MOE to provide pre-schools $1.2m worth of Innovation Grants from 2011-2013

This is part of the Ministry of Education’s efforts to raise the quality of pre-school education in Singapore.

Fifty-two pre-school centres received the Singapore Pre-school Accreditation Framework certificate at the inaugural SPARK certificate presentation ceremony today. This is the first batch of pre-school centres which have successfully undergone quality assessment in seven aspects—Leadership, Planning and Administration, Staff Management, Resources, Curriculum, Pedagogy and Health, Hygiene and Safety.

As part of the Ministry of Education’s efforts to raise the quality of pre-school education, SPARK was launched in November 2010 to encourage pre-schools to strive for excellence in the holistic development of young children. Using the Quality Rating Scale, a key component of SPARK, pre-schools now have a structured approach to examine the effectiveness of their programmes, identify their strengths and areas for improvement. The pre-schools can also apply for quality assessment. Although participation in quality assessment is voluntary, pre-schools are strongly encouraged to participate as a good rating is an endorsement of the quality of the pre-school.
Innovation Grant

MOE and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports will continue to support pre-schools’ innovation efforts by providing Innovation Grants amounting to $1.2 million from 2011 to 2013. Applications for the Innovation Grants 2012 will begin in November 2011.

The Innovation Grant was introduced in 2008 to encourage pre-schools to engage in innovative practices and to build a culture of innovation and improvement, and ultimately, uplift the overall quality and standard of the pre-school sector in Singapore.

Professional sharing of the best projects and learning points from the innovations have been organised at annual events like the Kindergarten Learning Forum and the Child Care Seminar, and through online platforms such as the Pre-schools Innovate! Facebook page, to allow other pre-schools to benefit from these good ideas. Pre-schools which receive the grants will also mentor other preschools which may be interested to implement similar innovative projects.

The list of pre-school centers awarded the SPARK certificate can be seen here.