By Deborah Lee and Filbert Tay
Like many first-time parents, the day our firstborn started preschool was gut-wrenching! It felt like we were sending our little one on a long scary journey into a dark forest equipped with nothing more than a water bottle and diapers tucked in his bag.
We were however thankful that Little Seeds Preschool (St. Andrew’s), where my eldest son was enrolled (he graduated from preschool last year and started Primary 1 while his younger sister is currently attending Playgroup) was a mere five-minute stroll through a lovely community garden at the void deck opposite our home.
Before enrolling our child, we had walked around and visited LSP (St. Andrew’s) to learn more about the school, paying particular attention to the teachers’ interactions with the children under their care. Seeing that they were careful and attentive, I believed that our kid would be well taken care of.
And before we knew it, the school became an extension of our home.
My son regularly had his bag stuffed with artwork done collaboratively with classmates, or gifts of artworks from his friends which he received in exchange for his own. It was reassuring to know that the teachers were mediating their artworks, for instance, imposing a “no ‘Among Us’ drawings!” rule as the game promoted violence.
Soon, his younger sister joined him. She loved attending school too and often came back with colourful paint splatters accompanying her big smile.
What was the secret? The LSP (St. Andrew’s) team has a strong parent-teacher engagement framework – through day-to-day observations, scheduled meetings and ad-hoc events – that enables children to blossom at school and home.
Progress in everyday learning
But first a word of caution: if you are expecting daily updates on your child with curated Insta-worthy pictures, LSP (St. Andrew’s) is not the place to be. Instead, it is a place where children are loved and respected and where they learn to live in community within healthy and clear boundaries.
One of the first things the principal said was that unlike other preschools, there would not be daily updates of the child’s activities through photos beyond the first few days. She explained that the priority of the teachers and staff was to care for the children and not about uploading pictures on an app.
So much FOMO (fear of missing out)!
How would we know how our kids are progressing if we did not get to see daily documentation? Turns out, the evidence was in our kids themselves. They came home recounting happy stories of school, spoke more frequently in Mandarin, even if it was “我不要喝水 (translation: I don’t want to drink water) , and became toilet-trained!
Even the stories about challenges such as the children learning how to jump from heights or conflict with fellow classmates would be resolved with encouragement and guidance from the teachers.
As a result, our eldest son has been telling us for a few years: “No need to solve my problem for me, I can solve it myself!” On one hand, it’s bittersweet that he is growing and soon will no longer need our help. On the other hand, it is also amazing how much self-confidence he has developed in just those few years! Of course, Mandarin too. 很好!
Preparation for life
The teachers partnered closely with us to prepare our children ahead of transitions. For example, before our daughter started napping in school, the teachers placed a photograph of items she would sleep with at home in her cubby and gently explained the similarities between naptime in school and at home so that the transition would be smooth. It reminded us of the slogan of a popular brand of baby shampoo – “no more tears”!
We would also receive updates at regular junctures and occasionally during the daily check-outs when we picked them up from school. For example, during one parent-teacher meeting, the teachers shared that our son was gripping his pencil very tightly when writing as well as his utensils when eating. They recommended home activities to strengthen his fine motor skills and reduce muscle fatigue.
At the subsequent parent-teacher meeting, the teachers shared the improvement in his writing as they monitored his progress throughout the semester. One thing that stood out to us was how the school works as a team, where all the different staff from the maintenance and cleaning staff to the administrators, teachers, and the cook treated the children in a consistent and firm, yet loving and attentive way.
Participation in school events
We were thrilled when Covid restrictions were lifted in 2023 and physical events resumed where we participated in the school’s many family activities! We had the privilege to display our superior orange-eating skills during Chinese New Year, compete (but fail miserably) at the parent vs children three-legged race during the LSP Family Day, and cheer wildly for our children as they tried out different sports during Sports Day.
These school events not only became core memories for our family, but also gave us a peek into our children’s lives in the school environment. We are glad to see that LSP (St. Andrew’s) is a community of teachers and staff who are well-connected with the children and treat the children like family. Most importantly, it is a safe and nurturing place where our children love hanging out with all their friends and teachers!
To find out more about Little Seeds Preschool, visit https://littleseeds.edu.sg/.
