More support for low-income pre-schoolers at My First Skool

SINGAPORE — Pre-schoolers from low-income families at seven My First Skool centres have been getting more financial, social and developmental support since July, thanks to the presence of five new child-enabling executives.

The childcare chain’s operator, NTUC First Campus, will also continue to offer more parenting workshops to equip parents with practical parenting skills, such as tantrum management and parent-child relationship building.

These initiatives, together with existing support schemes — for example, child developmental programmes in areas such as literacy, speech and social skills — will be grouped under a new Child Support Model. 

Announced by labour chief Chan Chun Sing during a Children’s Day celebration at a My First Skool centre in Chin Swee on Thursday (Sept 29), the model targets children from low-income families, and those with mild developmental needs. 

Mr Chan, who is the National Trades Union Congress’ (NTUC) Secretary-General, said that while one can talk about social equality, which is a “static concept”, it is more important to focus on social mobility to ensure that children from lower-income families can overcome inequality in the years to come through a good foundation in education given to them.

While the new child-enabling executives do not provide any teaching support, they will look after the children’s well-being and ensure that they attend school regularly. 

The executives will also work with parents and community partners to ensure the families get social and financial support to continue sending their children to school, while tracking their developmental progress.

Mr Vicnesh Mathavan, a child-enabling executive at My First Skool in Chin Swee, said: “I find it (his role) very fulfilling. I believe every child has to have access to pre-school education.” About 100 out of the 220 students at the centre are under his care.

The parenting workshops, which began as a pilot in September last year and were developed with NTUC’s Seed Institute, have benefited 205 parents so far.

Offered as a series of workshops over four weeks, the programme will be expanded to 36 My First Skool centres by next year, from the current 13.

About 2,000 children have benefitted from existing programmes in social, developmental and financial areas offered by NTUC First Campus this year. 

In comparison, 560 children benefitted from its various programmes in 2011, when the focus was mainly on supporting the children’s financial needs.