On its 45th anniversary, NTUC First Campus shares expansion plans to enable bright futures for every child

On its 45th anniversary, NTUC First Campus shares expansion plans to enable bright futures for every child

The organisation will offer more than 30,000 preschool places over the next 2 years to build fundamental skills of the future through quality preschool and child development services.

Minister of Education Mr Chan Chun Sing is observing children building robots with recycled materials at the ‘Makerspace’ of My First Skool at 6 New Punggol Road.

As part of NTUC First Campus’ (NFC) enduring mission to provide excellent childcare services to young families in all neighbourhoods, the preschool operator will offer up to 4,000 new preschool places for children over the next two years, bringing the total number of preschool places to more than 30,000 across more than 170 preschool centres.

NFC has two preschool operators under its helm – My First Skool (MFS), which serves 22,000 children in 146 centres, and Little Skool-House (LSH), which serves 2,500 children in 20 centres.

NFC will augment the curriculum in its preschools to build foundational skills of the future in its children. Beyond strong fundamentals in core math and literacy, NFC will nurture three vital foundational skills for a lifetime of growth: relational skills; global citizenship; and digital intelligence skills.

Relational Skills
MFS’ curriculum aims to nurture socially-adept, resilient and caring children.

For infants, its Relationships-Based Curriculum adopts a primary caregiving model to help young children develop a sense of security and well-being. As the children grow older, MFS enables them to develop relational skills through character building, while providing a cooperative learning environment where teachers and children learn with and from one another.

MFS will also increase the number of Intergenerational Programme at its centres to spur interaction between children and seniors through activities, allowing them to form ties and learn from one another. The Programme also inculcates values such as empathy, compassion and respect in our children. All MFS centres have the Intergenerational programme, which has been successful since its launch in 2015.

Minister of Education Mr Chan Chun Sing is interacting with an infant at My First Skool at 6 New Punggol Road.

Global Citizenship
Our preschools inspire our children to understand their world and the role they can play by making a difference to the community. To inculcate a sustainability mindset in the children, MFS and LSH centres will encourage children to adopt sustainable practices beyond the classroom, and participate in national gardening initiatives such as Community in Bloom by National Parks Board. NFC’s Outdoor School Singapore (OSS) also takes children on adventure trips to Singapore’s various parks and nature reserves, enabling them to form a positive connection with nature and the world.

Digital Intelligence Skills
MFS and LSH will feature Digital Intelligence in their preschool programmes starting next year, equipping our children with skills to navigate the digital world and enabling them to be creative thinkers of the future.

NFC believes that every child is unique and has different learning needs and preferences. Its educators are trained to give every child a meaningful and engaging learning experience in school. In addition, NFC offers a range of programmes to support children with learning needs, and continues to develop new programmes to meet new needs. Currently, NFC supports 1,800 children with learning and development needs every year.

Its team of 90 multi-disciplinary professionals, such as classroom co-facilitators, in-house therapists, learning support educators and early interventionists, supports children with diverse learning needs, and children from low-income and vulnerable families.

NFC is also focusing on growing the impact of OSS, which delivers outdoor learning programmes to both children in NFC preschools and from the general public. Its outdoor programmes enable children to develop attributes like resilience, responsibility and a sense of adventure, which are key traits that will help them navigate the complexities of a rapidly-evolving world. OSS aims to engage over 7,000 children on these outdoor adventure sessions in 2023, up from 2,000 this year.

“Founded in 1977 by the NTUC to support working families in Singapore, NFC has thrived in the early childhood sector and made a positive mark in the lives of many children and families. Today, we are still guided by our vision of providing a quality preschool education, enabling every child to develop the skills and qualities needed to have a bright future,” said Ms Chan Su Yee, Chief Executive Officer, NTUC First Campus.

NFC will partner parents and the Early Childhood Development Agency to realise its vision and implement its initiatives.

NFC announced these new initiatives on its 45th anniversary celebration at My First Skool at 6 New Punggol Road, which was attended by the Minister for Education, Mr Chan Chun Sing.

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