MOE Kindergarten vs. My First Skool. Which Kindergarten Is Best To Prepare My Child for Primary One?

As soon as a toddler turns 4, dad and mom usually begin interested by which kindergarten to ship him/her to. Whereas most often preserve their baby of their current preschool centre, a small group of oldsters have opted to modify to MOE Kindergarten as a substitute, out of worry that they are going to get allotted to a main college that they don’t want for, or that their baby could not be capable to address Major One. However are these fears warranted, and is there actually a necessity to modify? I examine this additional on this article.

There’s little question that Major One registration in Singapore is a demanding affair. Which is why when the federal government launched MOE Kindergartens (MKs) and added it as an eligibility below Section 2A(2), it provided a approach for a lot of to leap forward of the “queue” in registering their baby for main college.

This quickly grew to become a robust draw issue, particularly for households who would in any other case have to attend for Section 2B or 2C earlier than they’re allotted a slot – however often by then,  competitors is intense (e.g. 3X oversubscribed) and infrequently met with disappointment.

However earlier than you resolve on the place to ship your baby to for kindergarten, it is best to first ask your self – what are your targets? Your reply to this could then simply enable you to slender down which preschools to start out .

That can assist you alongside, right here’s my listing (ranked from most vital to the least):

• Charges and affordability
• Distance
• High quality of training
• Higher, extra atas services
• Achieve increased precedence admission to your required main college

As an illustration, if the charges are your greatest concern, then non-public operators similar to Maplebear / Mindchamps / Brighton Montessori / Etonhouse (4-digits a month) will clearly be out of your funds. However when you care extra concerning the distance – given that you just’ll should ferry your baby from side to side every single day – you then’ll be restricted by the preschools which can be close to to the place you reside. 

Whereas some dad and mom are keen to pay extra for a more moderen or greater preschool with extra services, I really feel that it isn’t needed as there is no such thing as a proof to show that extra luxurious areas assist youngsters to be taught higher. Furthermore, I particularly didn’t need an air-conditioned preschool as a result of I would like my youngsters to know that aircon is a luxurious, moderately than essential (in any other case, they’re gonna get a impolite shock once they attain main college + local weather change).

In our case, we cared most about:

Quick ahead to at this time and Nate can be K1 subsequent yr, which suggests we’ve to resolve on whether or not to maintain him in his present preschool, or swap him out to a MOE kindergarten subsequent yr (like what some dad and mom select to do).

However in actual fact, we didn’t even contemplate the latter, till I noticed some mummies on-line point out that MOE kindergartens can “higher” put together the kids for Major 1. Was this actually true? Thus, I got down to examine and likewise checked with different mummies (with youngsters who had modified from their unique preschool to MK) on how their expertise was like.

Listed here are my findings:

Why do some dad and mom swap to MOE Kindergarten?

Essentially the most cited causes by dad and mom had been that they wished their baby to get precedence admission throughout Major 1 registration (Section 2A) and be higher ready for Major 1.

In fact, there are different benefits to attending MOE Kindergarten:

• Bilingualism – English and mom tongues (i.e. Chinese language, Malay and Tamil) are taught on the centres
• Low charges – $150 for its 4-hour programme. Additional charges payable when you require KCare (full-day service i.e. 7am – 7pm), that are additionally to be paid in the course of the June and December holidays (max $415 per thirty days for 2022/2023 earlier than subsidy)
• Earlier publicity to main college atmosphere – MKs are situated inside main faculties

Do observe that MKs observe MOE’s calendar of college phrases and faculty holidays i.e. it doesn’t function in the course of the March, June, September and December holidays. So if you don’t go for KCare, you have to to think about find out how to interact your baby throughout these lengthy breaks.  

Is MOE Kindergarten academically stronger?

That is the place consensus differ. In fact, whereas MOE Kindergarten advantages from having a curriculum designed by MOE, it’s based mostly on the identical Nurturing Early Learners Framework that different kindergarten programmes in Singapore are guided by.

I looked for on-line opinions, and based mostly on what another mummies have shared, it doesn’t appear to be the case that MOE Kindergarten is essentially superior to different current programmes.

Furthermore, as a agency believer that folks play an equal (if no more vital position) in a toddler’s studying and improvement, I spend anyplace between 5 – 10 hours per week educating him by means of books, worksheets and different actions. On condition that Nate is now 3+ years previous, and might already depend from 1 to 100, do easy addition and subtraction (lower than 10), in addition to learn and spell a number of phrases…I’m not totally satisfied {that a} MOE kindergarten will essentially practice Nate to change into academically stronger at this juncture.

Whereas I like that the MOE syllabus focuses on studying actions by means of play and exposes the kids to bilingualism, Nate is presently already getting the identical from his academics at My First Skool. What’s extra, each programmes are additionally below the identical Nurturing Early Learners framework set out by MOE.

Which is why I hope the above helps to clear up the misperception that MKs are stronger academically than non-public preschools, as a result of this may occasionally or might not be the case. In case your baby is already enrolled in an current preschool for nursery, then you could need to communicate with the college and choose their “syllabus” for your self earlier than leaping to any hasty conclusions based mostly on rumour.

Will your baby miss out if he/she doesn’t attend a MK? Once more, I doubt so, however right here’s what one other mummy has to say:

Why We Selected My First Skool over MOE Kindergarten

Your decision-making inputs could range, however will seemingly observe the identical thought course of as ours. In our case, there are 3 main faculties inside 1km of our home:

Given our circumstances, it’s fairly seemingly that Nate can be allotted to Faculty A, particularly as its balloting historical past exhibits that each one Singapore Residents who utilized throughout Section 2A(2) within the earlier years efficiently secured a spot. On the other hand, the 2 MOE Kindergartens are in School B and C, which were all undersubscribed throughout all 7 phases in previous years and had never been fully filled in the decade anyway (25% to 41% leftover spots).

Since MK’s precedence admission doesn’t make a distinction (in our case) both approach, the subsequent consideration had been the charges and syllabus.

However whereas the low charges had been positively attractive, it comes with a number of trade-offs:

• There can be no MK classes in the course of the college holidays. However when you signed your baby up for KCare as effectively, they are going to be in KCare all through the vacations.
• Nate is already aware of his present preschool, and has been thriving there. He loves his classmates, so taking him out may truly be extra merciless. 
• His academics have taught him for nearly 2 years, so that they already know what he’s good at, what he wants to enhance on, and so forth.
• MK’s hours are too early for us (8am when you’re allotted to the morning session). We at the moment ship Nate to high school at 9am.

Contemplating how a lot Nate enjoys attending his present preschool, it’d truly be the crueller choice to take him out.

Should you’re questioning why we selected My First Skool for his nursery years, check out my previous blog article here where I detailed my findings after visiting 10 preschools.

Will My First Skool put together my baby for Major One?

Should you’re nervous as as to if My First Skool will put together your baby effectively sufficient for Major Faculty, attempt to not let your fears get forward of you. Keep in mind that MKs had been solely launched in 2014, whereas within the final 40+ years of My First Skool’s working historical past, quite a few batches of youngsters have “graduated” and adjusted simply fantastic in main college.

We should additionally not overlook that making ready our baby for main college goes past simply teachers – there’s additionally the social and emotional improvement to contemplate, as eloquently articulated by this mom’s response to a different mummy asking if she ought to swap her baby to a MK:

Disclosure: Within the midst of writing this text, I checked in with My First Skool to seek out out extra about how they put together youngsters for main college. This portion under is subsequently sponsored by them.

My First Skool (MFS) empowers youngsters to be taught by means of facilitated play experiences to assist a toddler’s studying and holistic improvement. That is finished by way of their pedagogical strategy known as PETAL – Playing, Exploring, Thinking, and Applying Learning.

My First Skool additionally creates purposeful play actions in response to the 6 learning domains set out in MOE’s Nurturing Early Learners Framework. Right here’s a abstract of what I’ve seen Nate’s academics do with him at school to this point:

• Language & Literacy – present and inform periods, writing practices, grammar and punctuation, age-appropriate studying
• Numeracy – match, type and evaluate, time, order and sequence, counting cash, apply addition and subtraction
• Discovery of the World – area journeys, out of doors play, environmental consciousness, (easy) scientific experiments, remark and presentation of findings
• Motor Expertise Growth – getting dressed independently, self-feeding with utensils, self-grooming, toileting, fundamental college duties e.g. clearing tables and watering vegetation
• Aesthetics & Inventive Expression – music and dance, day by day singing and rhymes, 2D/3D artwork creation
• Social & Emotional Growth – small group initiatives, respect and empathy for others, recognise conditions the place they should search assist from a trusted grownup (e.g. bullying), decision-making and penalties

To organize youngsters additional for his or her transition to main college, My First Skool additionally simulates the atmosphere by reworking a studying nook right into a main college setting e.g. a canteen or bookshop.

K2 college students additionally get to go to a main college (in particular person, though this pandemic has warranted a shift to digital visits in the intervening time), which is then adopted up by numerous sharing periods by their academics on what they’ll anticipate within the following yr, similar to what topics they are going to be taught and who’re the folks they’ll search assist from at school. Throughout these conversations, academics can even maintain discussions and encourage the kids to share their emotions concerning the upcoming change, in addition to educate methods on what to do in the event that they encounter bullying.

Nate has been attending My First Skool for nearly 2 years now, and each my husband and I’ve noticed nice enhancements in his social expertise, manners, life expertise, and so forth. As an illustration, I wasn’t having a lot luck getting him to put on his personal sneakers and preserve his toys after use, however as a result of his academics at My First Skool stored emphasizing it as effectively, at some point he “magically” began cooperating with us! He has additionally grown extra impartial, and is ready to now wash his personal palms, convey his bowl to the kitchen after ending his meal, pack his personal bag, and so forth. Nate’s case isn’t an remoted one – a lot of our pals who despatched their youngsters to MFS have reported the identical.

I’ve to say My First Skool has actually finished a terrific job on this side, and I’m actually grateful to his academics for serving to him progress so rapidly in the previous couple of years.

Which is why we determined there’s no want to modify Nate out to a MOE Kindergarten. I’m assured that My First Skool was, and can proceed to be, one of the best place for him.

Eager to enrol your baby in a longtime and inexpensive preschool (like we did)? Click here to register for My First Skool today!