Top Questions to Ask When Shortlisting Infant Care Centres in Bishan

Are you planning to visit infant care centres in Bishan anytime soon? As a parent, you should always go in prepared, so make sure you know the right questions to ask!

Asking the right questions helps you get a clearer picture of the infant care centre you may eventually entrust your child to.

Not sure where to start?  We’ve put together a list of essential questions to ask when visiting an infant care Bishan to help you find the best fit for your child and your family.

Questions on preschool teaching methodology and operations

1. If you want to know the centre’s approach to looking after and taking care of children, ask them about their early childhood teaching philosophy. It will help you determine if their teaching approach aligns with your parenting styles and the goals you want to achieve for your child at this age. 

2. As much as you want the best infant care experience for your child, staying within the budget is just as important, especially since early childhood education in Singapore can be quite expensive. Be sure to ask about the centre’s monthly rates and check if it aligns with your budget.

Here’s a tip if budget is a key consideration for your family: consider preschools that have been appointed Anchor Operators and Partner Operators. These are government-accredited centres that offer subsidised fees, making quality early childhood education more affordable for families.

3. When you send your child to an infant care centre in Bishan, you're leaving them to the care and supervision of the teachers and carers. Naturally, you want educators who are trained and qualified to look after your little one while you’re not around, so don’t forget to ask about the teaching staff’s credentials.

For some parents, qualifications alone aren’t enough, so they make it a point to observe during class to get a real sense of how the teachers interact with the children. This will reveal a lot about their skill and passion, something that qualifications on paper don’t always show.

Questions on key policies and standard operating procedures 

1. An infant care centre brings together children with diverse behaviour and backgrounds, so it’s essential that the carers know how to manage and guide them, especially those with challenging behaviour. Don’t hesitate to ask about their disciplinary policies to see if they align with your parenting style and values.

2. Your child’s safety and security should always be a top priority for any infant care centre. Make sure to ask about their safety measures and emergency protocols to ensure your child will have both a secure and enriching experience, while giving you peace of mind as a parent. 

At the very minimum, the centre should have working fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and staff should be trained to handle different kinds of emergency situations.

3. Some infant care centres hold regular parent-teacher meetings, while others use digital tools to keep parents informed and updated. Either way, it’s important to enquire about how they update parents about their child’s health and development. A clear communication system guarantees both sides stay connected and informed.

A good infant care centre will always make the effort to involve parents as much as possible in their child’s early care experience.

4. To make sure that your child receives ample attention and receives proper guidance, ask about how many children each teacher handles per class. Ask about the teacher-to-child ratio in each class. According to the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), the ideal ratio for infant care is 1:5, so you’ll want something close to this. 

The lower the ratio, the better because it allows teachers to closely monitor each child’s development and provide more personalised care that they need, especially at this age.