As announced on 25 November 2020, a total of 324 childcare centres across 29 operators have been appointed by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) for the next term of the Partner Operator (POP) Scheme.
According to a press release by the agency, appointed centres are set to receive funding support by ECDA under the new five-year POP term to “improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of childcare and infant care service”.
A total of 34 Little Footprints Preschool centres are included in this new POP term, with locations that are within easy reach of families who work and/or reside in key neighbourhoods in Singapore.
Looking Ahead to a New POP Term
For this round, ECDA said it received 52 applications from a range of private and not-for-profit operators to join the next term of the POP scheme.
The current POP term commenced in January 2016 and will end in December 2020. Moving forward, the new term will commence in January 2021 and ends in December 2025.
Fee caps for POP centres will be lowered in the new term – from the current $800 per month to $760 per month for full day childcare programmes, and from $1,400 per month to $1,300 per month for infant care programmes.
Beyond that, ECDA shared that the funding support will help appointed POP centres invest in improving centre quality through efforts such as attaining certification under the Singapore Pre-school Accreditation Framework and strengthening organisational capabilities.
The funding is also a move initiated to attract and retain talent in the early childhood industry by investing in continuing professional development for centre leaders and preschool operators.
The Little Footprints Experience
We at Little Footprints Preschool are honoured to be appointed a POP operator for the new term. For that, we are also thankful for the support of parents for entrusting their children to us when it comes to their children’s infant care programme and preschool education.
With the additional support from ECDA, we look towards uplifting our care services and educational programmes for the benefit of the little ones as they build a strong foundation in preparation of the school years ahead.
Little Footprints Preschool’s holistic curriculum framework inspires children through a journey of discovery that stimulates their imagination and captures the magical moments of learning. Our comprehensive English and Chinese curriculum features integrated learning activities, a literacy-rich environment and age-appropriate character development programmes.
We also provide opportunities for children to be in touch and give back to the community through our centres’ involvement in key projects with government agencies yearly.
