About Singapore’s early childhood sector
Research has shown that quality early childhood education can positively affect a child. Young children who have positive interactions with others and their environment have a higher chance of doing well in terms of their studies, future salary, health, and social-emotional development.
The Singapore government has been expanding the early childhood (EC) sector to meet the needs of local parents.
The Singapore EC sector comprises childcare centres and kindergartens, which provide preschool programmes for children under seven.
These programmes are provided by a range of operators, which include Ministry of Education (MOE) kindergartens, anchor operators, partner operators, social service agencies, and commercial operators.
These provide learning activities that help children develop in the following areas:
- Language and literacy skills
- Numeracy skills
- Social and emotional skills
- Problem-solving skills
- Motor skills
- Creative expression
There is also a growing appreciation for, and research evidence on, the impact of early childhood experiences on a child’s socio-emotional abilities and learning skills, which will, in turn, affect the child’s success later in life.
In particular, neuroscience points to the first 1,000 days of a child’s life from conception as the most crucial window for development, as that is when the foundations of the brain architecture are built.
At the same time, more parents are placing their children in preschools at earlier ages. Preschool educators need to ensure that they are kept abreast of the latest early childhood research and update their curriculum and pedagogical approaches to better serve younger preschoolers and help them lay strong foundations.
In a speech by Minister of State Sun Xueling at the EC event in 2024, she shared that the profession is a dynamic one, with good professional and career development opportunities.
“Our EC leaders will need to step up to play a transformational role to nurture educators”, she said. “Over the years, we have laid strong foundations to enhance the attractiveness of EC careers, such as reviewing educators’ salaries and enhancing their well-being.”
Size of the job market
According to the Ministry of Social and Family Development, full-day preschool places have doubled from 100,000 to over 200,000 in 2023 since the formation of the Early Childhood Development Agency in 2013.
Currently, the EC workforce is 23,000 strong, but it will require over 3,500 more educators by 2025, according to Cynthia Leow, the director of Policy, Planning and Development for the ECDA.
The ECDA is currently working closely with pre-schools and training providers to attract and train Singaporeans with the aptitude and passion to educate and care for young children.
Why is this sector important to Singapore’s economy?
With more families being dual-income who need full-day childcare, coupled with the greater recognition of the importance of EC care and education for our young, this sector is fundamentally crucial in supporting the working parents in our workforce.
According to the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) EC industry digital plan, the sector also plays a key role in achieving our national goals of supporting parenthood, nurturing the next generation and improving social mobility.
Growth areas and outlook for the early education sector
EC educators are leveraging more on technology to better cater to the diverse learning styles of children, and design different activities to address their needs, while also building digital literacy in the next generation.
This then requires the educators themselves to be adept at using such tools and technology.
For example, according to a CNA feature on the topic, some have begun attending professional development courses to keep pace with the latest trends in tech-enhanced learning, which can involve activities such as coding to programme the movement of robotic toys.
This is in addition to the other training programmes that they take to refresh their knowledge and practices, be it to promote language skills in children, learn new ideas for hands-on play, understand the impact of nutrition on child development, or cultivate children’s social-emotional competencies through community outreach initiatives.
Technology is a key enabler to help centres achieve greater productivity and to help educators free up more time for engaging children (e.g. automate and digitalise processes, online teacher training).
There is also potential to further tap into technology to enhance parent engagement and children’s learning.
This was especially salient during the COVID-19 Circuit Breaker period when preschools were closed, and preschool educators had to seek creative ways to help children learn and foster home-school partnership.
Moving forward, preschool operators and educators will need to increase their proficiency in using technology to improve operational efficiency and children’s learning outcomes.
Other emerging trends include:
Increasing demand for quality preschool services
With more dual-income families and working grandparents, many families have turned to preschool services to care for their children while parents and grandparents are at work.
Parents look to preschools for not just caregiving services but also quality preschool education.
Therefore, preschool educators need to strengthen their pedagogical skills and knowledge of children’s holistic development.
Rising expectations for parent engagement
Parents are increasingly involved and interested in the development and daily activities of their children in preschool.
They proactively seek information or research on children’s development and are keen to engage their children’s teachers on their children’s progress.
They also desire educators to provide regular and useful updates. The availability of technology to facilitate more timely conversational exchanges heightened this expectation.
Preschool educators, therefore, need to strengthen their engagement and communication skills, build rapport and trust with parents, and establish themselves as professionals to effectively advocate for the children’s holistic development.
Mid-career switch: Why is the early childhood sector a good choice?
For a start, there are readily available programmes that equip mid-career Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) with the necessary knowledge and skills to work as educators in the sector.
For those keen to find out what the sector is like before taking a deep dive, there are also assistant teacher job opportunities in the market to aid alongside main teachers, which gives a better idea of what the day-to-day is going to be like in such roles.
After all, being an educator is not merely teaching, with many other aspects behind the scenes that won’t be apparent until one is in the classroom. There are also career trials offered by the ECDA, which include:
- A short-term trial before considering formal employment
- A training allowance of $7.50-15/hour during the trial period
- A retention incentive of $500 if one is employed at least three consecutive months after the trial
What’s the salary like in the early education sector?
Jobs in the sector cover a broad spectrum of roles, and salaries do vary depending on the specific job function, level of experience, and qualifications.
Here are some examples listed on the MyCareersFuture portal:
| Role | Salary Range (Monthly) |
| Early Childhood Educator | $2,800 to $4,000 |
| Early Intervention Educator | $3,300 to $4,000 |
| Early Childhood Special Education Teacher | $2,800 to $3,500 |
| Assistant Teacher | $2,500 to $3,200 |
| Executive Assistant (EC industry) | $2,800 to $3,200 |
| Accountant Assistant- Early Childhood Centre | $2,200 to $3,800 |
| Mandarin Teacher(Early Childhood) | $2,600 to $3,700 |
| Teachers Aide (Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children) | $1,930 to $2,200 |
| Trainee Teacher (Malay/Tamil Language) | $2,600 to $3,800 |
| Admin and Operation Support (Early Childhood) | $2,800 to $3,200 |
What courses or skills are needed to join the early education sector?
Education roles, of course, value soft skills even more than hard skills, so one has to have the right attitude and be prepared to learn when it comes to aptitude.
As such, an EC educator should have the following traits, according to a SkillsFuture report on roles in the sector:
- Is passionate about helping young children develop in all areas of life
- Is patient and respectful towards each child and his/her family
- Forms meaningful relationships with the child and his/her family
- Is realistic, flexible and creative
- Does not give up when faced with difficulties
- Encourages the child to ask questions
- Supports the curiosity and love for learning in each child
- Should have high levels of energy and a great sense of humour
- Keen to improve teaching and supports the unique needs of each child
- Seeks to improve himself or herself
- Supports other EC educators through sharing and exchanging ideas
When it comes to hard skills, new technical skills and competences have been recently articulated in the Skills Framework for EC Guidebook, for the unique skillsets needed, including:
- Reflective Practice for Educators
- Practitioner Inquiry
- Collaborative Practices with Stakeholders across Disciplines
- Staff Management
- Situation Management with Families and Community
- Resilience and Self-care
- Diversity and Inclusion
- EI Curriculum Design
- Child Screening and Assessment
- Learning Support Session Planning and Implementation
- Data and Information Management
- Financial Administration
Jobseekers or mid-career switchers who are keen on joining the EC sector can get support and On-the-Job Training by signing up for the following Career Conversion Programmes for the sector by Workforce Singapore:
- CCP for Early Intervention Educators [NIEC]
- CCP for Infant and Early Years Educators [KLC]
- CCP for Infant and Early Years Educators [NIEC]
- CCP for Preschool Educators [KLC]
- CCP for Preschool Educators [NIEC]
Excited about joining the industry? Read on for more insights and information on how you can join Singapore’s early childhood sector and what to look forward to below!
An Educator’s Guide to a First Teaching Job in Singapore
How to Make Your Teaching Resume Stand Out
This Early Childhood Teacher Joined After Trying Out the Job
