When my children were enrolled in My First Skool (MFS) in 2018, the centre introduced the Bright Horizons Fund (BHF) to me and encouraged me to apply for it. With the help of my FSC Social Worker, I applied for it quite immediately after enrolling my children.

My health situation has meant that I am unable to work, and my husband also just makes a minimal salary. BHF has helped to reduce the family’s financial stress when it comes to the children’s school expenses. My children are able to go to school and I do not need to worry about the school uniforms or the school fees being expensive for me. The subsidy makes fees affordable, and I am grateful for the school uniforms because they let my children proudly belong to a school. They really look forward to going to school every day. The BHF also arranges for You Are Special birthday cakes for the children. They are so excited to receive the cakes every year, so that they can celebrate their birthdays just like any other child. The children love how colourful the cakes are and we all get to enjoy the delicious treats together.

My children have benefited a lot from being at MFS. Before this, it was difficult for my children to attend school. They would cry every day and their attendance in school was very poor. After attending MFS, my older son now speaks a lot more. He is able to share stories and tell me about his day in school. He is able to communicate better with others too. His reading skills have also improved; he is now able to understand what he reads such as following instructions or reading a question that requires solving or finding an answer. I am relieved to see his progress because it reduces my worries for his readiness to enter P1 next year.

Enrolling my children into MFS and applying for BHF has been totally worth it. I would encourage all other low-income families who are considering MFS to just enrol their children. The BHF has really alleviated my financial burden and MFS provides high quality teaching that helps my children in their learning. And not only do they focus on the children, the teachers at MFS and the Child Enabling Executives are also concerned about my emotional and physical health. Having this encouragement has helped to improve my well-being and I am able to support my children better at home.