Staff At The Heart of Skool4Kidz’ Success

Since Skool4Kidz was appointed in 2014 as an anchor operator of quality and affordable childcare services by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), we have grown our network to 14 centres, including one large centre, and an upcoming first-of-its-kind large preschool in a park – opening early next year.

The concurrent achievements of rapid expansion and consistent delivery of quality education would not have been possible without the commitment and dedication of all our staff – educarers, teachers, and support staff.

The staff’s continuous hard work is greatly valued by the Skool4Kidz management, and this can be seen by the organisation’s suite of welfare and professional development activities for their personal growth and workplace wellbeing.

Mr Timothy Chan, Operations Director of Skool4Kidz, said: “As educarers and teachers form the heart of Skool4Kidz success, we place strong emphasis on career pathway development for them to grow within the organisation, besides addressing important aspects of physical and mental wellbeing.”

An annual training needs assessment is done for every employee to ascertain their career aspirations and identify competency gaps to achieve them. From there, Skool4Kidz supports staff to plug these gaps through our Annual Training Plan for Professional Development, which targets to give them at least 30 hours of training per year.

Thus far, we have sponsored 35 employees for various advancement courses, including Degree in Early Childhood, Diploma in Early Childhood and Advanced Certificate in Early Years.

In December 2016, we launched our Skool4Kidz Day with an enriching and fun programme featuring keynote speakers and small group sessions for teachers to further equip themselves with necessary skills for their day-to-day work. The session was not just all about serious training for the 260 teachers – fun games, fellowship and delicious food were plentiful during the memorable day.

One special highlight of the event is the awards ceremony where the management recognised 25 outstanding staff, by presenting them with various prizes for their consistent good performance and achievements.

Our organisation’s efforts to promote staff welfare and development is beyond one single day, and we constantly organise various activities throughout the year.

The following are a list of programmes specially organised:

• Learning Journey, a one-day out-of-classroom training is organised on an annual basis to foster team spirit and develop their social-emotional skills.
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshops are scheduled for all staff during a special one-day learning fest, where all 13 centres are closed for all to participate.
• Various types of fun activities, such as Christmas and New Year get-togethers, barbeques and movie nights, are organised to allow our staff to let their hairs down, relax and simply have fun.
• Regular HR visits to the centres are conducted to engage staff on the ground in order to hear their concerns, as well as gather feedback on how their work experience can be enhanced.

These initiatives are well-received by our staff, and it heartens Skool4Kidz management to receive many positive feedback. A few have been cherry-picked and listed below.

“As a teacher in Skool4Kidz, I am happy to be a part of this organisation, and look forward to coming to work. I am given many opportunities to excel and have a good career pathway here. I was moved to Playgroup, but I took it as a challenge and also a learning journey for myself. My colleagues have also provided a warm working environment and motivated me to be a passionate caregiver.”
– Rachael Mahalakcheme d/o Gengan, Teacher at Woodlands Crescent Meadow

“I started my career with Skool4Kidz without any EC background or qualifications. After a few months, I was sponsored by the management to take up the Higher Certificate in Infant Care course at KLC International Institute. It was a pleasant journey during the 5 months of training and I was able to acquire new knowledge and apply what I have learnt at the centre. I was also able to take the opportunity to prove that as a single mom, I could upskill myself and at the same time take care of our child. Thank you Skool4Kidz for the opportunity!”
– Siti Marliana, Infant Educarer at Senja Parc View

“Cooking is what I love to do most! This passion together with my previous experience in assisting my sister manage her food stall has helped me effectively run the kitchen at Woodlands Ring Road centre. Regular audits and training have helped to keep me on track, while training new cooks gives me the opportunity to be a mentor. I am proud to make a difference in the lives of the young children and the teachers in my school.”
– Maini binte Eusope, Cook at Woodlands Ring Road