New President Award to Honour Outstanding Early Childhood Professionals
A new President's Award for Early Childhood Professionals will be introduced in 2027 as the highest individual honour for Singapore’s early childhood and early intervention professionals. Announced by Minister for Social and Family Development, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, at the Early Childhood Celebrations (ECC) 2026, the new Award will recognise exemplary professionals whose sustained excellence, leadership and contributions have strengthened professional practice across Singapore’s early childhood sector, and supported better outcomes for children and families.
Recognising Leadership and Impact Across the Profession
2 The introduction of the President's Award reflects the growing professionalism, quality and impact of Singapore’s early childhood sector, in line with the Early Childhood Development Agency's (ECDA) Quality Preschools 2030 vision. The sector has undergone a significant transformation over the past decades, with stronger professional standards, enhanced capabilities and growing public recognition of the important role educators play in children's development.
3 Today, three in four preschool educators hold a diploma or higher qualifications in early childhood education. According to ECDA’s “Preschool Experience Survey” conducted in November 2025, 91% of parents recognise preschool educators as trained professionals who play an important role in their children’s development and well-being, while close to 90% are satisfied with the quality of their partnerships with educators.
4 Building on the ECDA Awards framework, recipients of the President’s Award will be shortlisted from the nominees of the Outstanding Award across the five individual ECDA Awards categories. Recipients of the President’s Award will be expected to demonstrate broader, profession‑wide impact beyond their immediate roles or organisations.
Celebrating Excellence Across the Early Childhood Ecosystem
5 The new Award was announced at ECC 2026 themed “For Every Child, Excellence Together”. The ECDA annual flagship event brings together early childhood and early intervention professionals, preschool operators, parents and community partners to celebrate their collective contributions towards giving every child a good start in life.
6 Ms Ku Geok Boon, Chief Executive Officer of ECDA, said, “The President’s Award marks a significant milestone for the early childhood profession, and signifies the critical role of these outstanding professionals in shaping quality across the sector and giving every child a good start. I look forward to welcoming the pioneer batch of these exemplary individuals next year, alongside the many professionals, parents and partners who work hand-in-hand to strengthen early childhood education in Singapore.”
7 During the ECC, Minister Masagos presented the 14th edition of the ECDA Awards to 28 early childhood and early intervention professionals, and centres for their contributions in raising quality across the sector. In addition, 189 preschools were recognised for attaining the Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework (SPARK) accreditation, underscoring the sector’s continued commitment to high and consistent quality standards.
8 Beyond recognising professional and preschool excellence, the celebrations acknowledged the valuable contributions of parents and community partners. 505 parents were honoured under the ‘Our Wonderful Parents’ (OWP) initiative for exemplifying strong parent-preschool partnerships that support their children's holistic development, a 56% increase from 324 parents recognised in 2025.
9 Preschools participating in the Start Small Dream Big (SSDB) movement were celebrated for helping children put positive values into action through meaningful community service projects, reflecting the sector’s role in nurturing values alongside learning. As of June 2026, 1,405 preschools have joined SSDB, up from 1,309 preschools in 2025.