At NTUC First Campus (NFC), we strive to provide the best for our children, be it in terms of learning resources, curriculum, learning environment and even meals. We are at the forefront of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) sector, continually seeking ways to enhance the quality we provide to our children and families.
Opening of My First Skool Early Years Centre
My First Skool’s (MFS) 1,065-capacity Early Years Centre (EYC) at 2 Punggol Drive was officially opened in 2019. The centre is MFS’ largest EYC to date, providing quality and affordable pre-school education for children from two months to four years old. Under the EYC model, children will move to a nearby partner Ministry of Education (MOE) Kindergarten upon reaching the age of five.
As part of our commitment to providing the best learning environment, NFC pushed the envelope and took the opportunity to create interesting learning spaces and environments in the EYC, thereby raising the quality of pre-school experience offered. The EYC has five specially designed playscapes for children’s outdoor play: an Outdoor Playground, Water Play Zone, Land Play Zone, Mountain Play Zone and Forest Play Zone.
The indoor learning environment is also intentionally designed to encourage both locomotors and non-locomotors activities to meet the learning and developmental needs of the children. The centre’s classrooms have distinctively designed furniture that are specially curated to provide opportunities for children to have sensorial and creative expressive activities.
The EYC has its own fully-equipped commercial kitchen staffed by an eight-person full-time kitchen crew. The kitchen crew is helmed by a Head Chef with over 15 years of experience in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry. Significant investments have been made to set up and equip the commercial kitchen. The 127-sqm main kitchen is located on the first floor, with a 19-sqm kitchen pantry on the second floor. The kitchen is also furnished with automated equipment to support the crew with the large-scale preparation of healthy meals as well as the cleaning of cutlery. Find out more here.
The My First Skool Early Years Centre at 2 Punggol Drive caters to 1,065 children
Forging Strategic Partnerships
One of the various ways that NFC develops the joy of learning in its children is through collaboration with partners. NFC, MFS and the National Museum of Singapore (NMS) signed a Collaboration Agreement, enabling NMS to tap on the expertise of professionals in the early childhood sector. The parties involved in this partnership will co-develop museum resources and programmes that are age-appropriate and relevant to pre-school children, families, as well as early childhood educators in relation to the NMS’ events and exhibitions.
One of the products of this partnership is Get Curious! – The Official Interactive Family Guide to the National Museum of Singapore. Jointly developed with MFS’ early childhood educators, the guide contains engaging and age-appropriate resources and programmes for children from five to eight years old. Launched in June 2019, the book enables families to have self-guided visits of the NMS. Other upcoming resources include activity booklets, guidebooks, programmes and workshops. These initiatives will serve to drive interest and engagement in museums-based learning for young children and their families. Another aspect of this collaboration includes the co-development of content, with MFS, for intergenerational programmes at NMS involving seniors and children.
Children learning more about history and culture at the National Museum of Singapore
Developing the Drama Pedagogy
Following the partnership formed between The Little Skool-House (LSH) and the Singapore Repertory Theatre in 2018 to strengthen its literacy-based curriculum, the drama pedagogy is ready for phased implementation in 2020. This proprietary programme is part of LSH’s Literacy-Based Curriculum and literacy programme to enhance language acquisition for young children.
As part of the partnership, LSH teachers took part in a two-year professional development programme to learn the domains of drama pedagogy and integrate them into the LSH literacy-based curriculum. To support teachers in the phased implementation, curriculum guides were developed and used as planning materials for teachers.
The Little Skool-House teachers developing their skills in drama pedagogy
Providing Quality Pre-school Education and Care
All eligible NFC pre-school centres have attained the Singapore Pre-school Accreditation Framework (SPARK) certification, an endorsement given by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) in Singapore for quality education and care by a service provider.
