and Singapore Chinese High School – which runs both Hwa Chong Institution and Hwa Chong International School – have partnered to create a Hwa Chong Etonhouse Insitution.
According to a press release from October 2014, the new school will eventually have a bilingual, bicultural, International Baccalaureate curriculum for pupils from kindergarten to primary school levels. No launch date has been set yet. Visit www.etonhouse.com.sg
