Pilot Collaboration for Enhanced Pre-School Services in Punggol

1. To provide a continuum of quality and affordable pre-school education for children aged two months to six years, MOE is working with two pre-school Anchor Operators (AOPs) - PAP Community Foundation Sparkletots Preschool (PCF Sparkletots) and National Trades Union Congress’ My First Skool (MFS), to pilot a new model for pre-school services in Punggol.

Pilot of new model for pre-school services

2. Under the new model, all eligible Singaporean Nursery 2 (N2) children who are enrolled at NTUC’s MFS and PCF Sparkletots Early Years Centres (EYCs) in Punggol (indicated in the table below) will be guaranteed a Kindergarten 1 (K1) place in a nearby partner MOE Kindergarten (MK), in the year that they turn five. This new model will start from 2019, when the first batch of children from the EYCs will enrol in the partner MKs for K1.

3. Mrs Loke-Yeo Teck Yong, Divisional Director (Education Services), MOE said, “In this new model for pre-school services, partner MKs enrol children from the AOPs’ EYCs in Punggol for their kindergarten education, hence enabling these centres to take in more children aged two months to 4 years. This collaboration will help increase the number of pre-school places in Punggol at all ages, hence better meeting the needs of families with young children in the area.”

4. At the start of the N2 year, parents of eligible children in the EYCs will have a choice of whether to accept an offered place at a partner MK. There will also be available places in these MKs to admit other children, who are not from the EYCs, into K1. Details of the admission process will be shared with parents who enrol their children at the EYCs.

5. Commenting on the collaboration, Mr Victor Bay, Chief Executive Officer of PAP Community Foundation said, “PCF Sparkletots sees this collaboration with MOE as vital in meeting the demand for pre-school services in Punggol. With this collaboration, PCF Sparkletots can focus all its resources in providing affordable, quality and accessible preschool education of children till they complete N2.”

6. Mr Chan Tee Seng, Chief Executive Officer, NTUC First Campus Co-operative Ltd said, “This new model will allow us to better support and bring peace of mind to young working families in Punggol by bringing much sought after childcare places into their neighbourhood. My First Skool’s well-researched Birth-to-Three curriculum will also ensure the well-being and active learning of our children in this important window of their development. Our expertise in early years development puts us in a good position to partner MOE in this initiative, and to make an impact on the lives of Singaporeans every day.”

Location of the Early Years Centres and its partner MKs

7. The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) had earlier announced four new large child care centres that will begin construction this year. The two centres in Punggol would be allocated to PCF Sparkletots and MFS respectively as large EYCs, serving children aged two months to four years. Each large EYC will have a capacity of 1,000 child care places.

8. MFS will also open two other EYCs at Punggol Bayview and Waterway Sunray, with a capacity of about 150 childcare places each. PCF Sparkletots Large EYC@Edgefield Plains, MFS Large EYC@Punggol Drive/Punggol Place and MFS EYC@Waterway Sunray are expected to open by mid-2018. MFS EYC in Punggol Bayview is targeted to be in operation by mid-2019. The partner MK(s) for each EYC is listed below:

9. More details will be provided later to parents who register for the new EYCs. Registration for the new large EYCs will be open from the second quarter of 2017, while registration for the new EYCs at Waterway Sunray and Punggol Bayview will open by early 2018 and early 2019 respectively. Registration can be done through ECDA’s online Registration Management System accessible at https://www.childcarelink.gov.sg.