Childcare for a 2 .5 years old in central area

[crowsnest]

Hi, we'll be move to SG in Jun from Sydney. Plan to stay near central / newton area ...any recommendation for a good childcares nearby for a 2.5 years old girl ? My daughter's just turned 2 last mth and started her 2 days/week childcare in Jan this yr so still at learning stage for schooling. She'll turn 2.5 when we got there by Jun. Thanks in advance

[Steve1960]

Our daughter is 2 yrs 3 months and goes to a day care centre in Toa Payoh which is reasonably close to you. 4th floor of the MRT complex.

Chelsea Kidz. Hope I can mention by name mods I am not affiliated to the organisation in any way.

[sundaymorningstaple]

When satisfied customers recommend a place we encourage it, along with addresses and contacts. When someone with a financial interest in a business recommends something it's no longer a recommendation but solicitation or advertising. Big difference.

We welcome the former but we nuke the latter.

[crowsnest]

Tks for the info! I'll have a look online shortly and currently booked 2 other childcares for viewing in Apr when we're in SG to settle the lease Hopefully we will score 1 in upcoming Apr trip
BTW, was your daughter settle well when she 1st started the childcare in SG? Any enrichment classes after the school? coz one of childcare I booked for her finishes at 2:15pm(as a full day class). Wonder what else can we do for her as it seems very different from Childcare in Australia.

[jacL]

Hi i read about your post that you are coming to sg. Welcome! I'm a preschool teacher. It would be good if you can share with me more on what kind of style or teaching method u are looking at..ie. montessori, play-based, structured, thematic.. From there I hope I can give you my advise for a good one & the budget u are looking for:){edited by moderator}

[Steve1960]

Tks for the info! I'll have a look online shortly and currently booked 2 other childcares for viewing in Apr when we're in SG to settle the lease Hopefully we will score 1 in upcoming Apr trip
BTW, was your daughter settle well when she 1st started the childcare in SG? Any enrichment classes after the school? coz one of childcare I booked for her finishes at 2:15pm(as a full day class). Wonder what else can we do for her as it seems very different from Childcare in Australia.

The place my daughter goes cater for full time and part time. We only wanted the morning session as my wife does not work so no need for all day. I can't remember the times but give them a call and see if its suitable for you.

This is the first time my daughter has been in a school environment, she seems to have settled well though.

[crowsnest]

Tks Steve! Great to know as we also plan to send my daughter to start with half day class 1st since I won't be working in SG this yr. Full day will be good for us next yr as I may work for the same co in SG next yr (That all depends on how well my daughter copes in childcare). Hope my daughter would behave well as urs

[crowsnest]

Hi i read about your post that you are coming to sg. Welcome! I'm a preschool teacher. It would be good if you can share with me more on what kind of style or teaching method u are looking at..ie. montessori, play-based, structured, thematic.. From there I hope I can give you my advise for a good one & the budget u are looking for:){edited by moderator}

Thanks Jacl!

My daughter's current childcare back to Sydney is more a mixed of play-based & structured. She's in the class of 12 for 24 mths to 36mths with 2 teachers. They starts at 8am and finishes at 6pm. We currently send her there around 9am and pick her up at 5pm as her childcare is close to my workplace. She's going there for 2 days per week now since Jan 2013 ...so still new for her.

The 2 places I booked for tour in Apr at the moment are Rosemary Hall Montessori Kindergarten@Marina Square and White Lodge@Phoenix Park. I believe both are tailored for expat and bilingual. The costs are within our budget. We're ok with S$1k per mth. Also plan to book the one which Steve recommended.

Our ideal childcare would be the one with a nice outdoor play area like her current one in Sydney as my daughter is an active & outdoor type. However I was told it's impossible to find one with a decent outdoor playing area given the hot & humid hot weather in SG.

Let me know if there's any other good one I should visit in Apr and also if you know which one is better one to go for ie Rosemary and White Lodge (We like both from online info so would be a hard choice if both accept her ). We aim to close off her school and lease during our 10 days visit Apr before we move to SG in Jun. Thanks in advance! Have a nice weekend

[jacL]

Hi crownest,

You're most welcome. If you are looking for outdoor play, Rosemary may not be ideal as it is in Marina Square. It's in shopping complex & it's situated with building around. Nonetheless, I do think Montessori is a good program to help children to learn. But there are many montessori school out there but not all has trained teachers or is strictly following the method. If you still choose to have Montessori with a mix of international children, and trained teachers, I suggest Little Hands Montessori at Orchard.
However if you are looking at structured & thematic, try applying for Pat's Schoolhouse at Buckley. They have teachers of more than 10 yrs experience & has a good program. Very huge playground:)
If u prefer to go for play based curriculum, EtonHouse - Vanda Branch, has experienced & friendly teachers. Homely environment. Has outdoor too. Buckley is bigger.

Summarize :Independence-Montessori, Thematic & play - Pat's schoolhouse, play & creativity - EtonHouse.

These are the top schools in sg. Not sure if it's full but try applying.
As your child is 2yrs, I suggest going to Pat's Schoolhouse as the programs are more suitable.
And usually parents send their child everyday to school. Half/full day.
Sg is very small. Just book appointments with them & go around. It can be done in just a day or two:)

[crowsnest]

Thanks Jacl for the details and very informative ... Really appreciated here BTW, I'm Lucy

Done the online research for those 3 schools, personally I like little hands Montessori especially the nice outdoor playarea. As it's not much info in their web about the application form & fees, I'll call them on Mon to find out the details. Hope they're not as expensive as Eton Eton's good to me but it's a bit expensive for a 2.5yrs old ...hehe it's almost the same fee as we would pay for a top private girl school back in sydney for Yr 1. Pat's schoolhouse seems slightly cheaper but not sure if we can secure a spot in Jun as both schools seems to have a reputation with a long waiting list. We'll definitely visit LHM & Pat's schoolhouse during the Apr trip & put down the names for the future year if there's no spot this year.

You're right about Rosemary Hall, they're indoor. I picked purely coz of montessori structure & nice program there.

[HRN]

I have just moved into the Macpherson area and have been looking at the childcare centres around there.. Anyone able to recommend something for me? I called a childcare centre called Our Future Prodigies as I heard a few good things about it at work. The supervisor was very friendly and seemed welcoming. I am going to the centre to meet her in a few days time. Any feedback is much appreciated.