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Pre-School Education in Singapore
Children aged 3 to 6 years may enrol in kindergartens while children aged below the age of 7 years may enrol in child care centres. Kindergartens are registered under the Education Act by Ministry of Education (MOE) while child care centres are licensed under the Child Care Act by Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).
Kindergartens are ‘schools’ that provide a structured 3-year pre-school education programme for children who are above 3 years of age or above and below 7 years of age. The 3-year programme consists of Nursery, Kindergarten 1 and Kindergarten 2. Kindergartens function daily, five days a week, with schooling hours ranging from 3 hours to 4 hours each day. Most kindergartens function at least two sessions a day. Click here for more information on kindergartens.
Childcare centres provide full day and half-day care programmes to children below the age of 7 years. Some centres offer flexible childcare programmes to cater to the diverse work arrangements of parents who work part-time of flexible hours. Click here for more information on child care centres.
Desired Outcomes of Pre-school Education
At the end of pre-school education, children will:
• Know what is right and what is wrong
• Be willing to share and take turns with others
• Be able to relate to others
• Be curious and be able to explore
• Be able to listen and speak with understanding
• Be comfortable and happy with themselves
• Have developed physical co-ordination and healthy habits
• Love their family, friends, teachers and kindergarten
Quick Links
The quality of pre-school provision depends greatly on the teachers and the training received by them. Teacher training and qualification offer high leverage opportunities for enhancing professional development. The various levels of training are planned to cater to the different needs of the teachers and to prepare them for leadership in the sector. This will ensure that pre-school professionals are well equipped to provide our young with an enriched learning environment, to nurture their social skills and values, and prepare them for lifelong learning. In January 2001, the Pre-school Qualification Accreditation Committee (PQAC) was set up to oversee the standards and quality of pre-school teacher training for both the kindergarten and child care sectors in Singapore. This is jointly steered by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and the Ministry of Education (MOE).
To ensure the high quality of pre-school education, principals and teachers are to have the following qualification requirements:
By January 2006, all pre-school principals are required to have:
| 1. |
Diploma in Pre-school Education - Teaching (DPE-T) |
| 2. |
Diploma in Pre-school Education - Leadership (DPE-L) |
| 3. |
At least two years of relevant experience in the pre school sector |
By January 2008,
| 1. |
All pre-school teachers are to be trained to at least the Certificate in Pre-school Teaching (CPT) level |
| 2. |
1 in 4 teachers are to be trained to the Diploma in Pre-school Education - Teaching (DPE-T) level |
From 1 Jan 2009,
| 1. |
New teachers must have 5 ‘O’ level credits including EL and DPE-T |
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- Those with C5 or C6 in EL must obtain a minimum band 6.5
IELTS / B4 or better within 2 years of registration as a teacher |
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- DPE-T must be obtained within 4 years of registration as a
teacher |
From 1 Jan 2013,
| 1. |
Existing teachers must have ‘O’ level EL credit/5.5 in IELTS and DPE-T to teach K1 & K2 |
| 2. |
Each centre is to have 75% of all its pre-school teachers to meet the requirements to teach K1 & K2 |
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Teachers who qualify to teach K1 & K2 comprise: |
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- All new teachers with 5 ‘O’ level credits including a credit in
EL and a DPE-T;
those with a C5 or C6 in EL will require either a B4 or a 6.5
in IELTS |
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- Existing teachers with an ‘O’ level EL credit/5.5 in IELTS
and a DPE-T |
Definition of Existing and New Teachers
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Existing Teachers |
New Teachers |
| Registered as at 31 Dec 2008 |
Registered on or after 1 Jan 2009 |
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