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24 October 2011

Media Release

NTUC First Campus to Expand its Childcare Centres by 50%

Expansion pace to quicken even as it reaches its 100-centre milestone today

1. Singapore's biggest childcare chain NTUC First Campus Co-operative Limited (NFC) is set to get bigger. To offer quality early childhood care and education services to more families in Singapore, it will open 50 more childcare centres over the next two years - this is about one new centre every two weeks. Enrolment capacity will also increase by 50%.

2. NFC shared its expansion plans today in a celebration to mark its milestone of reaching 100 childcare centres. The 100 childcare centres come under NFC's three core brands: My First Skool (MFS), The Little Skool-House
International (LSH) and The Caterpillar's Cove (TCC). The celebration was held at MFS centre at Bedok North Street 3 Block 503. Mr Lim Boon Heng, Executive Chairman of NTUC Social Enterprise Development Council (SEDC), was the Guest of Honour at the celebration.

3. "NTUC First Campus doubled the size of our network from 50 to 100, within a period of just three years. The NFC team is very proud of this achievement," said Mr Chan Tee Seng, Chief Executive Officer of NTUC First Campus Co-operative Limited. He added, "We are aware that many parents are anxious about getting a place in a good quality and trustworthy childcare centre of their choice. NTUC First Campus is committed to our mission of making quality early childhood care and education services affordable and accessible to families."

4. NFC's growth plan is in line with the Government's plan to expand the childcare sector by 200 childcare centres over five years from 2008. Since its rebranding exercise in early 2009, NFC has expanded rapidly from 50 centres to 101 centres. The number of children enrolled in its centres has also doubled from about 4,500 to 9,000 now.

5. NFC is committed to being not only bigger, but better. During the last three years, it set several firsts in the childcare industry, such as introducing Singapore's first Birth-to-Three Curriculum Framework; implementing a new Chinese Language Curriculum designed by the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language for pre-schoolers; and launching Project Eureka, a teaching approach that encourages a culture of teaching innovations within the childcare network. As a testament of NFC's commitment to provide the highest quality pre-school education, seven of its childcare centres were among the first batch of 24 childcare centres in Singapore to receive the Singapore Pre-school Accreditation Framework (SPARK) certification, a new quality accreditation system introduced by the Ministry of Education, in September this year.

6. Given the high quality curriculum and programmes offered and with the average fee of My First Skool centres pegged at below the national median, NFC offers parents excellent value for money and will continually strive to do so.

7. To meet the manpower needs of the new childcare centres, NFC will recruit over 700 early childhood education professionals in the next two years. The organisation will also continue its focus on lifting childcare and teaching quality. It will set aside $2.5 million for staff academic upgrading and training next year, more than double of this year's $1.1 million. By 2013, it also expects all centres to have 95% of its teachers holding diploma qualifications or in the course of obtaining one; and 90% of principals to be degree-holders or undergraduates.


12 September 2011

Media Release

NTUC First Campus Scores 100% in the Attainment of Singapore Pre-School Accreditation Framework (SPARK) Certification

100% attainment rate in the inaugural batch of SPARK assessment

1. The Ministry of Education (MOE) launched the SPARK framework in November 2010 to recognise pre-schools in their efforts to enhance the holistic development of young children. A key component of SPARK is the Quality Rating Scale (QRS) that examines the effectiveness of pre-school's education system and identifies their strengths and areas for improvement. The quality ratings of pre-schools will enable parents to make informed choices about the pre-schools for their children.
2. NTUC First Campus Co-operative Limited (NFC), Singapore's largest single childcare operator, is proud to share that in the first window assessment period, out of the six childcare centres that attained the Emerging Level in the SPARK Assessment, 50% are NFC's centres. Together with the other four centres of the second window assessment period, a total of seven NFC's centres will be receiving the Certificate of Achievement at the SPARK Ceremony, organised by MOE, on 12 September 2011.

3. My First Skool (MFS) childcare centre at Bukit Batok East is the first MFS centre that underwent the assessment. The centre fared well in all aspects of pre-school education, namely Leadership, Planning & Administration, Staff Management, Resources, Embargoed till 12 September 2011, 6.45pm Curriculum, Pedagogy and Health, Hygiene & Safety; with excellent performance in Leadership, Staff Management and Curriculum. In the centre, all teachers were involved in the planning and monitoring of teaching and learning practices, not just the Principal. The Principal also personally observes the classes being conducted and provides feedback to teachers with concrete follow-up actions. She also plays an active role in planning the centre staff deployment plan, thus the centre was able to manage both planned and unplanned absence of teachers. At the centre, teachers provide many opportunities for children to engage in meaningful activities and communicate their findings with their peers and teachers.

4. Besides MFS Bukit Batok East, The Little Skool-House (LSH) At-Mountbatten-Square is one of the two LSH centres that attain the Emerging Level in the SPARK assessment at the first assessment window. Likewise, the centre also fared well in all the seven aspects of pre-school education. In the area of Staff Management, the centre's Principal proactively plans and sends staff to training based on each staff's professional development map that has been developed. At the centre, mathematical concepts and skills were reinforced by teachers using different learning context and through teachable moments, for example, the teachers reminded the children to count the number of steps as they moved to the playground. Teachers will also provide opportunities to support children's understanding of the curriculum topic by getting children to think and reflect on the subject matter.

5. "At NFC, we are committed to provide the highest quality education, programme and service. Since 2006, we implemented a quality assurance system that focuses on teachers' training and quality audit. We have developed an internal quality audit tool that we call QCC, which refers to Quality Care Check, to assess our programmes, operations and learning environments annually. With the introduction of the SPARK Framework by MOE, we revised our QCC and mapped it to the quality indicators in the Quality Rating Scale," said Ms Lynn Heng, NFC's Group Professional Leadership Officer. She added, "We will continue to enable and support our teaching staff to use and improve good practices. Through a culture of continuous improvement that is driven by high expectations, we will be able to achieve better quality outcomes so that all children may enjoy a high quality learning experience."

Moving Forward Plans and Target

6. As part of NFC's on-going effort in ensuring high level of quality assurance, internal assessment of all NFC's childcare centres are conducted to ascertain the level of the SPARK framework that each centre could attain so as to plan for their assessment application accordingly. NFC's target is to have at least 75% of all our centres attaining the SPARK Certificate of Achievement by 2015.


18 August 2011

Media Release

NTUC First Campus to Pioneer Innovative Early Childhood Teaching Practices in Singapore

Project Eureka to benefit over 11,000 pre-schoolers and 1,600 pre-school educators

1. NTUC First Campus Co-operative Limited (NFC), Singapore's largest single childcare operator, announced the launch of an initiative to pioneer innovative teaching practices in early childhood care and education at its childcare centres. Code-named "Project Eureka", the initiative's pilot phase saw two My First Skool (MFS) centres equipped with additional resources and a "Eureka Studio" at each centre to develop new teaching approaches that extend beyond the regular curriculum. Over time, such promising teaching practices will be shared with the rest of NFC network of over 100 centres. This will benefit over 11,000 pre-schoolers, and 1,600 teachers and principals.

Project Eureka: Inspiring a Culture of Innovation in Early Childhood Care and Education

2. Project Eureka is conceived by NFC's in-house education specialists to inspire a culture of innovation within the network. The selected MFS centres will have a Practice Leader, a pre-school teacher who will lead, mentor and guide his/her peers in extending the core curriculum with creative teaching and learning practices, based on different themes. In addition, these centres will have a dedicated space, a "Eureka Studio", that is equipped with customised furniture and equipment to serve as a focal point for children's projects. Upon evaluation of the effectiveness of the teaching strategies discovered, promising practices will be shared with teachers and principals in NFC's network of over 100 childcare centres across the island.

3. To-date, two Eureka Studios have been established. The first one, set up at MFS Marine Terrace Blk 18 and commenced operations in January this year, is based on the theme of Green Education. One of the projects involved children experimenting and learning about the use of different eco-friendly materials to make shoes. The teachers explored ways of using recycled materials as teaching tools and in set up of the learning environment. The children also discussed about the recent Earthquake in Japan and even wrote letters to express their consolation and encouragement to the victims. The second Eureka Studio, set up at MFS Holland Drive Blk 18A and was operationalised in April this year, is based on using technology in teaching. (Refer to Annex for details of the two Eureka Studios.)

4. "A key strength of being a large network is that our centres have access to a consistent and tested curriculum which is developed over many years. However, it is critical that we create a space for our educators to discover new ways to extend the curriculum, and to make teaching more effective and learning more engaging," said Ms Lynn Heng, NFC's Group Professional Leadership Officer. She added, "Through Project Eureka, teachers will discover, learn and develop promising practices that nurture children's innate sense of curiosity and confidence. By disseminating the knowledge and promising practices gleaned, we hope to be a pace-setter in promoting a culture of innovation within the network."

Project Eureka: Technology for Early Education

5. Project Eureka: Technology for Early Education sets several firsts in a Singapore pre-school centre, from a touch screen table to classroom management concept that allows teachers to manage the interactive devices to track and document the children's works. Children at MFS Holland Drive are able to tap on tools such as interactive whiteboards, touch screen table and digital cameras to investigate and learn about topics such as bones and germs. In one of the projects, through the use of digital cameras, the children learnt concepts such as focus, spatial awareness, fine motor skills, framing, and the capturing of information to review and document their own learning experiences themselves. This harnessing of technology to empower children towards self-directed learning is made possible through a close partnership between NFC, Microsoft Singapore and HeuLab Pte Ltd.

6. Ms Serene Chan, Principal of MFS Holland Drive, said, "Project Eureka provides a platform for our teachers to extend and deepen our children's learning as the children take on the role of investigator in their own learning journeys. It provides ample opportunities for discussions which are led by children and facilitated by teachers. As a result, two-way learning took place whereby teachers also get to learn from children as they discover the thought processes of the young ones. I am glad that we are developing our children to be self-directed learners of the future."

7. Managing Director of Microsoft Singapore, Ms Jessica Tan, shared, "As digital natives, the next generation of learners demand that the learning process be highly interactive and innovative to stay engaged. Microsoft has had a long standing partnership with education institutions in Singapore from primary to tertiary level. Combining the best of curriculum with the best of interactive technology has proven time and time again to transform how students learn, with great results. This is our first partnership to bring advanced learning enabled by technology to pre-schools, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to co-develop and pilot this initiative with NTUC First Campus."

8. Added Mr Winston Chung, Head of Sales, HeuLab Pte Ltd, "Our collaboration with NTUC First Campus fits in perfectly with our strategy to extend our educational solutions into the pre-school segment, which is part of the education ecosystem. It is important to look at it through the spectrum of the pre-school curriculum innovation with the aim to enhance learning processes and structures to bring about engaged learning with the young children. With these valuable insights, we will continue to build upon our strong partnership with NTUC First Campus and Microsoft in pre-school ICT innovation."

9. The official announcement of Project Eureka by NFC was made at the official opening of MFS centre at Holland Drive Blk 18A. The opening ceremony was graced by Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Mr Chan Chun Sing.

Growing an Innovative Community of Teachers and Pre-schoolers

10. Project Eureka is one of NFC's on-going efforts to refresh, evolve, and extend its curriculum and teaching practices. Teachers and pre-schoolers can look forward to a shared pool of innovative ideas and practices to reinforce pre-schoolers learning experiences and competencies. A third Eureka Studio will be set up in the fourth quarter this year. NFC will constantly evaluate the initiative and decide if more Eureka Studios will be set up.



06 August 2011

Media Release

A Collaborative effort towards helping Earthquake victims

The Little Skool-House International enriches Anderson Junior College students with knowledge to help rebuild nursery

1. Forty-four students from Anderson Junior College (AJC) visited The Little Skool-House International (LSH) At-The-Hub to learn more about the centre's practices so as to help their efforts at an earthquake-struck village, Wirokerten, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This initiative will help about 20 children, aged between 3 to 5 years, in the village to benefit from a simple pre-school programme. Through today's visit at LSH, the AJC students learnt about the set up of pre-school classes and what makes a good learning environment for children.By applying this knowledge, the students will be able to help improve the village's nursery infrastructure. Besides learning about the physical set-up of classes, the students also learnt about how to maintain safety and hygiene standards in a pre-school environment. They were also encouraged to raise questions and clarify issues with the LSH staff team, given that this was the first time that they were viewing a pre-school centre.

Every child deserves an education


2. The Principal of LSH At-The-Hub, Ms Pearlynn Loy, readily agreed to help and assist this cause as a way to reach out to the innocent children who have suffered during the earthquake. With the rebuilding of the nursery in Wirokerten, the children there will be able to have a better environment, which will enhance their learning experiences. "Even though these children live in simple conditions, we believe that every child is equal and should be given a chance to be heard and educated," she said. "By having the AJC students learn about what we have at our centre and bringing the knowledge to Wirokerten, the children in the earthquake zone will have the opportunity to be educated in an environment that is conducive to their growth and development. We are privileged to be able to contribute to the lives of the Indonesian children even in this small way, and we hope that the children will be encouraged to live optimistically and become strong individuals both physically and emotionally, despite the hardships that they have gone through."

3. Mr Edwin Chia, the project leader from AJC, believes that this collaboration with LSH will better prepare his students for the International Service-Learning (ISL) trip, which will run for two weeks at the end of this year "After the visit to LSH, our students are better equipped to help the village in Wirokerten," he said. "By learning more about childcare education in a pre-school setting, we now understand what makes for quality early childhood education and will apply it in our lessons when teaching the children in Wirokerten. Also, by using LSH as a bench mark towards improving the nursery in the village, we will be able to encourage the children and make a positive impact towards the village's future education."


05 July 2011

Media Release

NTUC First Campus Introduces Singapore's First Birth-to-Three Curriculum Framework
Developed specially for infants and toddlers from birth to three years old

1. Singapore, 5 July 2011 – A new curriculum framework, known as "Learning for Life: Birth-To-Three Curriculum Framework", has been developed by NTUC First Campus (NFC) with guidance from an international infant care expert, and support from the National University Hospital (NUH). With the launch of the framework today, parents can expect the quality of infant care service to reach a new level of professionalism.

2. In view of a growing pool of working parents, as well as greater demand and higher expectations on infant care service, NFC recognises the need for a framework that is developed specially for infants and toddlers.

As of May this year, our network of 49 centres with infant care service had a total enrolment of 359 toddlers and infants, representing about 19% of total infant care enrolment in Singapore. Our total number of childcare centres offering infant care service, and total number of enrolment grew by more than three times over the last three years.

Learning for Life: Birth-to-Three Curriculum Framework
3. Developed specially for infants and toddlers from birth to three years old, the framework concentrates on relationship building and experiences that are co-created between the child and teacher. The central elements of the framework are anchored on three areas - relationship-building between teacher and child to encourage the child to interact with the teacher, creating experiences for the child to promote the child's involvement in his/her own learning process, and changing the way routine care is performed to create purposeful interaction between the child and teacher.

4. A team of early childhood professionals, led by Dr Melinda Eng of NFC, developed the framework over the last two years. It integrates the expert knowledge from an international infant care consultant, Dr Pamela Winter, and perspectives of medical professionals from NUH. Dr Pamela Winter, with over two decades of experience in early childhood education, is a specialist with research on curriculum quality for infant care. Following the launch of the new birth-to-three framework, Dr Pamela Winter will be sharing her wealth of practice and experience in early year education with infant care teachers during an infant care teachers' seminar to be held in July.

Pilot Implementation Findings
5. For about two months, one My First Skool (MFS) and two Little Skool-House International (LSH) childcare centres were involved in the pilot implementation that took place in April this year. Training was provided to infant care teachers on how to implement the new framework at their centres.

6. From observations of the pilot implementation, preliminary findings affirmed that purposeful interactions between teacher and child create a secure and supportive environment which encourages the child to explore and experiment with objects in the environment. The area of self-exploration by the child enlarges as the child feels more assured and secure. This creates an enriching and proactive learning experience for the child, which maximises their learning potential and develops their foundation for later development and future success in learning.

Roll-out Plans
7. The findings of the pilot implementation will be used to enhance the training programme of 218 infant care teachers in NFC's current network of 51 childcare centres that provide infant care service as the framework gets implemented progressively across the network. Infant care teachers' seminars and workshops will be conducted bi-monthly for the rest of this year, starting with the inaugural sessions in July. The birth-to-three framework will be implemented in all MFS and LSH centres by the end of next year.

8. Ms Lynn Heng, Group Professional Leadership Officer of NTUC First Campus said, "We saw an increase in demand for infant care services in recent years. As the largest childcare operator, we are committed to raise the quality of infant care service. Hence today we introduce our "Learning for Life: Birth-to-Three Curriculum Framework", a framework developed specially for very young learners from birth to three years old." She added, "As we roll out this framework across our network of centres and progressively train all our infant care teachers, we hope to professionalise this profession and raise the level of infant care service. With a higher level of infant care service, parents will have a greater peace of mind that their young children are well looked after in our centres."


18 June 2011

Media Release

Singapore "Kidz Make the Difference"
My First Skool teaches pre-schoolers, as young as three, important philanthropic values in an ever competitive world

Largest gathering of pre-schoolers and families in Singapore

1. Singapore, 18 June 2011 – Singapore's largest pre-school operator My First Skool (MFS) today hosted about 7,000 families as part of its annual "Kidz-In-Charge" flagship event to inculcate the value of philanthropy among pre-schoolers.

2. This is the largest gathering of pre-school children in Singapore since this annual event began in 2005, involving children and families of 77 MFS centres. Participation by pre-schoolers and their families have almost tripled since the first event. The turnout also reflects the crucial and growing relationship between parents and MFS over the years.

Theme - Kidz Make the Difference
3. The theme for this year's event, now in its seventh year, is "Kidz Make the Difference". The event, hosted at Sengkang Riverside Park, marks the culmination of a series of similar related activities held since early June.

4. The chosen theme aptly reflects MFS' belief that caring and sharing behaviours can be learnt and taught at all ages, from infancy onward throughout life. Evidence shows that the roots of learning philanthropic behaviour begin with an infant's capacity for developing empathy which is learned through being cared for, and later being taught by the examples or messages of trusted adults, namely the parents and caregivers.

5. Over the past few years, this annual event embodied themes which had national and social relevance. For example, the 2010 event carried a sports theme, coinciding with Singapore's hosting of the first world Youth Olympics. (See Fact Sheet for past event themes)

6. "Understanding and embarking on philanthropy gives children the power to make a difference in their surroundings and in society. It has become an integral part of many disciplines, and by embedding it into the curriculum of My First Skool, it will provide meaning to the children and bring a positive impact to their character development," said Lynn Heng, Group Professional Leadership Officer of NTUC First Campus Co-operative Limited.

Anchor Event
7. At this morning's finale event, 7,000 families gathered at Sengkang Riverside Park which was decorated with colourful lamp post banners designed by MFS's pre-schoolers themselves. Each banner carried a specific philanthropic value such as respect, caring, giving, honoring diversity, helping others, fairness, responsibility and trustworthiness.

8. The pre-schoolers led their families to walk along a pre-designated trail and participated in activities at booths that were specially set up along the trail. After completing the booths' activities, the pre-schoolers were given items, namely dry rations like biscuits, canned mushrooms and bake beans, and stationeries like pencils. These items were later deposited at a centralised collection point for donation to charitable organisations such as Chen Su Lan Methodist Children's Home, Canossaville Children's Home, Salvation Army Grace Haven and Club Rainbow.

9. Beyond completing the walk and partaking in booths' activities, our children were reminded of the importance of undertaking philanthropy in their lives. This is part of the key goal of MFS to immerse pre-schoolers into contemporary curriculum, experiential learning and equipping them with process-orientation skills.

Pre-Event Activities
10. Plans for this year's activities began in earnest earlier this quarter, resulting in all its centres conducting a centrally themed activity.

11. A series of pre-event activities were organised in all MFS centres to develop the pre-schoolers' philanthropic values and provide the direction that they need to move forward in understanding and wanting to help others.

12. For example, My First Skool at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 planned and organised its event under the sub-theme of "Green Fashion". In its effort, pre-schoolers were involved in designing and making outfits out of recyclable materials. This activity linked philanthropy to caring for the environment.

13. Parents were engaged in this programme where they were encouraged to bring items such as canned food to exchange for various creative works produced by the pre-schoolers. These items were subsequently donated to selected charities in the neighbourhood as part of the community partnership programme.

Future Plans
15. Looking ahead, MFS plans to continue to help pre-schoolers internalise philanthropic motivations and values through community work. This is expected to run for a further three years with the community near to individual centre.

18 April 2011

Joint Media Release

A Pilot Chinese Language Curriculum for Pre-schoolers to Learn Chinese as a Second Language

- A Joint Collaboration between Singapore Centre for Chinese Language and NTUC First Campus
1. Singapore Centre for Chinese Language (SCCL) developed a new Chinese language curriculum that enables children to learn Chinese language in a different way. The lesson units revolve around storybooks which evolve and extend into their daily lives. Today, SCCL has inked an Agreement with NTUC (National Trade Union Congress) First Campus (NFC) to pilot this new curriculum in The Caterpillar's Cove, a child development and study centre by NFC.

Curriculum with a difference

2. Specially designed for Singaporean pre-schoolers from predominantly English-speaking families, the SCCL Story-based Curriculum (SSBC) aims to interest and motivate them in the learning of the Chinese language and eventually help them to establish a good foundation in Chinese language. SSBC uses stories as the core component to engage learners and sustains their interest through a variety of developmentally appropriate learning activities, including shared reading, dramatisation, information and communications technology (ICT), story creation etc. Learners will be exposed to a wide repertoire, including fairy tales, fables, folklores, myths and picture storybooks.

3. "This innovative Chinese Language curriculum aims to first trigger the child's interest through listening and creation of stories, and then to transfer the language learnt in the stories to their daily life later" said Dr Chin Chee Kuen, Executive Director, Singapore Centre for Chinese Language.

Pilot Implementation at The Caterpillar's Cove

4. The Agreement between NFC and SCCL covers two main areas. Primarily, the new Chinese language curriculum developed by SCCL will be piloted in The Caterpillar's Cove for a period of five years, with the intention for it to be adopted by other NFC centres. NFC will facilitate SCCL in obtaining data to measure the effectiveness of the curriculum. a. Before implementation, SCCL will observe the current curriculum methodology. SCCL will also train the Chinese teachers at The Caterpillar's Cove to equip them with the knowledge and skills to implement the new curriculum. b. The new Chinese language curriculum will be adopted for Kindergarten One (K1) children in The Caterpillar's Cove from September 2011. The curriculum will be rolled out to other pre-school levels subsequently in phases.

5. "The Caterpillar's Cove, being a child development and study centre, strives to discover and advocate best practices in early childhood education to promote children's optimal learning and development. The new Chinese curriculum developed by SCCL will help our children at The Caterpillar's Cove (TCC) acquire Chinese language in an engaging and fun way through the use of stories," said Mr Chan Tee Seng, Chief Executive Officer, NFC.



22 March 2011

Media Release

Pre-schoolers Doing Their Part to Help Earthquake and Tsunami Victims

Six-year-old pre-schoolers plan donation drive to raise funds for the victims in Japan

1. Twenty-nine Kindergarten Two (K2) pre-schoolers at The Little Skool-House International (LSH) By-the-Vista are doing their part to help the earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan. Over a period of two weeks (21 March – 5 April 2011), they will raise funds by helping their parents with household chores such as sweeping the floor, folding clothes, washing dishes. After tallying the total funds collected, contributions will be made to the Singapore Red Cross Society.

 Little tots with a big heart

 2. As part of the LSH literature-based
 curriculum, the K2 students from LSH

By-the-Vista engaged in a meaningful spin-off activity from a storybook entitled "Forgotten Forest", which touches on global warming. Through the story, students learnt about natural disasters, the cause and effect of human actions that harm or benefit the environment. As an extension to the lesson, a newspaper article on the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan was read to the students to further illustrate the topic.

3. After listening to the article, the students felt for the victims and wanted to lend a hand to help them. During a class discussion, they decided to conduct a fundraising activity to pool a sum of money to the Singapore Red Cross Society for the victims in Japan. With the facilitation of their teachers, the K2 students started to brainstorm ideas and concluded that they will raise funds by helping with household chores at home. Appended to this release are drawings done by the students on what they plan to do at home to raise funds.

4. Interviews with the K2 students, teacher(s) and/or parents can be arranged.

Drawings by K2 students of Little Skool-House International (LSH) By-the-Vista on household chores that they will do at home to help raise funds

 

21 January 2011

Media Release

SINGAPORE'S FIRST
INNOVATIVE HOLISTIC OUTDOOR LEARNING

1. The People's Action Party Community Foundation (PCF) Little Wings will be showcasing its unique experiential outdoor activities of their newest pre-school at Bukit Timah Block 305 on 23 January 2011, Sunday morning, to the residents of Bukit Timah constituency. Guest of Honour, Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Education, Second Minister for Defence and Deputy Leader of the House will be present to officiate the opening of the centre. The centre's focus on outdoor activities will benefit not just pre-schoolers of PCF Little Wings but those in the estate as well.

First-of-its-kind in Singapore - Bukit Timah's Purpose-Built Multi-Stations Playground

2. A child's first six years is the development stage whereby the foundation of knowledge is built and skills are inculcated. The immediate environment, with appropriate games and play equipment, plays an essential role in a child's developmental years. To a common person, a playground is a place where children swing, slide and play until they run out of energy. But early childhood specialists in psychoanalysis, sociology and constructivism regard the playground as a setting where children develop their motor skills, cognitive abilities and social skills which aid the development of self-mastery and resilience to emotional upheavals.

3. A one-of-its-kind, purpose-built multi-station playground will be built at the new centre. The playground will be fully equipped with the latest children's play equipment and systems that will provide a setting for children to express their creative minds and hone their physical and social skills holistically. Refer to Annex A for photos of the play stations.

4. One unique feature of the playground is the Jump and Touch station. From this physical activity of jumping and touching the bars, sensory integration will occur subconsciously in children as they need to perceive the height of the bar for the brain to associate this memory with their past memories of how high to jump in order to reach it. This sensory integration is not automatic and unconscious; and without practice, children are likely to miss the bar.

Nature Environment in Bukit Timah

5. Learning will be brought out from the classrooms to the community garden and natural environment in Bukit Timah whereby pre-schoolers from as young as 3 years old would be exposed to gardening skills such as planting, composting and general tending of plants. The older age groups will be brought through a learning journey from planting and harvesting fruits and vegetables to cooking it.

6. At the opening event, a PCF Little Wings pre-schooler will play host and guide Minister Ng on how to build a terrarium using a container to hold small plants plucked from the garden, and animals found in the garden. The terrarium is part of a curriculum project, named 'Green Innovation', which was a finalist for the Ministry of Education's (MOE) innovation grant1 for pre-schools last year.

7. "Through our outdoor learning possibilities such as gardening with senior residents, and playground activities with peers and neighbourhood children, we could not only develop the children's learning potential but also allow us to build a strong community spirit in Bukit Timah." said Ms Urmila Devi D/O Mahatam Rai, Principal of PCF Little Wings Bukit Timah Childcare Centre Blk 305.

 

20 January 2011

Media Release

NTUC First Campus venture into new media to attract the Z-generation with Facebook game

NTUC First Campus (NFC) launched a facebook game, called ‘Skool Dash', to give players a taste of challenges faced by pre-school teachers in a childcare centre. Making its debut at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Career Fair today, Skool Dash introduces the early childhood care and education field to a new generation of graduates in a fun and engaging manner. NFC's revolutionary venture into using new media to attract potential candidates demonstrates the organisation's progressiveness in keeping up with fast-changing times.

Game with A Difference

Conceptualised by a group of early childhood care and education professionals from NFC, Skool Dash took more than seven months to develop. The game developer worked closely with the NFC team and spent time at our childcare centres to get first-hand insights of a typical day in a childcare teacher's life.

  


Skool Dash tests players' coordination and responsive skills. It is presented in a childcare setting with four different zones: dining, playing, studying and sleeping. The aim of the game is to satisfy each child's needs and players will earn 'badges' to mark their achievements. For example, the Naturally Enthusiastic Badge denotes that a player was able to answer each child's needs in less than four seconds for a duration of two minutes.

  


"For Generation Z, often referred to as the digital generation, internet is a common place for them. Social networks and online games have become "The" way to engage with friends. To attract and engage this group of "digital natives", we have taken an innovative approach." said Ms Geraldine Lee, Chief Human Resource Officer, NTUC First Campus. She continued, "We hope to bring visibility of the early childhood care and education profession to the younger generation through our facebook game Skool Dash. By playing the game, potential candidates can have a better understanding of the early childhood care and education profession while having fun and be inspired to embark on the profession."

At the game debut at the job fair, players had a go at the game and two movie tickets was given to the top scorer at every hour interval; and the top scorer of the day walked away with an instant camera.

You may have a go at Skool Dash at this link on facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/skool_dash/

 

11 January 2011

From Teacher to Principal, The First Campus Way!

 

11 December 2010

Media Release

Pre-schoolers doing their part to help 12,400 needy children

6-year-old pre-schoolers plan and organise charity drive to raise funds for less privileged children

December is the season of giving and 1,191 pre-schoolers at The Little Skool-House International (LSH) are doing their part to help the less privileged children. Over a period of two months (August – September), they have raised a total of $8,738.09 for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund through a series of fundraising activities planned by 361 Kindergarten 1 and 2 students. After tallying the proceeds, on 11 December 2010 at The Little Skool-House International Central Cluster Graduation Concert, three Kindergarten 2 (K2) representatives, together with LSH Chairman, Mr Kee Teck Koon and the Guest of Honour (GOH), Mr Baey Yam Keng, Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC, presented the cheque to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

Little entrepreneurs with a big heart

As part of the LSH literature-based curriculum, the students from ten LSH centres engaged in a meaningful spin-off activity from a storybook entitled "Isabel's Carwash", which tells a story of a little girl who started her own car wash business and doubled the initial investments that her friends made. Through the story, students learned about the concept of money, and how money can be earned. As an extension to the curriculum, a newspaper article on The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund was read to the students to further illustrate how money can be used for a good cause.

After listening to the article, the students were motivated to do something to help these needy children financially and decided to do fundraising activities for the charity. With the facilitation of their teachers, the K1 and K2 students started to plan and organise various events, which included food fiestas, fun fairs and an art gallery, where they sold donated toys, self-baked cookies and self-made craftwork to students from other classes and parents. The K2 students from LSH Ang Mo Kio centre even staged a puppet show for parents who visited their charity event. They took two months (August – September) to conceptualise and execute these activities.

"Our K2 students are getting ready to go to Primary 1 and therefore handling money is something they need to know about as part of their preparation for school," said Miss Geraldine Teo, Education Development Specialist at NTUC First Campus. She continued, "Through this spin-off activity, we also aim to foster entrepreneurship and a community spirit amongst our student."

Graduation ceremony

On 11 December, parents from the three central cluster centres (LSH At-OCBC-Centre, LSH At-the-Park and LSH On-the-Hill) gathered at NTUC Centre Auditorium to witness the graduation celebration of their children's achievements. A total of 94 Kindergarten 1 and 2 students participated in today's concert performance; out of which 51 are graduates.

At the graduation concert, a cheque presentation ceremony was made by three K2 representatives, together with LSH Chairman, and the GOH. A donation cheque of $8,738.09 was presented to the representative from The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

 

23 July 2010

Media Release

Over 1,000 Preschool Educators Will Benefit
from Multi-track Career Path


NTUC First Campus' Career Theme Park Framework Realises Full Potential of Preschool Educators

1. Singapore, 23 July 2010 - NTUC First Campus Co-operative Limited (NTUC First Campus) officially launched its Career Theme Park multi-track career framework with its over 1,600 staff today, aptly held at the Universal Studios Singapore Theme Park; and announced its latest cohort of preschool educators who made their mark on multi-track career paths, including NTUC First Campus' first Mentor Teacher, a first-of-its-kind position in the early childhood care and education (ECCE) industry. NTUC First Campus' Chief Executive Officer Chan Tee Seng also shared the results of the organisation's recent employee survey with all employees at the staff engagement event.

Multi-track Career Path Epitomises NTUC First Campus' People-Focused Value

2. The three career tracks that NTUC First Campus preschool educators can embark on are the teaching, leadership, and curriculum paths. Two new positions, Mentor Teacher and Senior Principal, are created in the teaching and leadership paths respectively; NTUC First Campus is the first in the industry to introduce such a scheme.

3. Mentor Teachers are positive role models who are strong in teaching and possess the aptitude to impart their knowledge and experience to younger teachers by providing feedback and coaching them on lesson delivery and children management. Mentor Teachers also have the opportunity to assist in the setup of centres and evaluate overall learning programmes.

4. Ms Michelle Thomas, 28, from The Caterpillar's Cove, was promoted to be NTUC First Campus' first Mentor Teacher. Started her career as an English Teacher in 2002, Michelle's last position was a Senior English Teacher. Delighted with her new position, Michelle said, "My passion lies in teaching and sharing of my experiences. I thought that a Senior Teacher is the furthest I can progress on the teaching path. But now with this new role, I will be learning to support the professional growth and development of teachers, especially that of beginning teachers and fresh graduates."

5. Teachers who showed strength and interest in researching, assessing and designing curricula, teaching materials, and educational programmes can also excel on the curriculum path. Ms Kou Ye, 44, is one teacher who progressed from a Chinese Teacher in 2001 to a Curriculum Officer after 11 years in the profession. As a people developer organisation who believes in investing in employees' development and upgrading, NTUC First Campus sponsored Ms Kou Ye for her Diploma in Pre-school Teaching and Chinese Bachelor Degree.

6. Since 2008, NTUC First Campus has been investing steadily in staff development and upgrading, with sponsorship and scholarship amounting to close to more than $1.5 million from 2008 to June this year.

Staff Engagement Survey Findings Affirms NTUC First Campus as an Employer of Choice

7. NTUC First Campus, the industry's leading preschool operator, conducted an employee survey[1] in early March this year and saw responses from over 90% of the staff. Key findings ranked NTUC First Campus favorably as an employer of choice, particularly in the areas of pay and rewards, and career development.

8. In the area of pay and reward, the favourable score received by NTUC First Campus was 20 percentage points higher than Singapore National Norm[2]; and when it comes to career development, NTUC First Campus's favourable score was 10 percentage points higher than the Singapore National Norm too.

9. Mr Chan Tee Seng, Chief Executive Officer, NTUC First Campus said, "This year's survey results gave a clear indication that our initiatives in raising the pay and benefits for our early childhood professionals last year were well-received. And this year, our focus is on helping our staff to live their aspirations by realising their potential in areas that they have the greatest strength and interest, hence the birth of the Career Theme Park Framework." He added, "We're very encouraged to learn from our staff that we're on the right track, and will continue to make early childhood a profession a career of choice and NTUC First Campus an employer of choice."

 

21 June 2010

NTUC FIRST CAMPUS TO MAKE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION A CAREER OF CHOICE

• Leading pre-school operator's strategy to attract and retain talents is paying off
• Embarking on providing Structured Career Progression Opportunities and Options for the early childhood professionals

NTUC First Campus, Singapore's largest early childhood industry player, announced today the introduction of its structured and diverse career tracks for early childhood professionals. This comes as the next key strategic initiative after its focus last year on ensuring that the salary of the early childhood professional was able to attract and retain quality talents into the industry.

"In 2009, we raised the entry pay for teachers with Diploma in Early Childhood Care & Education – Teaching (DECCE-T) and Diploma in Early Childhood Care & Education, Leadership (DECCE – L) to be comparable with their cohorts with Diplomas or Degrees in other sectors. The improvement in pay has been well-received but we recognize that job satisfaction and having good career prospects are equally important if we are to make early childhood education a career of choice. We are creating career options to match their aspirations and to attract more talent to build a life-long career with us. With this, we hope to develop, recognise and retain teachers with the potential to assume key leadership positions," said Mr Chan Tee Seng, NTUC First Campus' Chief Executive Officer.

NTUC First Campus is opening 46 new childcare centres this year from its 54 centres in 2009, bringing the total number of centres by the end of this year to 100. Ten centres were opened in January 2010 and they are fully staffed with about 75% enrolment within 6 months of opening.

Improved recruitment, retention, and quality

NTUC First Campus is confident of meeting its target of recruiting 350 new pre-school teachers and 100 infant care teachers from now to end 2010. To date, it has secured 70% of the critical positions needed for these new centres. On-going efforts are in place to fill the remaining positions.

More early childhood education professionals are keen to stay on and build their careers with the industry leader, as efforts to recognize and groom staff bear fruit. The attrition rate has dropped by a third, from 30% in 2008 to 20% in 2009. Despite the large number of new hires in 2010, NTUC First Campus aims to maintain its retention rates.

Professionals and graduates are seeing NTUC First Campus as their employer of choice. In the second half of 2010, some 85 candidates who have undergone the Professional Conversion Programme funded by SPURS, and supported by MCYS, will join NTUC First Campus, after completing a 12 month accelerated programme in Professional Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (PDECCE). These mid-career entrants have Diploma or Degree qualifications from local and overseas institutions and prior experience in other industries before they switched to be early childhood professionals. This year, of the cohort of 62 graduates from the Wheelock Bachelor of Science Degree Programme, 24 of them (or four in ten) are joining NTUC First Campus. The graduates from the Wheelock Bachelor of Science Programme are generally recognized as the cream of the crop among the pre-service group of students entering the early childhood field.

"We are very gratified to be able to attract more people to join the early childhood profession, and in particular, NTUC First Campus. They join us because they have a strong passion to work with young children. In the last two years, we have made the pay and benefits better and more competitive. But beyond passion and pay, we must make early childhood a meaningful career, and let people grow with us. This is our focus for the next phase of our development and we will announce a series of initiatives to our staff next month", said Mr Chan.

Career Tracks provides wide career opportunities and development

By offering multiple career tracks, opportunities for cross-track movement and new specialized roles, the social enterprise will be the industry's first to provide such wide career options and advancement opportunities for early childhood education professionals on the teaching, specialist and leadership tracks. It also aims to generate greater interest for Singapore's early childhood education profession.

Strengthening teacher and leadership development is the "people" extension of its growth strategy as NTUC First Campus seeks to address an industry-wide manpower shortage. It will introduce new roles in the industry such as Mentor Teacher and Senior Principal. What used to be the pinnacle for teachers as Senior Teachers backed by skills and experience, the progression to Mentor Teacher which are for teachers who are good role models and strong in teaching, opens up a whole new level of contribution for teachers. They have the opportunity of leading in learning centre set-up, advise and evaluate overall learning programmes and provide advice and feedback to teachers on lesson delivery and children management.

"We want to provide our professionals a career in this field where they can grow. LIVE! Your Aspirations in the ‘Land Of Possibilities' in First Campus opens up choices to staff, ‘rides they are comfortable to take'. They can stay and do well as a teacher or they might want to be on an accelerated path of development as a curriculum specialist, take up a role in HQ or a leadership role as a Principal and even as a lecturer in SEED Institute," said Mrs Geraldine Lee, its Chief Human Resource Officer.

With the career tracks and job roles defined, staff will be assessed and developed on the competencies. Staff can plan and be prepared for these roles in advance.

Grow With Us Program

NTUC First Campus has designed a program specifically to groom experienced early childhood teachers into Principals. The six-month program – "Grow With Us" - will roll out in August 2010. To date, it has received 74 applications. Applicants went through a rigorous selection process including ability tests, case studies and panel interview with portfolio presentations. The program will equip these experienced early childhood teachers with business and leadership skills through group strategy sessions, applied workshops, case discussions and life applications as a Principal at the centre. This program is made available to existing teachers with NTUC First Campus and external experienced early childhood teachers who aspire to become Principals. NTUC First Campus will require 40 new Principals by end 2010. A similar programme for experienced teachers to become mentor teachers will be introduced soon.

To celebrate and launch its new initiatives, a staff event will be held on 23 July 2010 at Universal Studios to signify the opportunities within NTUC First Campus as a career theme park. Details of the initiatives will be shared with the 1,500 staff, and team-bonding games and activities held in line with the "Career Theme Park" concept.

 

15 April 2010

(Click here for more information)

 

15 January 2010

NTUC First Campus raises quality of local infant care services through health care partnerships.

Memorandum of Understanding with National University Hospital marks the first local infant care collaboration.

Parents at NTUC First Campus' child care centres will soon have an added level of assurance when it comes to their infants' holistic development.

NTUC First Campus, Singapore's largest child care service provider, announced two major collaborations today:
• A partnership with the National University Hospital (NUH). NUH's University Children's Medical Institute (UCMI) and Dietetics Department will jointly develop a new infant care programme and enhance the training programme for infant care teachers islandwide.
• Separately, NTUC First Campus will also work with a network of retired nurses to enhance its infant care services.

The collaborations are part of NTUC First Campus' strategic direction to raise the bar for its infant care services since the social enterprise accelerated its expansion plans last year. Among its network of 68 pre-school centres, 27 currently offer infant care services. NTUC First Campus expects to double its infant care centres to 50 by the year's end.

NTUC First Campus and NUH to raise infant care standard for its pre-school brands as well as the early childhood education industry

The announcements were made at a ceremony today where NTUC First Campus and NUH signed a Memorandum of Understanding to mark their partnership. This local partnership, the first to be formalised in Singapore, brings together the combined expertise of a leading early childhood institution, and a major health care institution.

"The developmental years of a child are crucial and through this collaboration, we hope to give these children a head-start in life by enhancing the overall standard and quality of early childhood health and education", said Mr Joe Sim, NUH's Chief Executive Officer.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the partnership consists of two main areas:

i. New centre-based infant care programme in NTUC First Campus' infant care centres
NTUC First Campus will develop a new infant care programme in consultation with NUH's UCMI and Dietetics departments for their medical expertise. The team will develop a new infant care programme designed to foster positive parent-teacher-child relationships and holistic development of infant– including areas such as health, safety, nutrition, physical, social, emotional, language and mental development. Professionals from both NTUC First Campus and NUH will jointly review and design daily routines and activities for infants according to their developmental stages. They will also develop assessment tools and guides to help the teachers to address the holistic development of infants.

Infant care teachers will undergo training to equip them with the knowledge and skills to implement the new programme, and learn how to better share and help parents understand their infants' developmental milestones. The UCMI doctors will also conduct scheduled health checks for the infants and extend the UCMI's educational talks and programmes to the parents.

The new infant-care programme will be gradually implemented in NTUC First Campus' network of child-care centres from mid this year. It will start with the Little Skool House International's centres, followed by My First Skool's pre-schools with infant care services.

ii. Enhanced training programme for Singapore's infant care teachers under NTUC's SEED Institute

NTUC's SEED Institute will work with NUH to enhance the syllabus for the Certificate in Infant and Toddler Care and Development (CIT) programme[1]. SEED Institute will offer the new CIT programme from mid-2010.

SEED Institute's lecturers will work with NUH's dieticians, doctors and nurses to co-deliver relevant programme modules, including infants' growth and development milestones, nutritional needs and child safety, to provide infant care teachers with more relevant and up-to-date information in medical care and paediatrics. Infant care teachers will be better able to monitor the overall progress of the infants and toddlers and understand childhood diseases more deeply.

Said Associate Professor Daniel Goh, Head of Department of Paediatrics, University Children's Medical Institute, National University Hospital, "Apart from bringing the best treatments to sick children, UCMI also focuses on early detection and intervention as well as facilitating and enabling optimal child health through education and disease prevention. Our collaboration with NTUC First Campus is very much in line with our vision which is to shape children's health for the future. We hope to be able to impact a large sector of our young in Singapore, the future of our nation."

Dr Melinda Eng, NTUC First Campus' Senior Advisor, Curriculum added, "Fostering positive relationships and experiences will help young children perform and relate better to others. This partnership will enhance our infant-care teachers' awareness of the latest health care knowledge, enabling greater objectivity when gauging infants' progression towards developmental milestones. This awareness will also help them plan programmes that best support the infants' growth and development."

Tapping on Retired Nurses' expertise and experience

NTUC First Campus will also tap on a pool of retired nurses with a wealth of expertise and practical experience in caring for infants. In consideration of its pre-school brands' scale, two implementation approaches have been adopted:

• My First Skool - System of Health & Safety practices for its network
As Child Health Advocates, retired nurses will work with My First Skool's principals and infant care teachers to evaluate, enhance and put in place best practices in health, safety and care. A pilot project in 3 infant care centres: Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio and Yew Tee are in progress. The practices to be implemented will gradually be introduced to the rest of its pre-schools.

• The Little Skool-House International – On-site support
A pilot has begun in two centres, since December 2009, to include retired trained nurse onsite, as part of the infant care team. As Infant Care and Health Officer, the nurse works with the infant care teachers in providing care to the infants, give health and safety advice and share knowledge relating to the provision of care to the infant care givers including parents. Initial response from parents has been positive.

Mr Chan Tee Seng, NTUC First Campus' Chief Executive Officer said: "Caring for infants is not only labour-intensive but a very heavy and onerous responsibility. NTUC First Campus is committed to provide the best care and developmental opportunities for children. As demand for our infant care services grow, it is critical that our teachers are better equipped with the skills, knowledge, and expertise to give parents greater confidence, and ensure the best care for their infants."

14 September 2009

More training opportunities and resources for early childhood education professionals NTUC's SEED Institute supports the pre-school industry to become Bigger, Better and Faster

Singapore's leading Early Childhood Education training institute, NTUC's SEED Institute, will offer more resources and quality upgrading opportunities to Singapore's expanding pre-school teacher pool. NTUC's SEED Institute, formerly known as the Regional Training and Resource Centre in Early Childhood Care and Education for Asia (RTRC Asia), made these announcements today as it opened its expanded premises. Labour Chief and Minister, Prime Minister's Office, Mr Lim Swee Say graced the occasion as its Guest-of-Honour.

With the launch, SEED Institute will set up five Centres of Excellence to support the early childhood education industry, currently preparing for a quantum change following the Government's plans announced last year. The five centres are:

  • Centre for Research and Best Practices,
  • Centre for Continuous Professional Development,
  • Centre for Higher Education,
  • Centre for Professional Qualifications, and
  • the Office for Regional Partnership.
Meeting the industry's needs by getting Bigger

"With the Government's plans to set up 200 new centres by 2011, and have more highly qualified pre-school teachers, NTUC's SEED Institute has grown Bigger to support this goal. We have doubled our capacity to 1,000 new student enrolments annually," said Mr Lim Swee Say, Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress.

Such rapid expansion in capacity will not be possible without a correspondingly bigger group of lecturers. NTUC's SEED Institute hopes to build a sustainable pipeline of quality and highly professional lecturers to meet the growth in demand for quality teachers, and will invest $1.5million over the next three years in Masters Scholarships, tenable at both local and top overseas Universities.

Helping Pre-school teachers become Better

Faced with the evolving needs and increasing demands of parents, many teachers now aspire to continually upgrade their skills and keep their knowledge relevant. The Centre for Continuous Professional Development will help to meet this need. By offering short professional upgrading courses for teachers, the Centre hopes to enable pre-school teachers to remain up-to-date with the latest pedagogical knowledge and practices, and continually hone their knowledge and skills as teachers. These courses will be developed using the Workforce Skills Qualifications framework, and funded by the Singapore Workforce Development Authority. The first programmes will be launched at the beginning of next year, and will focus on Mentoring, and Delivering Family Development Programmes.

Enabling Faster adoption of best practices and innovative ideas

Going beyond the training of early childhood education professionals, SEED Institute also intends to conduct research in the local early childhood education field. These will be done through its newly established Centre for Research and Best Practices. Through this centre, SEED Institute aims to advocate a culture of research amongst the early childhood practitioners

"As the pioneer and leader in training early childhood professionals, RTRC Asia has been the industry's choice training institute for 20 years. Having been the pioneer of many Firsts – First Masters, First Diploma, First regional train-the-trainers programme for early childhood education, First Local early childhood education degree – we hope to continue to pioneer and innovate programmes to provide the support and resources needed by operators and teachers alike, to understand and teach young children more effectively," said Ms Ho Yin Fong, SEED Institute's Academic Director.

 
 
 

12 May 2009

Bringing Kindergarten Learning to New Heights

About 2,200 Kindergarten children from 20 PCF (People's Action Party Community Foundation) centres will benefit from a new and upgraded quality of teaching and learning, designed to enhance their all-round development and readiness for school.

Five PAP constituencies in the Jurong and Bukit Timah areas have combined forces to improve the quality that each PCF centre is capable of delivering by partnering with NTUC First Campus, Singapore's early childhood education industry leader.

Under this partnership, NTUC First Campus provides customised training for teachers, ensures quality and consistency in the delivery of a new curriculum, and helps to create a better physical learning environment.

A launch was held to cement this partnership on 12 May 2009, and the 20 centres are now known as Little Wings.

Over the last 12 months, efforts focused mainly on implementing a consistent curriculum throughout all Little Wings centres. Special attention was paid to training and helping teachers to implement the curriculum and a new way of engaging young children in teaching and learning.

Other improvements implemented include:

  • Requiring each teacher to undergo 250 hours of training to equip them in the requirements of the new curriculum.
  • Setting up of a teacher mentorship system to help teachers translate their learning to classroom settings.
  • Introducing a small group learning approach to allow more effective delivery of lesson objectives and monitoring of children's progress.
  • Producing and developing new learning materials.
 
Click here to download powerpoint - Bringing kindergarten learning to new heights.
 
 

 
14th January 2009

New Chapter for Local Pre-school Industry Leader

NTUC First Campus unveils aggressive plans to meet demand and to support the national initiative to expand and upgrade pre-school education infrastructure and quality.


More job opportunities to be opened, more centres to be located near parents, more training places for teachers, and better remuneration for teachers. These are just some of NTUC Childcare Group's, now known as NTUC First Campus', plans and directions to lead the industry as the pre-school sector faces strong demand and growth despite the financial downturn.

The largest pre-school operator in Singapore announced this during a ceremony today which unveiled the social enterprise's refreshed Brand. As of today, the NTUC Childcare Co-operative Limited will be known as "NTUC First Campus Co-operative Limited". One of its retail brands, NTUC Childcare Centres, will be re-named as "My First Skool". The other brands under the NTUC First Campus stable are "The Little Skool House", "The Caterpillar's Cove", and training institute RTRC Asia.

The occasion was graced by NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say.

A Choice Pre-school: Quality, Accessibility, Affordability

Parents can look forward to seeing more quality centres which are closer to their homes, and at affordable rates. NTUC First Campus will set up 25 more centres in the next 12 to 18 months, which will open up an additional 250 childcare places. This includes centres operated under both My First Skool, and The Little Skool House.

All future My First Skool centres will offer infantcare services. New centres will also offer extended hours if there is demand. To ensure that quality services remain within financial reach of every family, fees for My First Skool will continue to be pegged below the national median. The Bright Horizons Fund, which provided financial support for low income families, will expand its scope to include more families, with the income cap raised from $1,800 to $2,200. It is also in the final stages of getting a major donation from a corporate sponsor.

NTUC First Campus will continue to grow The Little Skool House (LSH) brand, which has grown from two to ten centres within the last two years. Eight of the 25 new centres will be opened by the LSH. The growth of LSH will enable the Labour Movement to serve the needs of all customer segments.

By 2013, 80% of Principals in centres operated by NTUC First Campus will have degree qualifications. In addition, it will put in place a more structured research framework and programme for First Campus.

A Training Institute of Choice: Recognition and Quality Assurance

RTRC Asia has recently been awarded by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) as the first CET Centre for the industry. To meet the anticipated demand, RTRC Asia will increase its training capacity, from the existing 1,400 to 2,000 per year in the next three years. Over the next 5 years, MCYS will provide 50 scholarships each year in diploma and degree courses through RTRC Asia.

RTRC will develop and introduce programmes on continuous professional development, using the Work Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework, to meet the needs of some 8,000 pre-school teachers in Singapore.

Employer of Choice for Pre-school Education Professionals

Pre-school professionals and passionate and talented individuals who are keen to embark on a profession within this industry can look forward to more job openings in view of NTUC First Campus' expansion plans. The social enterprise will embark on a series of job fairs and recruitment drives to fill 350 teaching positions needed with the next 12 to 18 months.

To recognize the professional qualifications of its teachers, NTUC First Campus has also raised the average salaries of teachers with a Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education – Teaching by 8.4%, from $1,700 to $1,843. Graduates with a full-time diploma (in Early Childhood Education - Leadership) will start at $1800 (instead of $1,600), whilst those went on to obtain a Bachelor's qualifications will start at $2,000.

Despite the financial downturn, existing employees can continue to look forward to continued investment in their career development. NTUC First Campus will continue initiatives such as scholarships and training grants to help its staff achieve their potential. In 2009, 10 new scholarships will be awarded for those pursuing Bachelors and Masters qualifications.

NTUC First Campus intends to accelerate career progression for teachers, so that those who have demonstrated good leadership potential can rise to become a Principal within 3 years, instead of 5 years based on current practice.

The above initiatives will cost NTUC First Campus an additional $1.5m in its operating expenditure. These changes are necessary to help NTUC First Campus attract and retain staff, and to deliver a high quality programmes to its customers.

As a group, NTUC First Campus provides the widest range of career opportunities and options for ECE professionals. Starting tomorrow (15 Jan 09), members of the public can visit www.ntucfirstcampus.com for more information.

Refreshing the Group and a Retail Brand

On the refreshing of the brands, Mr Chan Tee Seng, NTUC First Campus' CEO, said "The refreshed name, NTUC First Campus, better reflects the full range of services more accurately. We have evolved from our humble beginnings as a child-caring service, to offering quality services in the early childhood field – in teaching, teachers' training, and research".

"The name changes signals the first of many clear-cut steps we will take to meet the market's demands for quality, affordable and accessible pre-school education. It reflects our commitment to supporting the national goal to expand the national infrastructure for pre-school education, and to cater to a broad segment of the markets. Research has shown that the first six years of a children's development are critical in establishing the foundation for the mental and physical development of children. Having accessible, affordable, and quality pre-school education will make a significant difference to parent's decision to start a family and have more children."

"The essence of the First Campus brand is about developing the relationship between parent, teacher, and child - to help children achieve their full potential by creating an inspiring learning experience", Mr Chan added.

Annex A: NTUC First Campus future plans and directions – key highlights

Choice Pre-school
  • 25 more NTUC First Campus centres in the next 12 to 18 months.
    • 17 new My First Skool centres
    • 8 New Little Skool House centres
    • Childcare places to increase from 5500 to 8000
  • 80% of principals to have degree qualifications and above by 2013.
  • Bright Horizon Funds to be scaled up
    • Expanding the scope to include more families. Income cap to be raised from $1,800 to $2,200, per capita from $450 to $600.
    • Extend temporary help to families affected by the financial downturn.
    • Upcoming major financial boost from corporate sponsor.
  • Infant care services to be available in all future My First Skool centres.
  • Extended operating hours for new centres if there is demand.
  • Fees for My First Skool to continue to be pegged below national median.

Choice Training Institute
  • RTRC Asia is the only institute to provide a full range of courses from certificate, diploma, and degree to Masters Qualifications.
  • Ready to reach 2,500 training places in the next 3 years.
  • The Diploma in Early Childhood Education at Ngee Ann Polytechnic is jointly provided by Ngee Ann Polytechnic and RTRC Asia.
  • RTRC Asia also collaborates with Wheelock College, USA, and University of South Australia, in providing Degree and Masters programme.
  • Develop continuous professional development (CPD) programmes, under the Works Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework, to help upgrade competency of pre-school teachers in Singapore.
  • 50 Scholarships by MCYS tenable at diploma and degree levels

Choice Employer
  • 350 teachers to be recruited
    • Job fairs and recruitment drives to be held to attract teachers, principals, and administrators
    • Mid-career professionals looking to switch to a pre-school industry job are welcome
  • 8.4% increase in average salary of qualified teachers with diploma and above from $1,700 to $1,843.
  • Increase in starting pay of teachers:
    • Diploma (Teaching) from $1,400 to $1,600
    • Diploma (Leadership) from $1,600 to $1,800.
    • Degree from at least $2,000
  • Accelerated career progression
    • Teachers with good potential to be promoted to Principals within 3 years, instead of 5.
  • Broad range of career progression tracks – teaching, specialists, management positions.
  • Opportunities for learning and development, including overseas study visits and training programmes.
  • Continued investment into career development initiatives
    • Scholarships, training grants and loans for pre-school professionals looking to upgrade.
    • 80 hours of training per staff per year.

Annex B: Snapshot of key milestones in NTUC Childcare Group Co-operative
  • In Singapore, NTUC provided childcare services to serve needs of growing working population, when few private enterprises would do so.
  • 1977: NTUC Child Care takes over 10 centres from the then Ministry of Social Affairs.
  • 1984-1986: Pioneered practice of parent involvement in early childhood education through "Parent-Teacher Groups". NTUC started to work out a scheme to allow companies to adopt childcare centres.
  • 1987-1989: First private organisation to be accredited for the Fundamental Course in Childcare and Child Development from the then Ministry of Community Development. Setting up of RTRC Asia 1989. Organised an international seminar on Parent Involvement to promote national awareness on the early childhood scene.
  • 1992: Not wanting any child to be deprived of a quality education, Financial Scheme for Low-income Families at NTUC Childcare Centres was initiated.
  • 1996: Won the Model Company Award for the Childcare Industry. $30,000 raised for charity at the year-end Kindergarten concert.
  • 1999: RTRC signed an agreement with Ngee Ann Polytechnic for the first-ever local Diploma in Early Childhood Education.
  • 2007: Singapore's first Child Study and Development Centre, The Caterpillar's Cove, was set up.
  • 2008: PM's visit and endorsement of NTUC Childcare's services. Enhanced subsidy introduced for working parents with young children.
  • 2009: NTUC Childcare Group takes on a refreshed brand as NTUC First Campus, while one of its retail brand, NTUC Childcare Centres, is now My First Skool.
 
14th January 2009

With effect from 14 January 2009, NTUC Childcare Co-operative Ltd is now known as NTUC First Campus Co-operative Ltd.
Our new name reflects the broad range of services in the early childhood education field offered by the Group.
The NTUC First Campus network comprises the following business units:
My First Skool (formerly NTUC Childcare centres)
The Little Skool-House International (no change in name)
RTRC Asia (no change in name)
The Caterpillar's Cove Child Development and Study Centre (no change in name)
Our vision is to create a joyful and inspiring early learning experience for all, one that fulfils the promise of each child.
Share the moment when we unveiled our new name by browsing through the photos taken at the launch on 14 January 2009.