[Full Day Care Programme]

The trial period of 2 consecutive weeks (inclusive of public holidays) during the first month of your child’s enrolment is applicable only to children enrolled in the Full-Day Care Programme. During this time, you can assess if your child can adapt to the preschool experience and would like to continue his/her enrolment.

[Focused Education Programme]

There is no trial period for this programme.

[Full-day Care Programme] If you wish to withdraw within the trial period, you are required to submit Withdrawal Form to our preschool no later than the end of the 2-week trial.

After the trial period, one calendar month’s written notice is required.

Below is the refund and withdrawal policy applicable to withdrawal within the trial period of 2 weeks with the required written notice.

[Full-day Care Programme] Parents who wish to withdraw their children after the trial period are required to give one calendar month’s written notice using our preschool’s Withdrawal Form. This must be submitted no later than the first working day of the month for withdrawal to take place at the end of that same month.

Any notice given after this day will be considered effective the first day of the following month.

For example:

*Assume there is no outstanding amount

[Focused Education Programme]

Parents who wish to withdraw their children during the school term are required to give one calendar month’s written notice using our preschool’s Withdrawal Form. Our preschool will not accept any notice of withdrawal during the school holiday months (Jun, Nov and Dec). If you wish to withdraw your child in the school holiday months of Jun, Nov and Dec, please submit the Withdrawal Form to our preschool by 1 May (for Jun) and 1 Oct (for Nov and Dec).

Withdrawal Form must also be submitted no later than the first working day of the month. Any notice given after this day will be considered effective the first day of the following month. The one month’s programme fees in Jun and Dec are payable for withdrawal in May and Nov respectively.

For example:

*Assume there is no outstanding amount
**Any notice given after 1 Oct, there will be no refund of deposit for the month of Oct, Nov and Dec.

The deposit will be used to offset the last month’s programme fee upon graduation at K2 level or upon withdrawal with the required written notice.

Any deposit balance will be refunded only if the following conditions are met:
• Parents give the required written notice period to our preschool for withdrawal.
• There are no outstanding programme fees/arrears.
• The last month’s programme fee shall not be pro-rated and is paid in full.

All refunds will be made via GIRO/CDA GIRO only. Any refund for payment made out from the CDA must be credited directly back into the same account.

Children who have been absent for one calendar month, without any notice from parents, will be deemed to have withdrawn from our preschool. We will use the deposit to offset the last month’s programme fee and/or any outstanding fees.

The level that your child will be enrolled in is based on your child’s age in the year of enrolment:

2 months old to below 18 months old – Infant Care
18 months old to below 3 years old – Playgroup
3 years old – Pre-Nursery (N1)
4 years old – Nursery (N2)
5 years old – Kindergarten 1 (K1)
6 years old – Kindergarten 2 (K2)

Children born on 1 January will join the cohort from the previous year.

For example, all children born between 2 January 2017 to 1 January 2018, will be enrolled in Kindergarten 1 instead of Nursery 2 in the Academic Year 2022. This is aligned with MOE’s age requirement for Primary One Registration.

After you have registered your interest on our website, we will contact you once there is a vacancy for your child. Vacancies vary across centres and are dependent on the waitlist at individual centres.

The fee is dependent on the type of service your child is enrolled in, and the citizenship of your child. The following is a guide for your reference:

The fees listed above are before deduction of subsidies for children who are Singapore Citizens.

Please contact our centres for more information.

If your child is a Singapore Citizen, he/she may qualify for the following, based on your selected service:

Full Day Infant Care

Working mothers who clock at least 56 hours of work a month will be eligible for a basic subsidy of $600 per month. In addition, if your family’s gross monthly household income is less than $12,000 (before CPF deductions), an additional subsidy of up to $710 may be granted.

Full Day Childcare

Working mothers who clock at least 56 hours a month will be eligible for a basic subsidy of $300 per month. In addition, if your family’s gross monthly household income is less than $12,000 (before CPF deductions), an additional subsidy of up to $467 may be granted.

Short Hours Kindergarten

The working mother subsidy is not applicable for this service, but you may apply for the Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) if your family’s gross monthly household income is below $12,000 (before CPF deductions).

As the application for the additional subsidy or KiFAS are subject to ECDA’s assessment and approval, we are unable to advise on the amount of subsidy that will be granted for your child.

More information is available at https://www.ecda.gov.sg/parents/subsidies-financial-assistance 

Interest for our infant care service can be submitted 3 months in advance of your Estimated Due Date (EDD) via our interest form.

Please contact the centre you have selected within a month after your child is born to update us with your child’s particulars such as the birth certificate number, date of birth and citizenship details to remain on the waitlist.

Yes. Your child can be enrolled if the selected centre has a suitable vacancy for your child.

If your child does not hold a valid Dependent Pass for residing in Singapore, our colleagues from the centres will apply for a Student’s Pass for your child upon your acceptance of the offered vacancy.

Your child can only start his/her preschool education journey with us upon approval of the Student’s Pass application.

More information about Student’s Pass application can be found at https://www.ica.gov.sg/reside/STP/apply/msf

As all interest for school placements are managed by our individual centres directly, we apologise that we will not be able to advise on the registration. If you have indicated your interest via the online registration form (openhouse.pcf.org.sg/), our colleagues from the centre will be in touch with you directly to advise on the registration.

Nevertheless, you may contact our centres directly to check on the registration status. The contact numbers of our centres are available in the Acknowledgement E-mail you should be receiving after you have completed the online form.

Our preschool adheres to the following teacher-child ratio during the main programme hours as stipulated by ECDA.

Generally, we offer 2 types of preschool services; kindergarten and childcare. A kindergarten typically offers a half-day [up to 4 hours] programme for children from 4 to 6 years, while childcare (for children between 18 months to 6 years) is a full-day programme that offers both education and care for children and is suitable for families where both parents are working.

We do have selected kindergartens that offer the Playgroup (18 months to below 3 years old) programme for each academic year. The class duration is 1.5 hours per day, however, please note that these centres are not available in all towns.

Our Early Years (EY) Centre partners with a nearby MOE Kindergarten (MK) to provide full day programme to children aged 2 months to 4 years old (N2) who will then proceed to the partner MK to complete their K1 and K2 education.

Our EY Programme offers:
• Full Day Infant Care (IF) and Child Care (CC) programmes up to N2 level
• Focused Education Programme (FEP) is similar to a Kindergarten Programme. It is for N2 only and is subject to local demand and availability. You can find the list of our early years centres at https://www.pcf.org.sg/sparkletots/our-preschools/#early-years-centres

Request for a visit to the centre has to be made with the centre of your interest directly. You may contact our centre/s for more information.

The contact numbers of our centres are available in the Acknowledgement E-mail you should be receiving after you have completed the online form or our website at www.pcf.org.sg/sparkletots

You may wish to note that appointments for visits may only be made if there is a vacancy for your child in the near future.

Dual Service (DS) offers both Full-Day Care Programme (similar to a Childcare service) and Focused Education Programme (similar to a Kindergarten service) within the same preschool.

• Full-Day Care Programme is a combination of a Focused Education Programme (FEP) complemented by quality care for children such as meals, naptime and a variety of learning activities.
• Focused Education Programme offers programmes from Monday to Friday. Each session lasts about 3 to 4 hours.

To locate a preschool near you, you may refer to our website at https://www.pcf.org.sg/sparkletots/our-preschools/#locate-our-preschool

For new and upcoming childcare centres, they will be listed by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) via the following links:

1. https://cms.ecda.gov.sg/preschool
2. https://www.ecda.gov.sg/parents/preschool-search-portal and scroll to the “Manage Interest” section

For safety and security reasons, our staff will hand over your child only to you or any other authorised persons (18 years old and above) listed in your completed “Authorised Persons to Fetch Child” form.
If you would like someone whose name is not on the authorisation list to fetch your child, you must inform our preschool in writing prior to the arrangement. This person must bring along his/her identity card (either hardcopy or digital) for verification purposes. Our staff will not release your child without your consent. The photo of your child and person(s) fetching him/her will be taken via our PEP and you will be able to view it via the system.

If meal is provided, we strive to provide our children with a well-balanced diet. They will be served meals in accordance with guidelines set by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) for the Healthy Meals in Preschools Programme (HMPP). Pork, mutton and beef are excluded for health and religious reasons.

[Full-Day Care Programme] Children are served breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea daily. Our menus are displayed on the Parents’ Notice Board or uploaded to PEP for your reference. The food served may vary slightly due to the availability of food items. Occasionally, we may add or substitute food items with something that the children make or cook during a class activity.

Our food is prepared directly by our preschool’s cook or Singapore Food Agency (SFA) licensed caterers. All our children should consume food provided by our preschool.

[Focused Education Programme] Our preschool will allocate 15-20 minutes for light refreshments each day. Group meal times give children the opportunity to interact with their friends and develop social skills. They will develop good table manners, learn to eat independently and use their cutlery properly, whilst supervised by our teachers.

Our preschool may serve light snacks or you may be informed to prepare healthy snacks for your child to bring to school. Pork, mutton and beef are excluded for health and religious reasons.

You may refer to the timetable for snack schedule at our preschool.

If your child has food allergies or special dietary restrictions, either for health reasons certified by a registered medical practitioner or for religious reasons, please notify our preschool immediately in writing. Our staff will discuss with you how best we can assist.

You may celebrate your child’s birthday with us by submitting the children’s birthday celebration request form to our preschool at least one week prior to the actual day.

If you wish to celebrate your child’s birthday with a cake, please check with our teachers for any food allergies and/or dietary restrictions that the other children in the class may have before bringing the cake. In addition, please provide a healthier choice of cake(s) that all children can enjoy.

Goodie bags are optional. Please do not include any food items if you wish to prepare one.

In the event of a pandemic, all our preschools will have to comply with the requirements mandated by ECDA e.g. parents will not be allowed into the preschool and if there is a birthday cake, there must be no blowing of candles.

Please bring your child’s milk feed on a daily basis. The bottles or disposable storage bags must be clearly labelled with your child’s full name, amount of milk, date and time of expression.

Parents are encouraged to provide chilled milk rather than frozen milk. Any leftover breast milk that has been warmed up, will be discarded if your child does not consume it after 1 hour.

Our preschool will inform you immediately if your child falls ill during school hours e.g. has diarrhoea, is vomiting or having a fever. We would require you to bring your child home to rest and/or seek medical attention.

While waiting for your arrival, your child will be isolated at the sick bay to rest and will be supervised by an adult. In the best interest of your child and the other children, it is important that you do not delay in fetching your child.

If your child is diagnosed with a communicable disease e.g. COVID-19, flu, conjunctivitis, HFMD, etc., he/she can only resume school upon the expiry of the medical certificate and has fully recovered with no symptoms of illness.

However, if your child is sent home on suspicion of having a communicable disease e.g. ulcer in the mouth, body rashes/spots, he/she can resume school once these symptoms have subsided or he/she is certified fit for school by a medical practitioner.

Our teachers will record your child’s milk feeds/meals, naps and bowel movements daily and share this with you.

We recommend that solid food be introduced to your child when he/she is ready to wean, typically from 4 – 6 months of age. This is in view that a baby’s iron stores start to deplete when they turn 6 months old and to meet your child’s growing nutritional needs. When to start the weaning process will be decided in consultation with you. Please discuss this in greater detail with our preschool.

For your child’s optimal well-being, our preschool implements comprehensive health and hygiene practices, which include:
• Health/visual screening and temperature taking
• Cleaning and maintenance of preschool premises
• Washing and cleaning of toys/commonly shared items and disinfecting using UV steriliser equipment
• Sanitising of cots/mattresses (after each use)
• Teaching children good hygiene practices, especially frequent and proper hand-washing

In addition to the regular cleaning and disinfection by our staff, professional disinfection will be carried out quarterly.

We also engage a professional pest control company to conduct inspections and ensure our preschool is pest-free.

What are the safe management measures put in place in your preschool during a pandemic?
In the event of a pandemic, all our preschools will have to comply with the requirements mandated by ECDA. In addition, we will implement PCF’s stringent safe management measures, including increased health and temperature checks, regular disinfection and sanitisation and safe distancing. We will engage professional services to clean and disinfect Centre premises if deemed necessary.

In the event of a communicable disease outbreak, we will increase the frequency of health and temperature checks as well as monitor the children and staff closely for any symptoms of the disease. Children/staff who are unwell will be advised to seek medical attention promptly and rest at home until they have fully recovered. We will also step up our cleaning/hygiene practices and frequency, suspend large group activities and carry out other precautionary measures to minimise the spread of the illness.

Parents will be informed of the outbreak and be updated on any related developments. We will also notify the relevant regulatory agencies and comply with any instructions to safeguard the children’s well-being.

Your child should wear the uniform from the first day of school. This is for safety reasons and to facilitate easy identification as we conduct outdoor activities throughout the week. You may consider buying at least 2 sets first and purchase additional sets after the first 2 weeks of school.

We offer a varied combination of mother tongue languages across our centres. You can search for your preferred centre here and speak to the Centre Admin/Centre Principal of your preferred centre/s regarding the mother tongue languages offered there.

It is important for children to learn how to spell. However, we do not use spelling lists and tests which teach children through rote memorisation. Instead, we use fun and engaging learning activities such as spelling games and movement activities. It is a more effective teaching approach and allows our children to use letter sounds to form words and at the same time, have an enjoyable learning experience.

a. How do your teachers support and guide children who require behavioural regulation to demonstrate pro-social behaviour?

Our preschool supports and guides children to learn pro-social behaviour. However, from time to time, they may display poor self-regulation by throwing tantrums or fidgetiness or inattention.

For children who require support to self-regulate, our teachers will:

• teach and model pro-social behaviour.
• teach calming exercises to children (based on their age appropriateness).
• review the children’s personal needs regularly.
• movement breaks e.g. simple movements/exercises after 15-20 mins of large group lesson.

 b. How does your preschool support and guide children with developmental needs?

We believe that early intervention can improve a child’s developmental trajectory and outcomes for the children.  PCF HQ has a dedicated team of professionals who will support and guide Centres in assessing and meeting the needs of children with developmental needs.

Our teachers will first observe and document the child’s development to better understand the child’s needs.

We will inform the parents and develop a plan together, to help and support the child. It is important that we apply a consistent approach to support and guide your child both in school and at home.

c. What type of support will my children receive?

Risk/Mild Needs

Development Support-Learning Support (DS-LS) programme will be offered to the children to bridge their learning and developmental needs at K1 and K2 levels.

DS-LS serves to equip children with age-appropriate skills to optimise learning in their preschool and be ready for primary education. This is done through short-term intervention. Depending on your child’s needs, he/she may be offered either one of the learning support programmes, (e.g. literacy, language, etc.) or development support programmes (e.g. occupation therapy, speech & language therapy, etc.).

Medium Needs

For children who present with medium to a higher level of needs, our preschool will seek to work closely with parents to consider ways to engage the children better. The different possible combinations are below.

One type of support is to work closely with EIPIC centres to host Development Support Plus programme.  Children who have made sufficient progress at EIPIC will receive intervention from early intervention at PCF, also known as Development Support Plus programme.   This is made available to some children when they meet the criteria. This service is in partnership with some early intervention centres.

Below are the support provided by PCF and this will be on a case-by-case basis.

d. What is the alternative option if my child is unable to participate successfully in the programme?
In the event your child is unable to participate successfully in the key aspects of the programme despite our best efforts and/or our preschool is unable to provide the care and learning environment that best support your child’s needs, our preschool will require you to consider alternative child care options for your child.

PCF Sparkletots reserves the right not to enrol or stop the enrolment of a child if the preschool has determined upon careful evaluation that it is unable to meet a child’s needs and/or when the parents persistently fail to collaborate with the preschool to support the child.

We take our responsibility to keep your child safe in school very seriously. Our educators are guided by a code of conduct, a set of comprehensive SOPs and professional practices which are PCF Sparkletots Children First Principles. Every staff who joins Sparkletots has to attend a compulsory 7-module SSWB (Safety, Security and Well-being) training and assessment programme. They are required to attend regular refresher briefings/discussions pertaining to children’s safety to ensure that this always remain our priority too.

Our centres keep parents updated on what’s going on in school via regular updates using our Parent Engagement Portal (PEP). It’s an online app where teachers can upload photos and videos documenting the children’s learning moments in class. Parents can also communicate directly with our teachers through the 2-way messaging function.

At PCF Sparkletots, enrichment programmes are done very differently. We layer it on top of our existing curriculum to make them available to all children enrolled in our centres. We also work with community partners like SportSG and the National Arts Council to offer physical development and art education programmes for our children.