ECDA clears childcare centre; photos ‘used out of context’

SINGAPORE — Investigations into allegations of undesirable practices at a childcare centre in River Valley have shown that it complies with the Early Childhood Development Agency’s (ECDA) “regulatory requirements  for safety, health and hygiene”, the agency said on Wednesday (Feb 22).

Its statement came after Sam’s Early Learning Centre issued its own statement to the media earlier in the day to address the allegations relating to photos taken from the centre that had been circulating online recently.

Mrs Samia El-Ibiary, the centre’s director, confirmed that the pictures  were indeed from the centre, but said that they were taken last year and did not paint an “accurate picture” of the events.

The ECDA launched its investigations after the photos surfaced online. Its investigations included conducting unannounced visits to the premises, verification of documents, as well as interviewing children, parents and staff at the centre.

“Our findings are thus far consistent with the explanation put out by the centre earlier today, and the photographs appear to have been taken out of context ... We have also not received adverse feedback about the centre from parents of children currently enrolled at the centre,” an ECDA spokesperson said.

In her statement, Mrs El-Ibiary said the photos are believed to have been posted by a “disgruntled” former female employee who has since returned to China.

Last week, an anonymous netizen posted pictures of rotting fruit and a bare-bottomed child who had defecated but was uncleaned in a cot. The online post, uploaded on Feb 14 on Chinese social media site WeChat, also alleged the pre-school had thrown away milk powder that parents had left to feed their children with.

Calling the captions that accompanied the pictures “disturbing”, Mrs El-Ibiary stressed that there had been no case of abuse, either in the pictures or at the childcare centre.

For instance, what appeared to be rotting fruits in the pictures were, in fact, uncut fruits that were not ready to be served to the children.

The centre buys fruits for the children twice a week, and the fruits will be thrown away if they are found to have gone bad, Mrs El-Ibiary added.

Meanwhile, the toddler pictured in the cot, who was around 18 months’ old while enrolled at the centre last year, had a “habit of pulling his diapers off while in the process of having a bowel movement during his nap time”.

In that particular photo, the teacher had asked the cleaner to clean and wash the child, while the teacher held and distracted him, said Mrs El-Ibiary. 

The toddler and his family have since returned to their home country. TODAY also understands that the former employee left Singapore on Feb 14. 

Referring to photos of students lying down on the floor without mattresses, Mrs El-Ibiary said they were last year’s Kindergarten Two students doing stretching and breathing exercises.
As to the allegation that the school had thrown away milk powder, 

Mrs El-Ibiary said it had been spilled on the counter. The milk powder was later swept and thrown away for hygiene purposes.

In a phone interview with TODAY, Mrs El-Ibiary said: “Every childcare has its own philosophy and practices and we may not do the same things as other centres do (such as letting kids lie on the floor to do exercises) ... It’s just a different (environment).”

Despite some unhappiness by parents about the photographs of the children being published in the media, Mrs El-Ibiary said that many parents had shown “unwavering support”, offering to write petitions and letters in support of the centre. The centre, located at Jalan Mutiara, has been in operation since March 1989.