I really have to write this out before pregnancy brain slips away the little little details.
If you are seeking for infant cares for your baby, esp; in the East area, this might help.
Before I found a reliable nanny to care for my baby boy; - literally baby, I was considering infant care for my boy. So, at that point while located at Fuji Xerox for my work, I noticed that there is a infant care at 2nd level of my building.
DELCARE - Tanjong Pagar @ Fuji Xerox.
As a new mom, like 3weeks old mom, I am very protective ok? Every moment thinking of my vulnerable baby not being well taken care of at any infant care will make me extremely uneasy. We went to visit DELCARE and at that point they had a part-time in training girl.. and she was kinda feeding a baby on the rocker. And while popping the bottle in the mouth of the baby, she was just looking at a general direction, totally uninterested and the other hand patting the baby’s head. 💤.. I was like... wah lao... scully she pat my baby’s head. 😭
Delcare’s furnishings are quite old. They did mentioned that they clean them regularly but... it’s too old to tell. Then I went to a Sleeping Room for the toddlers. Before I even stepped into the room, I heard loud patting sounds and was quite taken to see 3 aunties, supposed ‘teachers’ with 4 toddlers in PJs, lying in a circle, and being pat on their asses to sleep. It feels like a small sleeping campfire. Haha.. maybe it’s normal, but I thought that the patting was quite hard. But ok.... maybe I am just a protective mom.
After my DELCARE experience, I decided to like... ok.. think of some better ways to have my son cared for when my hubby and I’s working.
10months down the road, it is once again time to look into schools for my boy because he loves little babies like him and I don’t want him to always be alone. So, I thought a good place for him to meet his peers will be a school.
I was and still am very keen in international schools for him but most only allow intakes from 18m onwards. So to transit till he is 18months.. today I went to see 3 schools.
1. Learning Vision @ Paya Lebar - $1300ish after subsidies and some less 200bucks promo till March.
I have heard of this great name and finally decided to go see it myself. The experience was pretty good and crystal clear during the tour. Spacious, have 3 room purifiers at the infant sections, teachers/ caregivers look really nice. The babies there are smiley and happy. Babies have their own lockers for their barang, their own little shelves for their milk and bottles, and own log book for parents to sign etc..
They have a general guide of the curriculum for every day. Not like the babies can follow through but not bad la... got some guides.
They have teachers board for their own communication, babies’ names will be written under 2 in-charged teachers. Food allergies etc of the little babies will be written there. Organized.
Clean place. So far they can answer my killer questions.
Generally I left with a good impression.
Also our guide was this guy named ‘Gordan’. I find it really good to have a guy in such a settings. It promotes and encourages guys to consider child care line too. I am sure there are guys whom are passionate about children’s education and care. We should remove stereotypes of having child cares being just fully female centric.
2. Cherie Hearts @ Mountbatten - $1100ish after subsidies
This center is a joker.
First it is more rustic. It’s ok.
The principal was our guide. She took our temperatures, gave my hubby and I the sanitizer. Then she said she needs me to sanitize my feet becuz I am walking into the baby area without socks. Not like my husband’s socks’ are very clean. Hence, she sprayed the soles of my feet and told me to rub the liquids on the floor. In the end the floor was wet, I felt bad and took a tissue to clean the floor. She said; “it’s ok. The cleaner will clean later.”
I mean it sounds ok la.. but it feels like not teaching personal responsibility.
Anyway we walked in and bypassed the baby shower room and... in the small room, there was a center table, filled with like 10 diaper bags. It was squeezy and messy. I imagined my son would just grab the bags easily while being carried past and make a bigger mess out of it.
Went into the infant area, area is huge but there were like 8 babies under 18months all strapped to a rocker each. They just stared in space. If they don want to stay at the separate area to play around, they will be strapped down. It was horrible to see 2-3 teachers handling 11kids. And the older babies were so bored.
Cherie Hearts has no curriculum which is fine but I feel that they should not strap the babies on the rockers and limit them to ‘better handle’ them. I just cannot imagine my 10months old being strapped down like this.
The infants like 6months and above don’t sit on the baby chairs to eat. They eat lying on the rocker being fed. I asked why so, the principal said this 15months old Indian baby is learning to eat. I went like ‘huh’ because typical babies do start solids when they are 6months on. After I went “huh?!”, the principal said “oh! The baby is having diarrhea..”
Honestly she is totally clueless.
There were only 2-3 baby chairs for dining. So I believe they do not have the habit of putting the babies on the baby chair to eat in a discipline manner.
Anyway, I felt like it was quite crappy and not what I was looking for.
3. Kinderland @Marine Parade $1300ish after subsidies.
Ok.. if you want to visit them, take the lift. The stairs, brings you to a door but no one can see you to open the door for you because, the doorbell was spoilt and not facing recept. So go by the lift, bell also spoilt but at least it’s betterchance for someone hopefully to see you.
Kinder just started their infant section. So there were only 1 Indian teacher to care for this little French baby 15months old. She’s the only baby there.
Kinder has a huge space and hence feels quite empty from space to space. Infant care wise, nothing much but they are definitely more decent than the Cherie Hearts.
Kinder is more musical based learning. So there are many instruments. If your children are 18months onwards, they could benefit learning from musics.
But the guide, she’s nice and personable. As Kinder is trying to start this new infant care, they will be more prone to calling you a couple more times.
Generally was still a comfy experience. Except that they need a little more space for the little infants and have more infants of cuz.. haha!
If you want undivided attention on your baby, then Kinderland is a choice! Security wise not as high-tech as learning vision. Cuz while I was there, a little boy came and picked his sister up and they just let the little go with the boy. My guide said she knows him but I doubt so because when she first saw him outside, she asked him what does she want. 🤷♀️
Honestly, I think why Learning Vision is a better choice for us because they really gives the children their own space. Own locker, baby chair, own little bottle compartment. Spacious, clean and little babies are responsive. And not staring in space. Teachers seemed encouraging.
For us, we want our baby to be in a safe and protected environment, yet given enough space to explore and play.
And they did managed to be flexible on some requests I have for my son’s diet.
And I can transit with him for 2-3 days.
I must say and highlight that I am expressing my own experience. If you happened to be reading this, and your children have ever been enrolled there or currently at any of these centers, please stay cool.
Different parents have different demands and I for one am a demanding person. Learning V was not my first first choice, but it has the best suit as of now because they have pretty impressive standards. I mean at least from what I see and what they have now. I won’t know if they are really true to their beliefs until I try.
Because from all my visits I understand one thing: what you see might not be what you get or what they really do. If I know my son is strapped down like this to be left for his own device, I will be furious.
My priority is a safe and calm space for my son to make some friends. And I will continue my travel overseas learning experience for him and day to day outdoor activity with him from 3plus pm onwards.
I am sure that parents will be able to tell if the children becomes more engaging after going to school or they just become more ‘sotong’ even after going to school. Then you need to question and look into what your child has been doing at the care center and if the teachers really communicates with your baby. Because babies learn best when communication happens often.
I will be bringing my little chub down for a visit. So, we shall see! ❤️❤️❤️
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