More field trips and learning programmes for PCF Sparkletots pre-schoolers

LOUISA TANG Today Online 5 Nov 18;

SINGAPORE — All children should be able to have the richest and broadest learning experience regardless of their background, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said.

“Broadening the availability of affordable and quality childcare is one part of it, but it’s not the only thing that’s happening. You need intervention on all fronts,” she said on Monday (Nov 5) while announcing new and ongoing efforts taken by the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) to make out-of-classroom learning a key focus of its curriculum.

Mrs Teo is also the executive committee chairperson of PCF, which oversees PCF Sparkletots, the largest pre-school operator with about 43,000 children enrolled in more than 360 centres island-wide. She was officiating an event at Bee Amazed Garden in Yishun, where 60 pre-school children from PCF Sparkletots Sengkang were on a field trip to learn about honey bees.

Since late last month, PCF Sparkletots has been arranging more of such outdoor field trips for its students.

From next year onwards, the operator will have more structured learning programmes in areas such as speech and drama, sports, IT literacy and social etiquette for pre-schoolers at heavily subsidised prices.

When asked if these initiatives are meant to level the playing field for pre-schoolers, Mrs Teo said: “I think we’ve said so before — starting early is very valuable. We want to give children the best start in life, and by that, we mean all children. There are multiple objectives, but this effort has been ongoing for some time.

“In this particular instance... you’re talking about children from very diverse backgrounds, but all having the opportunity to get to a good starting point."

At the end of last month, the Government announced that an inter-agency task force was set up to identify gaps in areas such as the motivation of students from disadvantaged families. Second Minister for Education Indranee Rajah, who is leading the task force, said then that it was part of the Government’s ongoing work to reduce inequality and boost social mobility.

Over the school holiday period and up until end of next month, about 6,000 children from 73 centres under PCF Sparkletots will get to visit one of three places for their excursions.

They may learn about bees at Bee Amazed; or visit the SEA Aquarium on Sentosa Island to study marine life; or head to the KidZania indoor theme park, also on Sentosa Island, to explore the concept of managing money and the different careers available in a city setting.

PCF’s chief executive officer Victor Bay said that parents pay around S$3 to S$6 to cover costs for the field trips such as for transport.

The operator is planning to expand the list of such out-of-classroom learning venues, as well as getting more pre-schools and more children to take part in such trips.

“This programme is very important and we want to ensure that we make it available to as many children who need this as possible, therefore we’re keeping the cost low,” Mr Bay said.

He declined to reveal the cost of running these programmes, but said that it will be separate from the S$20 million that PCF has set aside to develop its teachers over the next three years.

Mrs Teo said that while most pre-schoolers at PCF Sparkletot can experience outdoor learning in playgrounds or community gardens, there is scope for them to go beyond these places.

“The world is a big place and I think, as early as we can, (we should) expose our children to the wider world, develop their sense of curiosity and get them to ask questions, encourage them to read, have diverse interests. I think this is all part of enriching their experiences. The earlier we do it, the more we open up their minds,” she added.


PCF Sparkletots to have more outdoor activities during school holidays for kindergarteners
Tan Si Hui Channel NewsAsia 5 Nov 18;

SINGAPORE: More experience-based activities will be rolled out to about 6,000 PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Sparkletots children during the upcoming school holidays.

The field trips are part of efforts to ramp up learning beyond the classroom – a key focus in PCF’s curriculum.

The programmes will include visits to KidZania, where children can try different jobs and gain financial literacy, and the SEA Aquarium, where they can learn about sea life and marine ecosystems.

In subsequent years, the initiative will expand to all 360 PCF pre-schools, which about 43,000 pupils attend.

Minister of Manpower and PCF Executive Committee Chairperson Josephine Teo announced the initiative on Monday (Nov 5) at Bee Amazed Garden where 60 pre-school children learned about the behaviour of bees through games and role play.

"Most of the PCF Sparkletot centres are located within Housing & Development Board (HDB) estates, a vast majority of them have access to playgrounds, and community gardens are also very much a part of their learning curriculum.

"But we think that there is scope to extend beyond that. We particularly want to let the children have greater exposure to the outdoors," said Mrs Teo.

The initiative is also part of efforts to ensure that more children will have access to equal learning opportunities.

PCF Sparkletots is currently the largest pre-school operator in Singapore. It recently announced that it has set aside S$20 million for the development of its teachers over the next three years.

"It is always about uplifting every single child, and making sure that whatever starting lines they're at, they have the opportunity to have the richest and (broadest) learning experience," added Mrs Teo.

"The world is a big place. As early as we can, we want to expose our children to the wider world, develop their sense of curiosity, encourage them to ask questions, read, and have diverse interests."

Mrs Teo said, however, that efforts cannot be one-off and have to be consistent.

STRUCTURED LEARNING PROGRAMMES

Beyond outdoor activities, there will also be more structured learning programmes offered to PCF Sparkletots children at subsidised prices, in areas such as speech and drama, sports, IT literacy and social etiquette.

PCF CEO Victor Bay said these 21st-century skills need to be developed at a young age, and the programme will be offered at a price of about S$3 to S$6 to defray costs such as transport.

"This programme is very important and we want to ensure that it will be available to as many children who need this as possible, therefore, we are keeping the costs low," said Mr Bay.

Parents Channel NewsAsia spoke to said it was no longer necessary to send their children for enrichment programmes beyond those at PCF Sparkletots.

Ms Janelle Kok, 31, who is a mother of two said: “Such a programme is good and sufficient, but it will be good if there are more programmes that teach children to be more environmentally friendly.”

Ms Norhafiza Jamil, 38, said she has seen positive changes in her five-year-old after attending the outdoor activities planned by the kindergarten and wants her other two younger children to follow in their sister's footsteps.

“My child is now much more engaged. And because she wants to know more beyond the classroom, she asks me to go to the library with her to learn more."

Source: CNA/ad(hm)


PCF Sparkletots to organise more field trips, offer more learning programmes
Jolene Ang Straits Times 5 Nov 18;

SINGAPORE - The largest pre-school operator in Singapore will be organising more field trips for the children in its care to enrich their learning experience.

From next year, PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Sparkletots will also offer structured learning programmes at subsidised prices, in areas such as speech and drama, sports or social etiquette.

Manpower Minister Josephine Teo, who is also the PCF executive committee chairman, said these offerings come on top of the standard curriculum, and are meant to "give children the best start in life".

She was speaking to the media on Monday (Nov 5), on the sidelines of a field trip for 60 children from a PCF pre-school centre in Sengkang to Bee Amazed Garden in Yishun, where they learnt about honey bees and how they work.

Mrs Teo said: "The world is a big place. As early as we can, we want to expose our children to the wider world, develop their sense of curiosity and encourage them to ask questions, read and have diverse interests.

"It's all part of enriching their experience. The earlier we do it, the more we open up their minds."

Children could go on field trips to the KidZania indoor theme park or the SEA Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa, for instance.

Manpower Minister Josephine Teo at an outdoor learning activity with PCF Sparkletots children

PCF chief executive Victor Bay said parents would only have to pay a nominal fee of about $3 to $6 per trip to cover costs such as transport.

PCF Sparkletots has about 43,000 children across more than 360 centres. Mrs Teo said that for a start, this outdoor education programme would involve about 6,000 children from 73 centres over the school holiday period this year.

If the experience turns out to be good, PCF would like to extend it to more centres and children, she added.

News of the PCF initiative follows the setting up of an inter-agency task force, headed by Second Minister for Education Indranee Rajah, to help children from disadvantaged households realise their full potential.

The Straits Times reported that a key part of the task force's work would be directed at children in pre-schools and primary schools, as research showed it was especially critical to intervene in the early years to give a child a good start in life.

Asked about whether PCF's focus on outdoor learning was part of the Government's move to level the playing field in pre-school, Mrs Teo said: "Starting early is very valuable - you want to give children the best start in life, and by that, we mean all children.

"Broadening the availability of affordable and quality childcare is one part of it, but it's not the only thing happening. You need interventions on all fronts and you need to consider the various aspects."

She said: "It is always about uplifting every single child and making sure that whatever starting lines they're at, they have the opportunity to have the richest and the most broad learning experience."

Ms Janelle Kok, 31, whose five-year-old daughter went on the trip to Bee Amazed Garden, said it was an eye-opening experience for the children.

"At her age, she's starting to develop curiosity about things happening around her. I think these trips are more helpful because they leave a deeper impression on her; in-class learning is more theoretical," said Ms Kok, who works in sales.

PCF Sparkletots teacher Siti Aisyah Rahmat, 31, said that learning takes place best in an authentic setting.