Introduction
1. Welcome to the Early Childhood Celebrations & Conference 2025. While I may not be able to join you physically, I am heartened that Early Childhood and Early Intervention professionals have come together today as a fraternity, united by the commitment to give every child a good start.
Strong Foundation of Access to Affordable and Quality EC
2. As a sector, we have done well. Over the last decade, we have set strong foundations in building an early childhood sector where children have access to affordable and quality preschools.
3. First, we are on track to achieving our commitment of ensuring that 80% of preschoolers will have a place in a government-supported preschool by end-2025.
a. We have almost doubled the number of full-day preschool places from around 120,000 places in 2015 to around 220,000 places in 2024.
b. In addition, we have enhanced means-tested preschool subsidies and lowered fee caps at Government-supported preschools. For full-day childcare in an Anchor Operator preschool, a middle-income household pays around $200 each month today, less than half of what they would have paid 10 years ago.
[Support for Children from Lower-Income Families]
4. Second, we have taken steps to remove barriers faced by lower-income families in accessing and affording preschool education.
a. To ensure affordability, lower-income families receive full preschool subsidies, regardless of the parents’ employment status. They can pay as low as $3 a month for full-day childcare in an Anchor Operator preschool.
b. To increase accessibility, we have implemented priority enrolment for children from lower-income families at all Anchor Operator preschools and MOE Kindergartens.
c. We continue to proactively reach out to lower-income families via the Preschool Outreach Programme and ComLink+ Family Coaches to facilitate enrolment of their children in preschool by age 3. About 1,500 ComLink+ families have been placed on the ComLink+ Progress Package for Preschool which incentivises preschool enrolment and regular attendance.
d. We support lower-income parents to become confident and competent caregivers. Through KidSTART, home-based support is provided to caregivers, to equip them with the skills and knowledge to improve their relationship with their children and support them in meeting developmental milestones.
[Support for Children with Developmental Needs]
5. Third, we have sought to ensure that children with developmental needs can receive holistic support within preschools.
a. We have progressively expanded the Development Support and Learning Support programmes to more preschools, including all Anchor Operator preschools, so that children requiring low levels of early intervention (EI) support can receive the support they need in their preschool.
b. We have also piloted the Inclusive Support Programme (InSP) since 2021 so that children who require medium levels of EI support and who are suited to receive EI in a preschool setting can learn and play alongside their peers.
Weaving a Tapestry of Quality
6. We have set a strong foundation, and are well positioned to advance the quality of preschool education. To do so, I believe we must focus on two key threads:
a. First, inclusive practices; and
b. Second, innovation.
[Inclusive practices]
7. First, inclusive practices. International research and the local evaluation study of the InSP pilot has shown that inclusive practices strengthen the overall quality of teaching and benefit all children, both children with developmental needs and typically developing children.
8. The three-year InSP pilot was a testbed for putting evidence-based practices into action. EC and EI educators collaborated to use evidence-based practices like Universal Design for Learning and differentiated instruction. The InSP evaluation study revealed that:
a. Children with developmental needs in InSP preschools made significant progress in all domains of their development, narrowing the gap with their typically developing peers.
b. Typically developing children in InSP preschools demonstrated significant cognitive gains.
c. In the inclusive environment, we observed more meaningful interactions between children and greater acceptance of peers with different abilities.
9. I would like to share a story about Hannah Chung, a preschooler enrolled in Small Wonder Nordcom, one of our InSP pilot preschools. In 2024, Hannah won the “Little Heroes of Inclusion” award for her exceptional helpfulness and patience towards her friends with developmental needs. Ms Jezebel Khoo, her mother, shared that Hannah also eagerly anticipates the activities planned jointly by the preschool and Early Intervention educators. Ms Khoo represents the overwhelming parent support we have seen for InSP. Our study found that over 95% of all parents would recommend inclusive preschools to other families, a testament to the positive impact InSP has on the preschool community.
10. Given these promising findings, ECDA will expand the InSP to more preschools, so more children can benefit from an inclusive learning environment. ECDA will progressively add about 600 more InSP places from 2026 onwards.
11. This next phase will allow us to continually evaluate and refine our approach, while building capabilities in the sector. InSP is one example of how preschools are adapting to the diverse needs of children and embracing evidence-based practices to serve them better. This spirit of excellence will uplift the quality across our sector, ensuring every child receives the support they need to thrive.
[Innovation]
12. This spirit of excellence also guides the second thread of quality advancement – innovation. We must continue to raise the quality of our sector and enhance well-being of educators through innovation. We do so by improving pedagogy and leveraging technology.
a. On improving pedagogy, I announced last year that ECDA will be rolling out a new Quality Teaching Tool (QTT) in the second half of this year. In collaboration with the Centre for Research in Child Development in NIE, the very first locally developed pedagogical tool is ready to be shared with all educators today! The QTT will guide educators to support children’s well-being, learning, and holistic development and raise the quality of teaching practices in classrooms. Educators can look forward to more information on the use of QTT in the coming months.
b. On leveraging technology, ECDA will review the Industry Digital Plan to support the sector’s transformation. I am encouraged that many preschools have already adopted technology to improve work processes, productivity and educators’ well-being. For example, M.Y World employs an Interactive Digital Smart Screen that provides real-time data on infants’ needs and helps infant educators in managing their responsibilities effectively. Educators at E-Bridge utilise an AI lesson planner to personalise learning for the children in a shorter time, giving them more time to engage with the children. I look forward to more innovative tools and wider adoption of technology in our sector.
Upcoming Efforts to Collaborate, Cooperate, Co-create
13. Even as ECDA continues efforts to advance the quality of our EC sector through the two threads of inclusive practices and innovation, this tapestry of quality is woven together with many other stakeholders. In the coming years, we are excited to build our sector through the 3Cs of Collaboration, Cooperation, and Co-creation.
a. First, we will collaborate with academics to broaden research in early childhood care and education, and with community partners and parents to strengthen the ecosystem of support for children;
b. Second, we will cooperate with partners from neighbouring countries to curate exchange and learning opportunities, so we can learn from one another;
c. Third, we will co-create with preschools and like-minded partners to improve programmes and build capabilities, as well as encourage and enable adoption of technology to support our sector.
Conclusion
14. To all of us here today, we can take pride in the strong foundation built in our sector over the last decade. As we forge ahead, ECDA will continue to lead in making quality advancements and fostering stronger partnerships with preschools, educators and parents.
15. We are all valuable threads in this shared tapestry of quality, and I commend your contributions. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. I wish you a fruitful and enjoyable Early Childhood Celebrations & Conference 2025.