Your ideal childcare centre

[Gen X]

Hi mums (and dads)

I'm in the process of setting up a childcare centre and would like to hear your opinions on what your ideal centre would be like.

It's a new set-up, not a franchise. So we have the flexibility to do our own thing. Within MCYS guidelines of course. I'm doing this with my mum, who has been an educator for more than 30 years. And my sister, who is an early childhood specialist at MOE, is our unofficial consultant.

At the end of the day, it's all about the kids. I want the centre to be a happy place for them. So please feel free to share your thoughts! Thanks!

 

[diymummy]

Feedback loop to the parents is important. And also walking the talk. Many centers say they do this and that in their curriculum but it is seldom fully delivered and yet parents pay the fees for what they were promised for the kids!

Not just that, the food served is also impt. I see some centers serving hot dogs and luncheon meat. Gawd.. The salt content can kill! Also some even avoid serving green vegetables but the menu I was given says that they serve spinach!

Bottomline, deliver what you promise when you set yours up.

 

[Gen X]

Thanks diymummy, will definitely bear that in mind. Oh and the food will definitely be nutritious with my mum around. My dad calls her a health nut!

 

[diymummy]

May I ask where is your center gonna be?

 

[stonston]

As a parent, I would like:

1. Meals designed by nutritionists and closely followed by cook. Updates written in communications book. E.g. Child refuses to try carrots. Enjoys self-feeding with dry foods like rice.

2. Parents given regular updates. E.g. Photos/videos of lessons/activities uploaded online or printed and placed in child's progress file.

3. Use of health and safety conscious products. E.g. No strong chemicals for disinfecting play/study area. Use of natural products like biodegradable cleaning solution or vinegar.

4. Lesson plan and learning objectives clearly stated. Suggestions for activities parents can carry out at home to enhance learning. E.g. Thematic approach: Week 1 is on 'Police'. Suggestions to parents: Bring kids to their nearby NPP to take a look, etc.

5. Incident reports. SMS/call parents immediately when a child is injured (even if minor). Teachers should write an incident report to allow parents to understand what happened at that point of time.

6. Staff who genuinely love children.

7. Good discipline techniques which are prominent displayed to remind teachers and to inform parents. State clearly which approach the school is taking. E.g. Time-out (where? away from the class? or somewhere that the child can still observe what is going on but not participate?).

8. Low turnover rate for staff.

 

[Gen X]

May I ask where is your center gonna be?

We're still looking for a suitable location. Very difficult to find a good place that meets requirements. Also want a place with outdoor play area as I think that's important for kids. We're mainly looking for sites in the east/central.

 

[Gen X]

Wow thanks stonston, really appreciate your inputs - very useful!

I'm currently assessing some new IT services recommended by MCYS and IDA. I'm quite interested in one of them. It's an integrated system with an online portal that will allow parents to see videos, photos and even artworks/writing samples of their kids. It also has a privacy feature, so that u can view only your kids' pics. Sounds gd right?

We have so many ideas for the centre and really wanna make it an exciting place for the kids! But I have to remind myself not to go overboard, need to do the cost-benefit analysis and spend on the most important and useful stuff first. That's why it's so valuable to get feedback from parents like you! Thanks again.

 

[CocoaBear]

Set up in the east is good. :001_302: Hopefully near my place. Currently still looking for a suitable childcare center for my son.

My ideal childcare center:

1. Has teachers whom are good in handling playful children
2. Patient teachers
3. Nutrition foods for children of different ages
4. Clean environment and emphasis on washing hands after activities and before eating
5. Have suitable activities and lots of toys
6. Teach good English language, not Singlish
7. Have a good discipline system to discipline children so that they will grow up with good manners
8. Able to liaise with parents on what is going on frequently

 

[Gen X]

Hi cocoabear, I also hope to find a place in the east cos I live there too!

Thanks for your feedback. Will keep them in mind. Yes good manners! Totally agree. I think it's so important to teach kids to be considerate and to care for others. I'm intending to include community service in the programme. It's also a good way of involving parents!

How old is your son anyway?

 

[CocoaBear]

Hi cocoabear, I also hope to find a place in the east cos I live there too!

Thanks for your feedback. Will keep them in mind. Yes good manners! Totally agree. I think it's so important to teach kids to be considerate and to care for others. I'm intending to include community service in the programme. It's also a good way of involving parents!

How old is your son anyway?

He is two.
community service? Hope is not those kind that parents must be involved - "volunteer" to get in childcare. Parents are very tired after work... so to involve parents for community service, I might think twice. Just my 2cents.

 

[Gen X]

He is two.
community service? Hope is not those kind that parents must be involved - "volunteer" to get in childcare. Parents are very tired after work... so to involve parents for community service, I might think twice. Just my 2cents.

Oh no what I meant was getting the kids involved in some community work, e.g. visit the less fortunate, have a joint lesson or outing with a children's home, etc. So that they'll be more aware of what's going on in the world, and to learn to care for others.

 

[kujiramama]

I second the east side for a new CC!

Though my bb is still young, only 6 months old, but I have been looking for suitable CCs already haha.

Ideally, I would like the CC to:

1. have caring teachers. I think it is the most important. Teachers who genuinely love children, and of course, must be qualified and trained.

2. have lots of space and natural landscape or setting for kids to roam and run about.

3. not have classes/lessons using media like DVDs, computers, web-based because I advocate not letting small kids under 2 years to watch TV and the like.

4. have music lessons or just sing-along sessions would be good.

5. have excursions at least once a month.

6. I'm not particular about food but low salt low sugar will be appreciated.

7. advocate love and not physical punishment.

8. encourage and not scold when kids do wrong.

9. be frank to the parents about what is happening in or around the CC.

I also love the idea of letting kids doing community service.

May you find the perfect location soon and good luck! And keep us updated ok!

 

[Gen X]

Hi Kujiramama, thanks for your feedback!

It's been tough finding a suitable location, especially in the east, as there are quite a few centres here already. Can't open a new one within 350m of an existing centre/school. That's just one of many rules! I'm looking for a bungalow, as most commercial sites don't have outdoor areas and are usually fully air-conditioned. Bungalows are good, cos you have the option of keeping the windows open and using fans - on cooler days of course! I don't really like the idea of keeping the kids cooped up in an air-conditioned space the whole day.

Anyway the search goes on... Will keep you all posted!

By the way, you mentioned that you prefer not to have kids under 2 yrs watching TV, DVDs and spending time in front of computers. What about older kids? We're looking at including the use of computers for kids age 4 and above, e.g. research for project work, presentations, etc. What do you think?

 

[kujiramama]

Above 4 years old would be ok cos by then they should know what a TV is. Wow, looks like your curriculum is pretty diversified and well rounded! Really look forward to your opening!

Oh another thing, integrity of the teachers to me is important. Meaning that they should not attempt to cover up the wrongdoings of anyone by means of false reporting.

By the way, do you intend to accept children who are slightly special? Like late speakers or anti-social children etc?

 

[Gen X]

Above 4 years old would be ok cos by then they should know what a TV is. Wow, looks like your curriculum is pretty diversified and well rounded! Really look forward to your opening!

Oh another thing, integrity of the teachers to me is important. Meaning that they should not attempt to cover up the wrongdoings of anyone by means of false reporting.

By the way, do you intend to accept children who are slightly special? Like late speakers or anti-social children etc?

Hi sorry for the late reply! Have been really busy! Yes agree that integrity is v important. It's really tough finding teachers as demand is much higher than supply, but to me, that would be one of the key criteria when hiring someone to look after kids. Don't want them imparting the wrong values!

As for special kids, I would prefer to keep options open instead of saying no. Also depends on the teachers I eventually hire and whether they have any experience/training in this area. I hope to find at least one such teacher.

Anyway if any of you have friends/contacts who are preschool teachers, do let me know. Thanks!!

 

[dujuanrosa]

We're still looking for a suitable location. Very difficult to find a good place that meets requirements. Also want a place with outdoor play area as I think that's important for kids. We're mainly looking for sites in the east/central.

re outdoor play area - should consider getting the grass and sand out especially with children who are so prone to allergies these days. I chose the first centre for my son because there's a garden in the front yard and i loved for him to get fresh air under the sun with grass under his feet. and then for the next nine months, we battled eczema and lots of bug bites. so we decided to move him - into one that's located in a building now and the outdoor play area is synthetic flooring.

other reasons why we moved and hence what we are looking for in a good centre -
i) clear channels of communication. There's the comm book - but i am not clear if teachers are all told specifically and consistently what types of info should be communicated. while tedious, it might be useful to let parents know for e.g. how much the kid has eaten; pooped or not etc - esp for those in playgroup and N1 who are not able to report accurately to the parents
ii) updates at least every fortnightly on the activities carried out. could be on online portal
iii) the curriculum for the YEAR. i'm tired of getting updates on this is what we did today. i have not bigger picture of what my kid's progress over the year will be like from Jan to Dec
iv) menu. i can't understand why schools can't let us have this! i need to know if my kid has taken egg in school that day or not so I won't feed AGAIN on the same day. similar, if he's got chicken for lunch, i would then offer something else for dinner. also, yes, my son had hotdogs for lunch. and apricot jam with bread and honey stars for breakfast. can we go more home cooked, less processed, less sugar?
v) no junk/sweet food. my son comes home with sweets and sweets and sweets from the school. and he has had lots of jellies and marshmallows and goodness knows what else!
vi) low staff turnover
vii) teachers who are qualified and experienced. new/young teachers should pair up with more experienced ones and do co-teaching
viii) meaningful activities in the afternoons. in the new school, i think my son whiles his time away playing in the playground in the afternoons. so i will take him out of FD and put him in HD once i stop work!
ix) leadership who charts out clear directions and vision and values for the teachers to impart to the students
Good luck with your new centre!

 

[Gen X]

Hi dujuanrosa

Thanks so much, very useful tips! I'll definitely keep them in mind. Agree that it's important to share info and keep parents updated. However it's prob quite tough for teachers to take note of everything and write it all down in the communication journal cos they're so busy. But yeah I think it's important to take note of key things and ensure that parents are kept in the loop.

Anyway it's still a work in progress and there's sooo much to do! Will keep all of you posted!

Meantime, happy CNY!