Natalie, Actually

Experts say elite schools offer marginal benefits over mainstream ones that have all the basics covered.

She could have easily afforded to send her daughter to a well-known pre-school costing $800 a month.

But senior corporate communications manager Karyn Low picked a pre-school in the heartland instead.

The fee: Just close to $300 a month after subsidy.

The 41-year-old enrolled her four-year-old daughter at My First Skool at the Bukit Batok Community Centre, a 10-minute walk from her flat.

Ms Low also has a 14-year-old son and a 22-month-old daughter.

"Paying less for a pre-school education doesn't mean its quality of education is any poorer than one that charges exorbitant fees," Ms Low said. "I've met the teachers and I find that they treat the students with a lot of love, care and concern. I am happy with the progress that my daughter is making."

She feels that sending a child to an elite pre-school doesn't mean that parents can wash their hands off their children's early learning.

"As parents, we have to play our part in educating our children. Not just reading and writing, but also about values and ethics," she said.

Not all mothers are as practical-minded as Ms Low. Earlier this week, parents queued overnight outside Nanyang Kindergarten, just to get their children on the waiting list for the 2013 intake.

It appears that they are willing to shell out $20,000 a year - the cost of a university education - on their children's pre-school learning.

Madam Tay Tse Ting, 35, enrolled her daughters, aged four and five, at the Montessori for Children. Her two-year-old son is in day care.

The homemaker pays about $5,000 per four-month term for each child for the extended programme, which runs from 8.15am to 3.30pm on weekdays.

She said that she likes the Montessori curriculum because "it allows our kids to grow and develop as an individual at their own pace".

But child development and early childhood experts here and abroad warn that parents who splurge on pre-school education for their kids may be wasting their money.

While pre-school is important to a child's development, high-end schools offer marginal benefits over mainstream ones that have all the basics covered.

A leading US expert, Dr Steve Barnett, told The New Paper in an e-mail interview: "Pre-schools vary dramatically in their goals and in their effectiveness... More spending is not a guarantee of more quality."

Instead, the co-director of the National Institute For Early Education Research (NIEER) said parents must assess for the best experience for their children.

"Reasonably effective pre-school programmes should be available along a fairly wide price range, with the differences being roughly comparable to the differences among cars.

Small differences

"Once you are buying a reasonably good car, the differences in performance from spending additional money maybe relatively small," he said.

Dr Barnett stressed that parents play a much bigger role on the child's development than the pre-school.

"But if the parents are already doing everything they can, then pre-school is the next most important investment," he said.

Other experts believe that reputation makes a difference - but up to a point.

In an e-mail reply, Dr Lawrence Schweinhart, president of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation based in the US, said: "Higher-priced programmes can be of higher quality because they have more money to spend on quality.

"But it is also possible for programme providers to charge more without spending the additional dollars on characteristics of quality."

Singapore psychologist Mona Seet of Mind Matters Psychology Practice believes that there are benefits in attending a reputable pre-school.

But she cautioned that parents should not choose a pre-school based solely on reputation.

"A reputable pre-school that cannot match the child's needs may cause more harm than benefit," Ms Seet said.

Nevertheless, pre-school is crucial to the development of a child, the experts said.

Dr Barnett said: "Pre-school impacts cognitive and socio-emotional development.

"A strong pre-school programme can set a child on a self-reinforcing path of academic and social success. This pays off as an adult in higher earnings and a more successful personal life and better health."

Ms Seet said a child's learning at pre-school age "builds the foundation and equips the child with the necessary skills for more advanced learning in the schooling years".

She added: "The child may not consciously remember what has been taught, but the skills and concepts taught to them at this stage shapes their development and prepares them for more challenges later in life."

The experts also agree that quality of teachers and curriculum are the top considerations when choosing a pre-school. Other things include the teacher-student ratio, school environment and parent-teacher communication.

This article was first published in The New Paper

Ok, coming from Daddy and Mummy who sends me to MindChamps, this article may sound a little out of place, but Daddy believes that sending kids to pre-school is almost a given fact for parents now, since most Singaporeans can no longer afford the luxury of a single working parent with a full time mummy looking after plus educating the kids. So for those making a choice now and it is still not too late, Daddy says 'save your money and go spend it on something else more meaningful'