Why we need the village to raise a child  

By Serene Leong

The saying “It takes a village to raise a child” is especially true in preschool education. Our teachers work to provide the children in our care with a safe, healthy and nurturing environment to grow and flourish. They do their utmost to help children realise their hopes, dreams and God-given potential. 

Parents, too, play a critical role in providing a learning bridge between school and the home, while instilling in their children positive attitudes and values towards learning and life. Parent engagement in their children’s upbringing and education is crucial for a child’s holistic development. 

Parents are an important stakeholder in every preschool  

At Little Seeds Preschool (Praiseland), we are blessed that parents share the same belief. Many parents have enthusiastically said “Yes!” when we asked them to be a part of the village and to participate or volunteer with centre activities with the children. 

Recently, mother of our K1 child Jemma, came into the classroom with a basket full of flowers! Many may think a florist only arranges stalks of flowers into a pretty bouquet, but this is not true. A passionate florist who wanted to share more about her job, Jemma’s mum enlightened the children on the characteristics of leaves and flowers and shared tips on preserving and prolonging blooms.  

Through the slides that she thoughtfully prepared, the children gained much knowledge of plants and insight into a florist’s job. They were very excited to engage their senses by smelling the sweet fragrance of fresh flowers! 

In November last year, Mr Cheung, another parent of our Nursery child Faith, came down to the centre with friend who is a Primary school teacher to share with the K2 children on primary school life. While the teacher answered questions from the K2 children, Mr Cheung read a story to the nursery children. Both our Nursery and K2 children were well-fed with interesting stories and useful information in that session. 

Parents Mr. Clement Ee and wife Iris are both familiar figures to our children as they have graciously agreed to come into the centre every Thursday to gift their time and share their knowledge with the children in the centre! 

In November last year, Mr. Ee and Iris, conducted a session for the K1 children on exploring emotions and discovering self. They read a story on feelings called “The Colourful Monster”, and then guided the children to identify their own and others’ emotions.

When a boy in the class was feeling upset, Mr. Ee spontaneously challenged the class to think of ways to cheer him up. The children enjoyed a productive brainstorming session of ways to care for their friends.  

How blessed we are to have parents who support learning in school and help extend teaching outside the classroom! 

Parents reinforce at home what the children learn in school 

Parent-Teacher Conferences are one way we engage parents to show them a glimpse of what goes on in our classrooms and speak to them on the progress of their children. It enables them to understand the values and skills their children are learning in school so that they can reinforce it at home. 

After two years of having online Parent-Teacher Conferences due to Covid, Little Seeds Preschool (St Andrew’s) finally held their Parent-Teacher Conference onsite on 26 November last year. 

Centre Leader Tan Chu Lien said: “It was lovely to have everyone coming in, and many parents were pleased with the newly renovated space!” 

While the school looked brand new and different from what it was before, what remained the same were the smiles, laughter, warmth and love of our children, parents and teachers. 

Some of our little ones took on the role of guides, introducing the different areas of the school where they learn and play. They brought their parents around their new learning spaces and showed them some of the artworks that they did in class.   

Chu Lien said: “Many parents expressed their gratitude to the teachers for taking good care of their children and were assured that their children were in good hands. Parents were appreciative of the teachers’ sharings and hope to continue a good partnership with the school to further develop their children. Some parents also gave good suggestions that the school can take into consideration!” 

At each preschool under Anglican Preschool Services, we aim to build trusting relationships and a sense of belonging within a community of learners, that value openness of communication between staff, parents, and children. 

How blessed we are to have parents passionately involved in their child’s education both in school and at home! 

Teachers sow the seeds that last a lifetime 

Finally, teachers play one of the most important roles in a preschooler’s life, especially in childcare, where children spend a large portion of their time in school.  

One of them is English Teacher Arriane Chan, who recently ended her journey with us and reflected on her fears and joys when she first became a teacher at Little Seeds Preschool (Capstone) in 2021. 

Having worked in a Kindergarten for 7 years and transiting to a childcare, Arriane wondered if she would be able to present the lessons from our curriculum well to the children and if they would be able to understand it.

She said: “I learnt that the best way was to immerse myself in the centre’s culture. My first few months were filled with challenges, uncertainties, and adjustments, but I felt the encouragement and support from my colleagues. They always offered a helping hand. The meaningful interactions with the children and the bonds that we built together were also a source of comfort and joy for me.” 

Fast forward to 2022, Arriane experienced a lot of firsts – from teaching her first K2 class, to being part of a Project Work showcase for the first time, to planning for a K2 graduation ceremony and to organising a day camp for the K2 children! 

2022 was also the first time that LSP (Capstone) underwent the Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework (SPARK) assessment. Thanks to the unity and perseverance of the team, together with support from the parents, LSP (Capstone) was awarded the certification! 

As I end my journey here, I realised that the Little Seeds culture is not just about the curiosity of the children or the curriculum that promotes creativity and problem-solving. It is, above all, a culture of love.”

Arriane Tan

Teachers come and go, but they sow the seeds that last a lifetime.

How blessed are we to have teachers who nurture and care for each child with love and patience so that they can grow into their God-given identity! 

To find out more about our preschools, visit https://littleseeds.edu.sg/.