In recent years, there has been a lot of emphasis on the importance of preschool education. You can see different preschools around every corner of Singapore, but what makes a preschool different or better from another?

Culture and environment play an important role in Early Childhood Education

The New Age Parents was invited to My First Skool at Parkway Parade for their Fathers’ Day Celebration. My First Skool is the pioneer childcare arm of NTUC (National Trades Union Congress) and one of the bigger anchor operators for Childcare centres in Singapore. They have a total of 111 centres island-wide (in 2014).

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My First Skool at Parkway Parade Shopping Centre adopts an open concept and maintains frequent communication with parents. Parents are strongly welcome to enter the school every morning as they send their child to class.

They can even have breakfast with their children in the morning at the centre, which is a great opportunity for parents to interact with their child’s classmates and the teachers. It definitely helps to minimise separation anxiety for children as parents are allowed to stay around till the child is ready for school.

Parents are also invited into the school on a monthly basis to visit their child’s classroom environment and explore the learning materials that were designed to engage their child’s learning and development.

On top of this, the centre frequently updates parents via a closed Facebook group where they share updates and photos of the children. It is a great way to gather parents’ feedback directly and reach out to these tech-savvy parents by making the updating of their children’s learning and school activities quick and hassle-free.

Open Engagement to Involve Parents More In Preschool Education

There are a series of parent volunteer programs, events and activities where parents can render their help and expertise to make learning more real and fun for the children. My First Skool believes an involved parent helps to contribute to the child’s life-long learning and overall well-being.

When we were there, the children had woken up from their afternoon nap and were preparing for their Father’s Day Celebration. All the fathers with children from the various levels, ranging from the Toddler class all the way to the Kindergarten two, were seated in the assembly area waiting for their special surprise.

It was a heart-warming moment to see the children standing in front of the crowd, singing and dancing for their special fathers! There were also games organised by the teachers and staff for the father and child to have fun together. The smiles on the fathers’ faces showed how happy and appreciative they are.

These unique initiatives of My First Skool Parkway Parade form part of their special effort to maintain a close relationship with families and involving the parents more in their children’s education which creates a positive preschool environment for children, parents and staff.

For more information on My First Skool, visit here.

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