child/student care centres & services

MSF response to a question by Dr Wan Rizal on steps that have been taken to ensure continual access of natural parents and children-in-care during the period whereby social distancing between households are enforced.

Over 53,000 children from 950 preschools collectively dedicated 1.5 million hours of community service projects this year, as part of the President’s Challenge ‘Start Small Dream Big’ (SSDB) movement, initiated by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).

​A teaching staff at Learning Vision @ Work at 1 Lower Kent Ridge Road has tested positive for COVID-19. As a precautionary measure, ECDA has directed that the Centre be temporarily closed from 16 April 2020 to 23 April 2020. 

​DPM Heng Swee Keat has announced additional support for workers, businesses and households under the Solidarity Budget to help tide Singapore through the one month of COVID-19 major circuit breaker measures. Taking this into consideration, ECDA has required all preschool operators to provide parents offsets for 50% of their nett fees for one month, for Singaporean children not attending preschool during this one-month circuit breaker period.

​ECDA was informed that a non-PCF para-educational professional who provides intervention programmes to a group of children at PCF Sparkletots Preschool @ Bedok Reservoir-Punggol Blk 414 tested positive for COVID-19. As an added precautionary measure, ECDA has directed that the Centre be temporarily closed from 6 April 2020 to 15 April 2020. 

​ECDA was informed on 4 April 2020 that a teaching staff at Little Gems Preschool Pte Ltd tested positive for COVID-19. As an added precautionary measure, ECDA has directed that the Centre be temporarily closed from 5 April 2020 to 14 April 2020. This covers the 14-day incubation period as the staff was last in the Centre on 31 March 2020.   

​From 8 April 2020 to 4 May 2020, all preschools will suspend general services and remain open only to serve a limited group of parents who are unable to find alternative care arrangements, such as those working in essential services like healthcare.

ECDA was informed that a teaching staff at My First Skool located at 49 Rivervale Crescent, Singapore 544576 (“the Centre”) tested positive for COVID-19. She was last in the Centre on Tuesday, 31 March 2020. As an added precautionary measure, ECDA has directed that the Centre be temporarily closed from 3 April 2020 to 14 April 2020.

​To further protect the education system, MOE, MSF and ECDA will implement additional precautionary measures over and above MOH’s measures. As some have travelled overseas during the March school holidays, we will issue a 14-day Leave of Absence (LOA) to students and staff of schools, preschools and student care centres who have been out of Singapore on or after 14 March, which is the start of the March school holidays.