FAQs

[Full Day Care Programme]

We recognise that adjusting to a new environment can be a significant step for both children and parents. That is why we have designed the first 2 consecutive weeks as ‘settling-in period’ (inclusive of public holidays) for our Full-Day Programme.

During this time, your child will have the opportunity to explore our facilities, interact with our caring educators, and become acquainted with their new friends. This gradual introduction allows for a comfortable adjustment to the daily routine and care provided.

We encourage you to share any concerns or questions you may have throughout the settling-in period. Our dedicated team is committed to supporting both you and your child during this transition.

If you feel that our preschool is not the ideal fit for your child’s needs during the two-week period, we are happy to assist you in exploring other options.

[Focused Education Programme]

There is no trial period for this programme.

[Full-day Care Programme]

If you wish to withdraw within the settling-in period, you are required to submit the Withdrawal Form to our preschool no later than the end of the 2-week settling-in period.

After the 2-week settling-in period, one calendar month’s written notice is required.

Below is the refund and withdrawal policy applicable to withdrawal within the settling-in period of 2 weeks with the required written notice.

[Full-day Care Programme]

Parents who wish to withdraw their children after the settling-in period are required to give one calendar month’s written notice using our preschool’s Withdrawal Form. This must be submitted no later than the first working day of the month for withdrawal to take place at the end of that same month.

Any notice given after this day will be considered effective the first day of the following month.

For example:

*Assume there is no outstanding amount

[Focused Education Programme]

Parents who wish to withdraw their children during the school term are required to give one calendar month’s written notice using our preschool’s Withdrawal Form. Our preschool will not accept any notice of withdrawal during the school holiday months (Jun, Nov and Dec). If you wish to withdraw your child in the school holiday months of Jun, Nov and Dec, please submit the Withdrawal Form to our preschool by 1st working day of May (for Jun) and 1st working day of Oct (for Nov and Dec).

Withdrawal Form must also be submitted no later than the first working day of the month. Any notice given after this day will be considered effective the first day of the following month. The one month’s programme fees in Jun and Dec are payable for withdrawal in May and Nov respectively.

For example:

*Assume there is no outstanding amount
**Any notice given after 1 Oct, there will be no refund of deposit for the month of Oct, Nov and Dec.

The deposit will be used to offset the last month’s programme fee upon graduation at K2 level or upon withdrawal with the required written notice.

Any deposit balance will be refunded only if the following conditions are met:
• Parents give the required written notice period to our preschool for withdrawal.
• There are no outstanding programme fees/arrears.
• The last month’s programme fee shall not be pro-rated and is paid in full.

All refunds will be made via GIRO/CDA GIRO only. Any refund for payment made out from the CDA must be credited directly back into the same account.

Children who have been absent for one calendar month, without any notice from parents, will be deemed to have withdrawn from our preschool. We will use the deposit to offset the last month’s programme fee and/or any outstanding fees.

The level that your child will be enrolled in is based on your child’s age in the year of enrolment:

2 months old to below 18 months old – Infant Care
18 months old to below 3 years old – Playgroup
3 years old – Pre-Nursery (N1)
4 years old – Nursery (N2)
5 years old – Kindergarten 1 (K1)
6 years old – Kindergarten 2 (K2)

Children born on 1 January will join the cohort from the previous year.

For example, all children born between 2 January 2017 to 1 January 2018, will be enrolled in Kindergarten 1 instead of Nursery 2 in the Academic Year 2022. This is aligned with MOE’s age requirement for Primary One Registration.

After you have registered your interest on our website, we will contact you once there is a vacancy for your child. Vacancies vary across centres and are dependent on the waitlist at individual centres.

The fee is dependent on the type of service your child is enrolled in, and the citizenship of your child.

The following is a guide of the type of service monthly fees before subsidies (inclusive of GST) for your reference:

The fees listed above are before deduction of subsidies for children who are Singapore Citizens.

Please contact our centres for more information.

If your child is a Singapore Citizen, he/she may qualify for the following, based on your selected service:

Full Day Infant Care

Working mothers who clock at least 56 hours of work a month will be eligible for a basic subsidy of $600 per month. In addition, if your family’s gross monthly household income is less than $12,000 (before CPF deductions), an additional subsidy of up to $710 may be granted.

Full Day Childcare

Working mothers who clock at least 56 hours a month will be eligible for a basic subsidy of $300 per month. In addition, if your family’s gross monthly household income is less than $12,000 (before CPF deductions), an additional subsidy of up to $467 may be granted.

Short Hours Kindergarten

The working mother subsidy is not applicable for this service, but you may apply for the Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) if your family’s gross monthly household income is below $12,000 (before CPF deductions).

As the application for the additional subsidy or KiFAS are subject to ECDA’s assessment and approval, we are unable to advise on the amount of subsidy that will be granted for your child.

More information is available at https://www.ecda.gov.sg/parents/subsidies-financial-assistance 

Interest for our infant care service can be submitted 3 months in advance of your Estimated Due Date (EDD) via our interest form.

Please contact the centre you have selected within a month after your child is born to update us with your child’s particulars such as the birth certificate number, date of birth and citizenship details to remain on the waitlist.

Yes. Your child can be enrolled if the selected centre has a suitable vacancy for your child.

The centre will apply for a Student’s Pass for your child upon acceptance of the offered vacancy if he/she does not hold any of the following valid:

• Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP)
• Dependent’s Pass (DP), and
• Immigration Exemption Order (IEO)

Your child can only start his/her preschool education journey with us upon approval of the Student’s Pass application.

More information about Student’s Pass application can be found at https://www.ica.gov.sg/reside/STP/apply/msf

If you have indicated your interest via the online registration form (https://pcf.sv.littlelives.com/parent-interest-form?school=pcf), you will receive an automated acknowledgement e-mail. The centre will be in touch with you when there is a vacancy.

You may contact our centres directly to check on the registration status. The contact numbers of our centres are available in the same acknowledgement e-mail.

For safety and security reasons, our staff will hand over your child only to you or authorised persons (18 years old and above) specified in your PCFSP Registration Form under Authorised Person(s) to Fetch Child/Parent Engagement Portal (PEP).

If you would like someone whose name is not on the authorisation list to fetch your child, you must inform our preschool in writing prior to the arrangement. This person must bring along their identity card (either hardcopy or digital) for verification purposes. This arrangement is a one-time exception, and our preschool will not regard them as an authorised person to fetch your child for subsequent dismissals. For permanent arrangements, please fill in the authorisation form and submit it to our preschool.

Our staff will not release your child without your written consent. The photo of your child and person(s) fetching them will be taken via our PEP and you will be able to view it via the system.

We strive to provide our children with a well-balanced diet. They will be served meals in accordance with guidelines set by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) for the Healthy Meals in Preschools Programme (HMPP). Pork, mutton and beef are excluded for health and religious reasons.

[Full-Day Care Programme] Children are served breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea daily. Our menus are displayed on the Parents’ Notice Board or uploaded to PEP for your reference. The food served may vary slightly due to the availability of food items. Occasionally, we may add or substitute food items with something that the children make or cook during a class activity.

Our food is prepared directly by our preschool’s cook or Singapore Food Agency (SFA) licensed caterers. In selected preschools, we also serve the Hybrid Model Lunch to children aged 18 months to 6 years old. This consists of Ready-To-Heat (RTH) protein products e.g. Chicken and Fish.

The Hybrid Model Lunch constitutes the following components:
• Licensed food vendor manufactures the RTH Protein off-site in accordance with regulatory guidelines by SFA and HPB and delivers them to our preschools.
• Our preschool’s in-house cook reheats the RTH Protein and serves it with freshly prepared staple food such as carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits as a complete meal for our children.

Breakfast and afternoon tea are prepared by our in-house cook.

[Focused Education Programme] Our preschool will allocate 15-20 minutes for light refreshments each day. Group mealtimes give children the opportunity to interact with their friends and develop social skills. They will develop good table manners, learn to eat independently and use their cutlery properly, whilst supervised by our teachers.

Our preschool may serve light snacks or you may be informed to prepare healthy snacks for your child to bring to school. Pork, mutton and beef are to be excluded.

You may refer to the timetable for snack schedule at our preschool.

If your child has food allergies or special dietary restrictions, either for health reasons certified by a registered medical practitioner or for religious reasons, please notify our preschool immediately in writing. Our staff will discuss with you how best we can assist.

You may celebrate your child’s birthday with us by submitting the children’s birthday celebration request form to our preschool at least one week prior to the actual day.

If you wish to celebrate your child’s birthday with a cake, please check with our teachers for any food allergies and/or dietary restrictions the other children in the class may have before bringing the cake. For the safety of all children, please purchase the cake exclusively from licensed food establishments. Home-baked cakes are not allowed. We also kindly request you to choose a healthier cake option that everyone can enjoy.

Goodie bags are optional. Please do not include any food items if you wish to prepare one.

In the event of a pandemic/mass outbreak of an infectious disease, all our preschools will have to comply with the requirements mandated by the relevant authorities such as parents will not be allowed into the preschool and if there is a birthday cake, there must be no blowing of candles.

Please bring your child’s milk feed on a daily basis. The bottles or disposable storage bags must be clearly labelled with your child’s full name, amount of milk, date and time of expression.

Parents are encouraged to provide chilled milk rather than frozen milk. Any leftover breast milk that has been warmed up, will be discarded if your child does not consume it after 1 hour.

Your child should wear the uniform from the first day of school. This is for safety reasons and to facilitate easy identification as we conduct outdoor activities throughout the week. You may consider buying at least 2 sets first and purchase additional sets after the settling-in period.

We take our responsibility to keep your child safe in school very seriously. Our educators are guided by a code of conduct, a set of comprehensive SOPs and professional practices which are PCF Sparkletots Children First Principles. Every staff who joins Sparkletots has to attend a compulsory 7-module SSWB (Safety, Security and Well-being) training and assessment programme. They are required to attend regular refresher briefings/discussions pertaining to children’s safety to ensure that this always remain our priority too.

Our centres keep parents updated on what’s going on in school via regular updates using our Parent Engagement Portal (PEP). It’s an online app where teachers can upload photos and videos documenting the children’s learning moments in class. Parents can also communicate directly with our teachers through the 2-way messaging function.