7 Essential Tips and Time Saving Methods You Can Use When Choosing a Childcare Centre In Singapore

Need childcare services?

Is your maternity leave ending soon?

Or you are an expat family that just arrived in Singapore and starting work soon?

It can be stressful when you need to worry about finding someone to take care of your child while you are away working.

In Singapore, there are many childcare centres which provide care services and education for your child while you work.

However, the difficult part is finding a suitable infant care or childcare centre.

There are over thousands of childcare centres in Singapore and finding them takes a lot of time to search for one.

Using this method, you are going to save a lot of time searching for a childcare centre by following these simple steps.

Step 1:

Go to the government website called Childcare Link. You should see a search box at the right of the webpage.

Step 2:

Find the Location/Area that your home or workplace that is located in. For example, if you are staying in Ang Mo Kio, then you would choose that district. This will allow the search engine to narrow down to centres that are located within your selected area/district. If you don’t know the location, use google map to locate your address using the postal code.

If you have a budget, then select a suitable Fee Range.

Select the Type of Service, whether you are looking for infant care, childcare or student care.

Infant care service are for ages below 18 months.

Childcare is for services ages 18 months till age 6.

The compulsory fields you need to fill are the Types of Service and Age of your child.

Once you have filled your search criteria, click Search!

Step 3:

You’ll be sent to the search result and you can view the schools that fit your criteria. Here you can see details of each school such as school fees, operating hours, tenure and also the availability.

Those that are highlighted in green under the Availability column indicate that the centre has available vacancy for that class.

However, even if there is no availability, you should still contact the school to ask if they have any slots for you as they may not be updated frequently.

Step 4:

You can click on the View Map to see where the centre is located.

To know the distance relative to your home/workplace, use Google Map to search the address and click directions to see how to get to the centre.

Alternatively, you can search “District name” + “Childcare” in google map and it will give you the locations of most childcare centres which has been indexed by Google in your area.

Step 5:

Click on the school centre code to see more details such as website and email address.

You can then register your interest by sending them an email or clicking register in the “Register for Childcare Centre”.

Step 6:

Continue to search and send emails to other schools. It may take them a few days to return your enquiry, so be patient. If you are really in a hurry, give them a call.

Once you have your school, arrange a date to visit the school to view the environment and speak to the principal to know more about their school’s programme.

By following these steps, you would have saved a lot of time trying to search for a centre and comparing between prices and location! You might not even notice there is one near your home or workplace without this method!

The tip is to start early, so you don’t have to panic as many schools have limited vacancies and have a long waiting list.

Now you have the information, use the guide below to consider which childcare centre is most suited to your needs.

It can be a tough decision to make when choosing the best childcare centre because it could affect you and your child’s development.

So here are 7 essential tips to consider when choosing a school for your child.

1. Budget

Childcare services are not cheap and can cost quite a significant sum of money.

Determine how much can you afford to pay for their services. Are you willing to pay more for premium services and education for your child while you are at work?

Or are you working with a tighter budget? Be clear about your budget and consider the inclusion of government subsidy if your child is a Singaporean.

2. Location and timing

Choose an area the childcare centre is located. Should it be nearer to your home or your workplace? The place should be easily accessible to you and your spouse.

Also consider about their opening and closing times too as you will need to consider the traveling time to/from your work place to fetch your children before their closing time.

3. Reputation of the Centre

Do a background check on the centre for any complain cases or negligence cases against the day care centre. Ask other parents on their opinions or look to forums and google on any news about the centre.

4. Credentials and policies

You should ask and clarify the following questions with the principal when you visit the school to get a sense of their credentials. Also ask about the school’s policy. Some basic questions include:

• What are their discipline philosophies?
• What is the child-teacher ratio?
• The qualification of the teachers
• What are the withdrawal policies in case it doesn’t work out?
• What are the available payment methods?

5. Curriculum

It is also important to know what is the method of teaching in the school.

There are many different models of teaching in modern preschools such as Montessori, Project, Integrated, etc. Do you prefer more play or a more traditional study approach to prepare your child for local primary school’s curriculum?

It is important to understand what method your child will be exposed to.

6. Environment

Determine the environment that your child will be spending time in. Do you prefer having outdoor or indoor activities? Is it a place where you will feel comfortable and safe to have your child play in?

Visit the schools to have a look and feel of the environment. Bring your child along to ascertain if he/she is comfortable with the centre. After all, it is your child who will be spending most of their time in the school!

7. Finally, be open minded

Childcare services provided might be very different from what you provide for your child in your home. They will have their school’s set routines and curriculum to adhere to and might not be able to attend to your own set routine at home.

Your child may fall sick often if he/she is new to the school as they get exposed to a new environment and initial stress. Be prepared to take leaves from work often to bring your child to the doctor. This is common if your child is exposed to common asian disease such as Hand, Foot & Mouth (HFMD) disease in a community environment.

Be open to changes. Children have the natural ability to adapt into their new environment. Education and care is dynamic and is always changing. Accept change.

The importance is having a good communication with your child’s teachers.

By doing this, it will ensure that your child will have a safe and conducive environment to grow!

I hope this guide will be useful to you!

Leave a comment if you have any thoughts or tips on looking for childcare centres!

*To start your search, click the link below.

Start searching for a childcare centre