Parents can make 'informed decisions' when selecting preschools by looking at licence tenure: Goh Pei Ming

The licence tenure of a preschool serves as an indicator of quality and performance, and parents can make 'informed decisions' when selecting such schools, Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming said in Parliament on Wednesday (Feb 4).

He was responding to a question by MP Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik (Sengkang GRC).

"For example, a 24-month licence indicates that a centre has met all key licencing requirements, while a six-month licence indicates that the centre has several areas for improvement," Goh said.

All preschools which have been issued with a licence by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) are statutorily required to display their licence — which states the tenure for which it is valid — at a visible location, and also on LifeSG platforms, he added.

Abdul Muhaimin had asked if ECDA will introduce policy measures to increase transparency about pre-schools with safety violations and enforcement actions taken.

He also asked whether parents can be allowed to access information about preschools' safety records and regulatory actions taken to ensure that they can make informed decisions during preschool selection.

In his response, the minister of state reiterated that ECDA will not hesitate to take "full action" against errant preschool operators, including revoking their licences — if breaches are found to be severe and systematic. 

He noted that preschools are already required to immediately inform parents when there is a serious incident or illness that affects their child. Such episodes must also be reported to ECDA.

"ECDA does not generally name the preschools to ensure that the identities of the children involved are protected, especially in cases where gag orders are imposed in court proceedings," Goh added.

@asiaone While the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) generally does not name preschools where a serious incident or illness happened to protect the identities of children involved, parents can still make informed decisions about them by looking at their licence tenure, said Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming in Parliament on Wednesday (Feb 4). #sgnews #Singapore #Parliament #Preschool #Parents ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

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