Professional Development Programme 2025 participants,
Nominators and Operators,
Introduction
1. A very good afternoon to everyone.
2. Today, we mark a special celebration for 185 of our dedicated Early Childhood, or EC, professionals. You will be starting an exciting 3-year Professional Development Programme (PDP) journey. We are glad that you have chosen to further develop your capabilities and deepen your expertise. This shows your commitment to make an even greater impact on the young lives that we care for.
Existing Efforts to Raise Preschool Quality
3. Professional growth and leadership development are key ingredients of a robust and high-quality EC sector. Over the years, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has stepped up efforts to strengthen the quality of the care and education in the sector. To this end, we periodically enhance the curriculum frameworks, such as the revised Early Years Development Framework (EYDF) and the Nurturing Early Learners (NEL) Framework. We also developed quality resources for educators such as the Mentoring Guide. The Code of Ethics was also updated last year, in partnership with the Association for Early Childhood Educators Singapore (AECES).
4. ECDA has also enhanced the quality assurance framework and launched the refreshed Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework or SPARK 2.0 last November. SPARK 2.0 aims to empower preschools to improve their quality by emphasising effective teaching and learning approaches. It also provides preschools the flexibility to customise their programmes so that they can meet each child’s unique needs and profile, as well as exercise greater autonomy in charting their own quality improvement journey.
5. Later this year, ECDA will also roll out the new Quality Teaching Tool, QTT, a pedagogical tool that helps guide educators in building trusting relationships with children, nurture their well-being and at the same time facilitate meaningful learning experiences.
Whole-of-Sector Effort in Driving Preschool Quality
6. To level up the quality of the sector, we need everyone to work closely together. ECDA sets broad directions in terms of curriculum frameworks and resource development. The National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) provides training for educators, and operators implement quality initiatives on the ground. It is our EC leaders and educators like all of you in this hall today, who are the catalysts and the heart that make things work.
7. Take for instance, our newly appointed PDP for Educators participant, Ms Siti Qadhtijah Binti Sahar. As a Senior Preschool Educator at Small Wonder Preschool with 11 years of experience in the EC sector, Siti exemplifies how educators can be catalysts for positive change. Through various professional development courses, she proactively translated her learning experiences into impactful classroom practices and strengthened collaboration with her colleagues to better support children’s development. In addition to her willingness to strengthen herself professionally, the strong support that she received from her centre leaders was also crucial. Inspired by how her mentors created opportunities for her growth, Siti now aspires to pay it forward and create similar developmental opportunities for other educators.
8. Now, that is why our EC leaders play such a critical role – you create the supportive environment that enables educators like Siti to really flourish and prosper. When leaders actively support continual professional development, they influence educators in enhancing the quality of EC care and education within the centre.
9. However, leadership is never a walk in the park. In addition to playing the role of a cheerleader, leaders have to oversee preschool operations, manage and communicate updated information and resources to their staff, exercise pedagogical leadership to guide their educators, and at the same time, support our young children and their families.
Empowering EC Leaders to Drive Quality
10. Hence, that is why our key focus has been to develop our EC leaders. The Leadership Development Framework (or LDF) was launched a few years ago in 2022 to provide a common understanding of leadership competencies to help aspiring and existing leaders plan for structured and holistic development.
11. One of our new PDP(Leaders) participants is here with us today. Ms Sangeetha d/o Subramaniam is a Curriculum and Pedagogy Specialist at Bright Kids School House, with 18 years of experience in the EC sector. Sangeetha has referred to the LDF to enhance leadership capabilities of her team – nurturing junior educators into confident lead preschool educators and centre leaders. The LDF has also helped her to draw up the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) plans for her educators and herself.
12. I am indeed encouraged by Sangeetha’s eagerness to further hone her mentoring and curriculum planning capabilities through the PDP. ECDA will continue working closely with the sector to enhance the LDF and incorporate leadership training roadmaps, so that our EC leaders can be better supported in their roles.
13. Today, we are also launching a new leadership development programme – named Leadership Booster. This is a partnership between ECDA and NIEC.
14. Leadership Booster, tailored for EC centre leaders with at least three years of experience, equips them with a whole range of practical management tools to strengthen key leadership competencies in terms of inclusivity, communication, decision-making, and talent development. This programme includes a learning journey, networking sessions and coaching.
15. Through the programme, EC leaders can come together to discuss challenges that we face in preschools, share experiences and leadership practices, as well as to build a community to support one another so that we can grow together in this journey.
16. One leader who recognises the benefits of Leadership Booster is Ms Angela Khoo, Principal of NAFA Arts Preschool. She has 18 years of experience in the EC sector and she has registered interest in the inaugural run of Leadership Booster in July.
17. Over her nine years as a centre leader, Ms Angela learnt that effective leadership involves cultivating strong relationships with parents, with educators, and with management. These partnerships will help create a vibrant preschool community. In today's dynamic EC landscape, she recognises that staying abreast of emerging trends and gaining fresh perspectives are vital. Therefore, she looks forward to networking with other experienced leaders and exchanging practical stakeholder engagement strategies to further enhance partnerships.
18. So I encourage EC leaders, especially those who have been in leadership roles for some years, to join Leadership Booster programme so that we can collectively drive positive change and make an even greater impact in the EC sector.
19. Beyond developing leaders through initiatives like Leadership Booster and PDP for Leaders, we are equally committed to raising the professionalism of our EC educators. You are vital in this quality journey, creating meaningful learning experiences that will shape our children's early years. Through the PDP for Educators, you will deepen your pedagogical expertise and enhance classroom practices for different age groups. Your commitment to growing professionally while supporting our children makes a difference to the EC sector.
Closing
20. As we celebrate and continue to commit to the professional growth of our EC educators and leaders, I am reminded of what makes our educators special and that is – your RIPPLE attributes: Resilience, In a Team, Passion for Children, Professionalism, Love for Learning, and Empathy. These qualities create lasting ripples that help shape our children’s tomorrow.
21. With this, I thank all of you present for your dedication and hard work in the EC sector and mighty congratulations to our 2025 PDP participants once again. Through your commitment to professional growth to give every child a good start in life, you already exemplify RIPPLE qualities. May your professional journey ahead be both enriching and joyful. Thank you very much.