A Parent's Guide: Your Checklist for Choosing an Infant Care in Sembawang

As you go through the process of picking an infant care in Sembawang for your child, you slowly realise that it's not as easy and straightforward as you initially thought!

Finding the right infant care is a critical decision that has a massive impact on your child's early learning and development. There are a lot of factors to consider – and each one has an effect on which one you'll end up picking.

To make things easier for you, we'll take you through a checklist of important factors to consider

when choosing an infant care centre in Singapore. Read on below!

1. Curriculum

One of the first things you should check in infant care centres in Singapore is their curriculum.

Described as the beating heart of any educational programme, the infant care curriculum plays an important role in children's early learning and development. It should be designed to nurture children's curiosity and independence through age-appropriate interactions and activities.

Another aspect that the infant care curriculum should address is children's social, emotional, cognitive and physical development. Ask your infant care prospects in Sembawang how they plan to develop and strengthen these skills.

2. Facilities

After the curriculum, the next thing on your checklist should be facilities. The centre's environment and surroundings play an equally important role in children's early learning and development.

Safe, spacious, well-equipped, and hygienic are the features you'd want in your child's infant care centre. These will help to make their daily visits and learning sessions more productive and comfortable – and give you peace of mind as a parent.

Additionally, it's important that an infant care centre is able to cater to diverse learning styles because children have their preferred way of learning and exploring at this age.

3. Teaching Staff

As a parent, you would want an infant care centre in Sembawang with qualified and experienced early childhood educators.

Generally, preschools in Singapore require teachers and careers to have certifications and experience working with infants and older children. Some would even send their teaching staff to additional training before being allowed to handle a class.

The best tip we could give every parent is to drop by unannounced and observe how teachers interact with children. This will give you a true insight into how passionate, attentive, and respectful they are as educators, something that qualifications may not always show.

4. Accessibility

Choosing an accessible infant care centre makes it easier for you to drop off your child in the morning and pick them up on time during lunch break or after work.

Otherwise, the morning drive will be stressful for both of you, especially since you'll be rushing to arrive at the office. The last thing you want is being late to work – or worse, your child getting grumpy too early in the morning due to the traffic.

More importantly, in case of an emergency, a nearby centre will be convenient for you.

5. Class Size

How many students does a teacher handle in each class?

A low teacher-student ratio means educators will be able to spend as much time with each child, closely monitor their progress, and report back to their parents.

For infant care programmes, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) recommends a teacher-student ratio of 1:5 to 1:8 to make sure that each student is given enough care and attention.

6. Accreditation

An accredited infant care centre means that it maintains a certain level of educational and operational standards.

Since 2011, ECDA has implemented an early childhood education accreditation system called the Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework (SPARKS).

The programme aims to help preschools raise the quality of their services and acknowledge those who make an effort to improve their teaching and administrative processes.

If you're looking for an infant care centre in Sembawang to support your child's early childhood development and education, enquire today with the My Little Campus team to see how we can help kickstart their preschool journey.