Singapore Expats

Moving to Singapore from the US. Where do I start?

Discuss about childcare, parenthood, playschools, educational, family & international school issues.

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Garden Girl
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Moving to Singapore from the US. Where do I start?

Post by Garden Girl » Wed, 06 Jan 2010 9:05 pm

HI- I am moving from the US to Singapore in March. I have a small child (3.5yrs). My husband will be working in district 1 and we are so overwhelmed with looking for a place to live and a pre school for our daughter. We are open to a local school or international with a strong bi lingual program (we are thinking Mandarin). We also want to be somewhat close to my husband's office. We are coming from a fairly large and new home and would like to find a newer condo.
Do we look for a school or apartment first? Can anyone recommend where to start? My huband will be going to Singapore at the end of January to look for a place for us to to live. Any help or advice would be greatly appreicated.
Garden Girl

scarbowl
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Post by scarbowl » Thu, 07 Jan 2010 4:08 pm

Suggest you find the school, first. Then decide where to live.
Also, it's good to be on a bus line or near a metro and you won't be required to have a car - cars are expensive here.
You may be surprised at rents here - higher than in the USA.

mumfromOz
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preschool

Post by mumfromOz » Thu, 07 Jan 2010 7:39 pm

yep, search long and hard for a good preschool and move based on that.
i made a mistake by not checking out the preschool scene thoroughly and simply going to the most popular ... 2 days later after my 2 kids [2.11 and 5] began school i had to look elsewhere, the preschool i picked was a disaster.

my advice is to go for smaller preschoolers initially to let the kids settle in. i did that with my 2 kids - i put them in a little boutique preschool where there were only 6-8 kids in each class. they settled real quick, learned lots and they don't actually want to move. they love going to preschool! the one i picked has a great mandarin teacher and the curriculum is thorough. really liked the manager too - not pushy, very reasonable and approachable australian lady.

had to move house to be near the preschool though. the preschool is in tanglin and we were in the east coast. costly mistake.

good luck!

Garden Girl
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Thank you.

Post by Garden Girl » Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:22 pm

Thank you, that is great advice. I will look for a pre school first.
Garden Girl

Amandiene
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Post by Amandiene » Sat, 09 Jan 2010 4:02 pm

Hi! We lived in the States for a few years than moved to Singapore. I can't give any advice regarding schools, but what I experienced regarding housing. Compared to the U.S. you get less space for your money. If you want to have a three or four bedroom apartment that is new and in a central location you have to be prepared to spend a lot (I would say starting at about 7000/ 8000 S$ upward). Most of the times the rooms are quite small though. If you look for an older apartment you have better chances to get more space for your money, but it's usually a little dated.

handbelljoe0112
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Post by handbelljoe0112 » Thu, 21 Jan 2010 4:12 pm

Hey there

you should definitely choose a small preschool for your child cos it'd be easier to adapt. i'm 16, and i remember when i was 6 we moved across the country and i had to change preschools. it was much easier cos my preschool only had one class per grade with about 20 kids in it, which was way smaller than my previous one. a preschool i would recommend is gracefields, though i'm not sure if they still have the small classes, but the teachers put in a lot of effort and it is very hands on. i liked it much better than the first preschool i went to.

i hope you all have a smooth transition.

edited: removed solicitation - moderator

movingtospore
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Post by movingtospore » Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:12 am

As your child is over three, he or she should be old enough to start at the preschools at the International Schools as well. They will all be full for this school year most likely, but if you pick one you like and apply when you get here, then your little can start junior kindie when s/he is four, ie the next school year. If you have your eye on one of the more popular schools like UWC, Tanglin or SAS, I've heard it's a good idea to go for a nursery spot as then you're in for a place in the upper grades as they move up. Can be quite a long wait to transfer when they're older.

soniawh
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Tuesday Mums and Bumps Group

Post by soniawh » Fri, 22 Jan 2010 7:01 pm

Hi There,

If you are looking to meeting other mums we have a FB group that meets every Tuesday.

If your interested join our group and you will see the events we have lined up.

Don't worry about feeling overwhelmed we can help you re places to live, childcare etc etc

Sonia

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=1 ... 093&ref=mf

daga
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preschool for a 3 year old

Post by daga » Fri, 12 Feb 2010 1:27 am

Hello Garden Girl,

I came across your post when I was looking for some ideas about pre-schools for our 3.5 year old. We'll be in Singapore in June and even though it's our second BIG move, it is no easier this time.

Since you got a head start, would you mind sharing what you've found out? We'll be likely living in the East.

I could not use the "pm" option b/c I have not been a member for long enough. I will appreciate any suggestions that you might have.

Thanks. Daga

AlwayzNMotion
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Post by AlwayzNMotion » Sat, 26 Mar 2011 12:44 pm

Hi Garden Girl and Daga,

I also could not use the "pm" option b/c I have not been a member of this forum long enough. I am relocating to Singapore (summer 2011) with my two kids, 4 yo and 2 yo, and would like to hear about what preschools (local vs. international) you ended up selecting.

I'm a little torn and overwhelmed by the amount of choices available and the process to make this decision. I'd like to have my children be proficient in Mandarin and be well-rounded with sports, music and academics. Should I enroll my oldest in an International School and supplement with Mandarin classes every day? If so, what language companies would you recommend?

And for my 2 yo, should I send him to a different local school (better teacher:student ratio, language immersion, more nurturing classrooms)? Or am I better off sending them both to the same international school that serves preschoolers only?

Anyone have a short list of recommended preschools (local or international) you've visited and can share pros/cons?

We have an upcoming house hunting trip scheduled next month so a quick response with as much details as possible would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

aurorasig
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Post by aurorasig » Sun, 27 Mar 2011 9:39 am

Hi, I'm new here. I will be moving in June 2011 and need information on daycare for my 1 yr old. What schools should I be looking at? It seems that most places start at 18 mths and she will just be 12 mths when we arrive.

leterg1111
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Post by leterg1111 » Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:21 pm

Hello aurorasig, There are many infant care centers in Singapore that take children from 2 mths to 18 mths. My daughter went to infant care at 6mths old. Maybe you should get an infant care closer to home or work since you're new in singapore. That way it would be more convenient for you. Any idea where you would be residing or working at? Maybe I can help u find out more.

aurorasig
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Post by aurorasig » Mon, 11 Apr 2011 9:35 am

Hi leterg1111, I'll be near the Tanjong Pagar MRT for work. As for housing, I don't know where I"ll be located yet. Any info that you can provide would be greatful.

Thanks...

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