When do I have to start thinking about preschool for my child in Singapore?

There are a few types of preschools in Singapore: 1. Infant care (full day for baby below 18months old) 2. Childcare (full day for PG to K2) 3. Kindergarten (3-4hours for N1 to K2) 4. Playgroup, PG (1-2hours for below N1, i.e. 3 years old), e.g. Talent Plus, Appletree etc. If you intend to put your child in infant care, you should start to place a confirmation before baby is born, especially for the popular ones. For childcare, normally before baby turns 1, you need to start your search and deposit placement already as cc starts to accept intake at 18 months old. If you have shortlisted cc in mind already, just place a deposit to secure your place. For PCF and private kindergarten, there will be a time period for open registration. Normally is 1 academic year before the actual entry year. Kindergarten is based on the year that your child born in instead of based on her/his actual age. E.g. my daugther born in Nov 2010, she will still be in N1 although she just turned 2 years and 2 months for January 2013 intake. For playgroup, it is normally 1-2 hours that catering for child aged 18 months up to 3 years old. Normally for kids who have a care taker at home and wish to let her/him socialise and learn simple things, this option is good until formal preschool. Normally playgroups are located within the neighborhood and quite high in demand. Thus, you need to register early too in order to secure a place.

I think the timing is different for every parent depending on when you want to start them on some form of regular classes. In Singapore, there is a high demand for places in preschools especially for the really good and popular ones. I started my kids in full day childcare shortly after they turned two. I think that is an ideal age to start especially if both parents are working. You may want to start enquiring around 6 months before you actually plan to put her in. Some preschools will be full and have a waiting list too so it never hurts to start looking around abit earlier.

It varies on which school that you intend to put your child in. The popular ones usually have a long waitlist so you'll have to put your name down early. Although I heard some would only allow waitlist 6 months prior to enrolment. Those in infantcare are usually automatically be eligible for playgroups so you may wish to consider to enrol your child earlier to secure a spot.

thanks