Childcare or no Childcare?

[Charmaine_chong]

foreverj,


Is your kid in this child care?

We speak chinese at home, would prefer to put both my kids in english spoken environment.

Is NTUC good?

[foreverj]

Charmaine_chong:

foreverj,


Is your kid in this child care?

We speak chinese at home, would prefer to put both my kids in english spoken environment.

Is NTUC good?

no, but i got a fren whose son and dd are in this cc and is very happy with the school. they are strong in chinese but also pride themselves on effectively bilingual evironment. so u may want to check it out.

if u r looking for english speaking, i am unable to help - sorry. also not sure abt ntuc - i guess depends on the individual centres also. but i would think those expensive cc in marine parade wil be strong in english?

[Fuzz]

Hi u can go to mcys website. try this link below. v useful, cos it lists all childcare centres according to region/location.


http://app.mcys.gov.sg/WEB/serv_dss_disability_main.asp?Services_Id=4#2

i'm also looking for childcare ctr. also considering playgroup, but i think childcare is more suitable. Prefer not to send my boy for full day childcare, but for working parents like us, it's the most convenient choice. sigh.

not all centres are full or have long waitlist. And just becos a centre is expensive or is 'branded', doesn't mean it's better! i think alot depends on each individual centre, the teachers, the location, n the way they run the place.

it's a big headache choosing a centre!

[toddles]

foreverj:

plus many parents dun have the heart to send to cc until the kid is at least 2 or 2.5 yrs old. so very much up to u lor, whether u think yr ds is ready.

Yah I was also wondering whether or not to put my kid in childcare from the start, instead of 3.5 hours daily pre-school (N1) from next Jan onwards, then to full day cc if another sibling comes along and the caregivers (grandparents) cannot cope with two.

She'll only be around 2.5 yrs old come Jan so am thinking it might be too young to stay full day in cc.

Another factor is that the pre-school I'm considering follows MOE holiday timetable, so June and Dec there will be no school. that might cause more 'work' for the grandparents on those months.

But the pre-school is much more convenient than the cc, location wise.

Any advice from people who have 'been there done that'?

[ChozIndulge]

Hi my bb is 14 months now & i would like to get some advice as to whether to put him in child care full day or just those half day school.


Currently my maid is due in Jan next year and i am planning to have another bb plus i am a working mum hence really got no idea which is the best way out coz if i have a bb i will definitely need a maid to help look after the bb & if i were to put him in full day plus a maid expense is really too high…

Any working mum having the same experience please advise!!!

Thank in advance!!

[yvonne78]

ChozIndulge:

Hi my bb is 14 months now & i would like to get some advice as to whether to put him in child care full day or just those half day school.


Currently my maid is due in Jan next year and i am planning to have another bb plus i am a working mum hence really got no idea which is the best way out coz if i have a bb i will definitely need a maid to help look after the bb & if i were to put him in full day plus a maid expense is really too high..

Any working mum having the same experience please advise!!!

Thank in advance!!

i have 2 children, one 2 and a half yrs old and another abt 6 mths old. i put both of them in the childcare centre as i want them to be independent and they will pick up knowledges faster. as for maid, basically nobody at hm to supervise on her, no trust and faith to leave her with the child.

so, my advise is put the newborn to infant care. forget abt the maid. if u need someone to do housework chores, engage part-time cleaner once a week, cheaper too.

[Pen88n]

It is hard to trust a maid with a baby at home, esp. if you do not know the maid too well. Infant care is good, though expensive, and you will have the problem of having to take leave in case your baby is ill.


Another alternative is babysitter. Choose a reliable one that has a decent family unit - I personally prefer SAHM who are educated with school going kids. You can propose leaving the baby with the babysitter, and send the elder one to childcare. Pay the babysitter a little more to take care of your elder one after the childcare - bathe and provide dinner. In case of elder kid sick and not able to attend childcare, the babysitter should be able to tend to him as well. In this way, you need not rush back in the evening to pick up elder kid and cook dinner, and take leave in case of little illnesses.

Hope this helps.

[phoebe_goh]

My girl is currently 19 months and i realised that she is very keen to learn new things. Everyday, she will take her books to read and ask people around her to teach her to study. Currently, my parents are taking care of her. Since she is so keen to learn, I think of sending her to school to learn but not sure where to send her. Anybody got any advice or suggestion?

[DesertWind]

phoebe_goh:

My girl is currently 19 months and i realised that she is very keen to learn new things. Everyday, she will take her books to read and ask people around her to teach her to study. Currently, my parents are taking care of her. Since she is so keen to learn, I think of sending her to school to learn but not sure where to send her. Anybody got any advice or suggestion?

Hi Phoebe!
Wow, your girl so young already so advanced! Less than 2 yo still young, I only send my boy to childcare centre at 2 yo. At such young age perhaps convenience is the word ie. the childcare, enrichment class should be nearby. Since taking care of by your parents, you may wish to start going around the nearby places to ask what the centres have to offer. I presume you are only looking for those a few hours type of enrichment classes? One suggestion is to go to a good Montessori enrichment centre who can give your girl some individual attention.

You will really need to do some homework and go down personally to talk to the teachers and look at the school. Most important lesson I learnt from my experience is that if the childcare centre / enrichment centre is not suitable for your child, there may be more harm than good for the kid ie. may stiffle their growth instead.

All the best!
:celebrate:

[phoebe_goh]

Thanks for your advice… I was thinking of montessori enrichment programme… Do you have any idea where there is good montessori?