Scheme expanded to help at risk pre-schoolers

This post came out from My Paper  (3 March 2016)

When you are a pre-schooler from a disadvantaged family, living in a rental flat, attending classes may not be a top priority. But a three year old scheme piloted at two pre-schools has shown that such children can be brought back into the fold, with their parents getting more involved in their development.

So encouraging were the results that the Circle of Care scheme - piloted by philanthropic group Lien Foundation and welfare organisation Care Corner - will be extended to another seven pre-schools and two primary schools this year. This is so that children will have a smooth transition from kindergarten to primary school.

Care Corner and Lien Foundation said yesterday they will partner anchor pre-school operators MY World Preschool, PAP Community Foundation, Singapore Muslim Women's Association as well as Lakeside Primary and Gan Eng Seng Primary School to extend the scheme. The model was piloted at two of Care Corner's Leng Kee and Admiralty childcare centres in 2013.

Teachers, social workers, education therapists and community partners worked as a steam to identify the rot causes of a child's difficulties and to help on different fronts. For example, a six year old boy lagging behind was taught how to focus better and given help to develop his reading and math skills. His mother learnt effective parenting techniques including how to coach her son.

Of the 76 at risk children at the two centres, 95 per cent came from families with household incomes of below $3,000 a month and most lived in HDB rental flats. Many had jobless parents and money troubles too. The Circle of Care team raised their average attendance from about 30 per cent to 70 per cent by working closely with their families. But without formal collaboration between pre-and primary schools, some of the hard-won progress made by these at-risk children can be lost.

To prevent this, the team will organise workshops and school visits for the children and their parents to prepare them for Primary 1. Social workers will also collaborate with the schools' counsellors, class teachers and allied educators and follow the child and his parents until Primary 3.

Thoughts:

1. I am quite surprised that there is the element of continuity of help for the children from pre-school to primary school that is formalised! Isn't it great to know that the children are 'handed over' properly with the primary school knowing that these 'at risk' children needs more attention to ensure that the hard work of getting them to school does not collapse after the transition.

Thoughts anyone?

Yours,

Something Small Thinking Big