Embracing the Early Months: The Role of Professional Infant Care Centres in Singapore

One of the most important decisions you’ll ever make as a parent is whether to send your child to an infant care centre in Singapore. Is it really more worth it than just hiring an in-house nanny to look after your little one?

We’re sure that many parents are asking themselves this question, so we’re here to talk about this today!

Infant care is more than just a temporary home for your child while you’re away. It’s the place that helps to build your child’s self-confidence and teaches them how to interact with other people.

Read on to learn more about the positive effects of infant care in Singapore on child development and how quality infant care plays a role!

Early preparation for formal education

Singapore is known for its rigorous and competitive formal education, so it’s best to develop an affinity for learning as early as possible.

Although children don’t need to learn how to read before entering nursery and kindergarten, the pre-literacy skills and phonemic awareness required for reading need to be developed at this stage.

That’s why a regular day at infant care centres always includes singing nursery rhymes and reading books together. These are two of the many activities that infant care centres do to develop the prerequisite skills that underlie reading!

As a parent, it’s imperative that you take your time checking each centre’s curriculum to determine if it can provide a solid foundation for later education.

For example, Star Learners follows a literature-based curriculum that exposes children to a wide range of picture books to cultivate a love for reading while expanding their worldview.

Opportunities for socialisation

An infant care setting provides countless opportunities for children to strengthen their social skills by engaging and playing with other children.

Empathy and independence are developed the more children interact with their peers and other adults outside of the family unit. These are crucial social skills that will help them navigate relationships and life in general in the future.

As children get immersed in the infant care environment, they naturally learn how to get along with others, take turns, negotiate, and resolve conflicts. Think of it as a microcosm that teaches your little one how the world works!

Language development

The infant care environment also provides consistent opportunities for children to observe and practise their communication skills!

The more interactions your child has with their peers and other adults, the sooner they realise that how they communicate with their family is different from how they communicate with other people.

Family members are more accustomed to a child’s behaviour, making it easier for them to understand what they mean. This isn’t the case with the people they just met, so children learn how to communicate clearly if they want something.

In addition to day-to-day interactions, infant care teachers are trained to support children’s language development through developmentally appropriate games and activities.

Confidence building

There’s no doubt that confidence and competence are linked to each other. When a child accomplishes something, their confidence soars.

The essence of each infant care programme is to strengthen each child’s independence by exposing them to a wide range of activities that build their capabilities and competence.

Each accomplishment, whether big or small, boosts children’s belief in their own skills and talents to navigate challenges, discover new things, take risks, and ultimately, not be afraid to commit mistakes.