PCF sets aside $20 million to develop pre-school teachers
It will also grow its pool of educators from 5,200 to 6,300 by 2022
The PAP Community Foundation (PCF), the largest pre-school operator in Singapore, has set aside $20 million for the professional development of its teachers over the next three years.
This includes training in soft skills such as language classes for more effective communication.
The announcement is line with recent government initiatives to ramp up training for early childhood educators.
In April, the Government committed $5 million over the next three years to two schemes to help early childhood educators.
PCF also expects to grow its pool of teachers from the current 5,200 to 6,300 by 2022, to support the national effort to increase pre-school places to meet the demands of young families.
These announcements were made by Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP and chairman of the PCF executive committee Josephine Teo at the opening of a PCF Sparkletots pre-school in Bishan yesterday.
"As the largest employer of pre-school teachers in Singapore, PCF Sparkletots has charted an ambitious learning and development road map for educators which includes not just professional but soft skills as well.
"For every teaching role, we have a matching Learning and Development strategy," she said, referring to PCF's developmental programme for educators.
PCF, which has over 360 pre-schools and 43,000 children enrolled, has more than 4,000 teachers with diploma or higher qualifications.
At the opening of PCF Sparkletots @ Bishan North Block 409, Mrs Teo, who is also Minister for Manpower, said: "PCF Sparkletots educators will strengthen their capabilities to spark curiosity and inspire creativity in the children."
The new pre-school will offer full-day childcare and infant care services for up to 151 children aged two months to six years. It is housed in a stand-alone, two-storey building with a garden where outdoor learning is conducted.
As with other childcare centres run by anchor operators, monthly fees at the centre are capped at $720 for full-day childcare, $1,275 for full-day infant care and $160 for kindergartens.
SOFT SKILLS
Mr Victor Bay, chief executive of the PCF, said investing in the development of teachers is important.
"Teachers have to be kept abreast of what is happening in the teaching profession, so their professionalism and technical competencies are important. We are not just concentrating on technical competency, (but) essential soft skills that are also vital."
Parent Rossaida Amin, 34, who has two children aged four and one at the centre, said developing teachers is crucial.
"Teachers are like a second mother to the kids. They develop the children and bring out the best in them."
Henderson site to have unique integrated space
A childcare centre, nursing home, dialysis centre as well as an urban farm will soon be built on the site of the former Henderson Secondary School, in what is touted as a creative way to boost interaction between the young and old.
Children from the pre-school can also run around in the farming area and learn to appreciate nature, said Mr Victor Bay, chief executive of the PAP Community Foundation (PCF), which will be operating the pre-school.
INTEGRATED SPACE
This will be the first integrated space for childcare, healthcare and urban farming, said the Singapore Land Authority, adding that it was a collaboration with the Early Childhood Development Agency, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority.
Plans for thefacilities were announced yesterday by Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee.
He said: "These kinds of purposeful uses of old school sites enable thoughtful and creative and innovative programming to allow the children, urban farmers, the local community and the seniors in the nursing homes to interact with one another and to find win-win solutions."
The pre-school will start operations at the end of next year.
MOH said in a press statement the nursing home and dialysis centre will help meet the demand for eldercare and dialysis services within the neighbourhood, adding that co-location of inter-generational and therapeutic spaces under one roof will contribute to the quality of care for seniors.
As for the farming area, there will be a tender based on price and quality at the end of next month, Mr Lee said, adding: "One key criterion is that the site is used for new technologies in urban farming and that they involve local communities, including the pre-schools."
Speaking at the opening of a pre-school in Bishan yesterday, Mr Lee said outdoor learning will help develop "a generation of young children who are resilient, who enjoy the outdoors, who value and appreciate nature and by extension have a greater appreciation for things beyond self".
The pre-school in Henderson will add to nine existing large childcare centres run by various anchor operators. Over the next five years, 40,000 more pre-school places are expected to be added.
Housewife Saira Banu, 29, who has a two-year-old girl, said: "Children will get to learn in the outdoors. The seniors will get to have fun with the kids. It sounds like a great inter-generational bonding idea." - RAHIMAH RASHITH
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