Preschool Years

Since I enrolled my children in New Life Childcare, I observed that they are progressing very well and have picked up necessary skills to prepare them for primary school. They told me that their teachers are caring and loving. I’m glad I’m able to focus on my work knowing that my children are in safe and nurturing hands.

At first, we were hesitant to change schools for Elisha. She had just turned two and was already very attached to her previous teachers. Despite New Life being right next to our place, it wasn’t on our shortlist as we couldn’t find much info nor reviews online. One year in and we couldn’t be happier we took that leap! The experience has been a wonderful one since Day 1. Principal Nathania patiently addressed our multitude of concerns during the first meeting and continues to be readily available for communication and support. Since attending New Life we have seen many improvements in Elisha. She now barely ever gets into emotional tantrums at home and even tells us about “self-control” – a word she has learnt in school that we had never previously used. She initiates to pack up her things, wants to wash her own bowl and even helps with the household chores! This is all to the credit of the wonderful teachers at the school, namely Teacher Fel and Han Laoshi. Teacher Fel and Han Laoshi are very professional – quick to respond and solution driven. They take the time to communicate in detail regarding any issues big or small. They are always happy to share with us tips on how to positively encourage Elisha at home. Not only are they patient and loving towards the children, they are also a source of knowledge, motivation and encouragement to us parents. Our family has been truly blessed from the school’s positive and love-centered approach in childcare!

We are very thankful that Michael was able to attend New Life Childcare from N2 to K2. We see our acceptance by New Life Childcare as God’s gracious provision for our family in our difficult situation. Michael was attending another childcare centre from toddler to N1. Due to his behaviours, he required a lot of attention, patience & perseverance. We searched high and low for another preschool in Bukit Panjang area, but none was available. When I first called New Life Childcare, I was very encouraged by their warmth and acceptance. We were so grateful that New Life Childcare was willing to accept us knowing the background of our challenges. The first year after we transferred over to New Life was not easy. Michael’s behaviour caused much difficulty for his teachers. However, the principal, Ms Elaine, met with us face-to-face to discuss strategies we could adopt in tandem with the teachers to help Michael. I am also thankful for his teachers’ support: Teacher Sarah’s gentleness and loving care, Lin Lao Shi’s positive and resilient energy, Teacher Rebecca being very understanding and supportive. Never once have we felt that the school has given up on Michael. To our delight, we gradually saw improvement in Michael’s behaviour as he settled into the school. He has become more conscientious and less aggressive. He is able to use words to communicate better, and is more willing to follow rules. The best part for us is seeing biblical values imparted to him through songs, prayers, Christmas events, and the lives of the persevering teachers. New Life Childcare has demonstrated big-heartedness and resilience in accepting and integrating a child and family who genuinely needs childcare support. To us ordinary working parents, this is of greater value than academic excellence, fanciful programs and brand prestige. A big Thank You to all the teachers and staff in New Life Childcare! We are grateful for what you do.

As parents working full-time, we are thankful to have chosen New Life Childcare for our girls’ preschool education journey. We really like the conducive environment of the Bukit Panjang centre which has a good balance of play and learning. The teachers and staff from New Life are amazing, well loved by the kids and very approachable when we parents have any queries. My girls are blessed with very attentive and observant teachers. One of the teachers recommended my elder daughter to enrol in New Life’s Steady Readers programme to improve her English. She has since improved greatly and developed a strong interest in and confidence with the English language. My younger daughter’s teacher also spotted and brought to our attention that she had a long-sightedness eye condition which we had not discovered. On top of the regular play and learning, New Life’s strong focus on values and character-building are what we truly appreciate for our children! Thank you, New Life!

My husband Nelson and I are working full-time, and like any other parents we want to give our only child, Natalie, our best. When Natalie was 1 year old, we started searching for a childcare to take care of her, as our busy work schedules prevented us from keeping her at home. We wanted a preschool within walking distance of our house for convenience, and we visited eligible centres to understand their core values and check out their daily timetables, meal arrangements and cleanliness. We decided on New Life Childcare because the centre’s core values matched what we were looking for: caring for every child as a unique individual with talents to be developed, and imparting good values to strengthen children’s character development. At 18 months old, Natalie joined New Life’s playgroup for toddlers. Although she had a rough first week, she was able to adapt to the new environment by the second week and eventually even quit her pacifier with help from the teachers. Natalie has been with New Life almost 2 years now. She really enjoys her playtime with classmates and the school programmes teaching arts, English, Mandarin and STEAM activities help her learn a lot. Besides academics, the teachers have trained Natalie to become more independent in her daily activities, such as eating by herself and potty training. We really appreciate the teachers and staff in New Life Childcare for all their effort, kindness and patience in nurturing Natalie. Because of their help, we can focus on our work knowing that Natalie is in a loving and safe environment during our working hours. We would definitely recommend New Life Childcare to parents seeking a supportive and enriching environment for their children!

My youngest son Asher is 2 years old and requires a lot of my attention and care. As a mum of four boys, it’s difficult for me to care for all of them at home, especially my oldest son who is in Primary 5 and needs help in his studies. We first heard about New Life Childcare from our neighbours who have kids enrolled there. They shared that the teachers are very caring and nurturing. We also liked that New Life is a faith-based childcare and shares our values, as we want to impart these values to our children. In March 2022, Asher was assessed by a specialist to be delayed in his speech development by 8 to 9 months. We also noticed that Asher didn’t use much verbal communication and made us guess whenever he wanted something. However, the doctors and therapists felt that Asher would improve in a childcare environment given the teachers’ care and peer support. And indeed, today Asher is happier when he goes to childcare. Though he still needs some prompting and guidance from teachers to follow activities, Asher looks forward to interacting with teachers and peers. He enjoys the outdoor activities, playground time and music lessons. He is also taking an interest in communicating with us at home,even parroting his brothers’ sentences, so that is a great improvement. Some childcares just let children do their own thing without guidance or feedback, but not at New Life. From the start, Teacher Sharon has been giving us useful feedback on how wecan help Asher to be more independent in eating and doing daily activities. Even during the mid-year parent-teacher meeting, the teachers set goals on what the child can learn to do next. We can see that New Life doesn’t just take care of the children, but is also invested in enabling parents to nurture their child at home. We deeply appreciate both Teacher Sharon and Lai Laoshi as they keep us informed of the curriculum and activities that our children look forward to. In particular, we are amazed by Teacher Sharon’s dedication. She knows of his condition and will patiently address our questions and concerns, assuring us that Asher is well taken care of.We can also easily convey our concerns or any changes to our child’s diet or health through the centre’s Little Lives app. We are grateful for the patience and kindness from all of Asher’s teachers, as well as the safe and nurturing environment at New Life Childcare, which enables us to leave our child there without worries.

As an experienced Early Childhood Educator, I understand how tough it is to look after so many kids. It's a physically and mentally tiring job, yet satisfying to see children learn and grow. I think all of you did a very good job in the constant updates of my kids. I see Mrs Yong really cracking her brains to make Caitlyn eat, learn and she even went to the extent of updating me through WhatsApp or calls even after school hours! The Aunties in the centre also give me regular updates on how Chervelle and Caitlyn are doing and we really appreciate it! I’m happy that both my kids are well taken care of in school and that I don’t have to worry while at work.

After playground time yesterday, Teacher Agnes accompanied my son to the bathroom to test the water temperature as he has been feeling anxious of having his requests unheard and terrified of having to shower in overly hot water. This display of patient listening from Teacher Agnes helped my son to feel safe. Thank you, Teacher Agnes. Cohen feels frustrated, and then fearful when he is unheard. Sometimes little ones are unable to communicate those feelings succinctly enough for adults to hear. You showed him that all feelings are alright, and that he can speak up when he is uncomfortable. And when he voices it out, a grown-up will listen. This extra mile you went to is significant to my family.

At the Outram preschool, my daughter was not only able to improve her academic skills but also taught how to live to be a better person. Under Ms Wang’s teaching and influence, Rihanna was also able to form an image of what kind of person she wanted to grow up to be. Ms Wang will always have a special place in my daughter's heart and she will remember what she had learnt from her and carry it throughout her growing up years!

Mrs Sumathy is a teacher who motivates and cares deeply for her students. Most importantly, she takes the extra effort to connect and communicate with the parents to ensure the child’s overall wellbeing. She is not only an experienced teacher but also can command the children's respect and attention. Her caring and friendly personality enable her to reassure the children and make them feel comfortable with her.

Ever since we entrusted our kids with the school, they have developed skillsets to learn to be independent. One of the milestones was that they were able to feed themselves at 20 months old. Their academic capabilities have also improved tremendously. We are surprised at the number of Chinese characters my four-year-old could recognise and write. Both my two and four years old sing a lot of songs learnt at the preschool.

The Ang Mo Kio preschool has always encouraged parents to work closely with the teachers as partners with the common outcome of optimising the child's physical, intellectual and social development. I am glad to have found a partner in the preschool.

We believe that there should be more to just having a good pedagogy or state of the art technology in running a childcare centre. It is the People Factor, the Heart and the Belief of doing the work to help the child. Grounded by Christian values, the teachers and all the staff are the best caregivers and role models in the early years of our daughter.

My daughter, Laura, looks forward to going to the Pasir Ris branch every day and enjoys interacting with her teachers, classmates and cooking / cleaning aunties. More importantly, over the course of these 18 months, Laura is able to pick up good linguistic skills. She surprises me by being bilingual, and is able to switch from English to Chinese (and vice versa) comfortably. I am pleased with the progress that Laura has made as well as the good efforts that the teachers have put in. Thank You Teacher Natalie, Teacher Zhang Lao Shi, and Teacher Joseph!