All MOE Kindergarten branches to be located within primary schools

SINGAPORE — All kindergartens run by the Ministry of Education (MOE) will eventually be co-located in primary schools, after the ministry found that this improves the learning experiences of the pre-schoolers and students.

Right now, 12 of the 15 branches of MOE Kindergarten in Singapore are already co-located in primary schools. This allows both bodies to collaborate on programmes and activities, as well as to share facilities. Three more at Fernvale Link, Yishun and Tampines will be relocated to nearby primary schools starting in 2019.

New ones that open in the future will also follow this arrangement.

Speaking to reporters after a media briefing by the MOE yesterday, Ms Serena Park, the centre head of MOE Kindergarten at Riverside in Woodlands, said that the collaboration with primary schools has helped ease the children’s transition from pre-school to primary school.

For instance, many first-year students at primary schools are expected to be able to spell in the first term of school.

Teachers from Riverside Primary School had learned that the pre-schoolers from MOE Kindergarten at Riverside were mostly recognising words, but were not able to spell them.

They then decided to see how the new Primary 1 students could slowly pick up spelling as they adjust to the new primary school curriculum.

On concerns that pre-schoolers may start learning things that would only be taught in primary school later, Ms Panmeline Wong, the centre head of MOE Kindergarten at Punggol View, said that the kindergarten programmes are very distinct.

They are developed for the respective age groups, and “there is really no ‘pushing down’ of the (primary school curriculum) to kindergarten children”, she added.

The MOE Kindergarten branches were first set up between 2014 and 2016.

The pre-schools allow children to take part in activities that focus on quality interactions, for example, where teachers use prompts and ask key questions to engage them in conversations and to help build on ideas and concepts.

An hour out of the four each day is set aside for bilingual programmes.

A third of the places in the pre-schools are reserved for children from low-income families, where the gross household income does not exceed S$3,500 a month or per capita income does not exceed S$875 per month, and they have to live within 1km of the kindergarten.

Children who qualify for the Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme pay between S$1.50 and S$150 in monthly school fees after subsidies, depending on the gross household income.