Parent guide
How to choose a preschool in Singapore
Last checked October 2026
A preschool has to work for your child and for your week. This guide covers what to check, from the licence to the first two weeks. It also lists the questions worth asking on a visit, including a visit to us.
1. Check the licence
Preschools in Singapore are licensed by ECDA, the Early Childhood Development Agency. The licence says what the centre may run: a kindergarten licence and a childcare licence are different. Ask for the centre code and look it up in ECDA's preschool search on LifeSG. Check that the name and address match the centre in front of you.
2. Ask about the adults in your child's class
ECDA sets a minimum number of trained educators for each level. With one educator, the most children allowed are 8 in Playgroup, 12 in the year a child turns 3, 15 in the year they turn 4, 20 in Kindergarten 1 and 25 in Kindergarten 2. A centre can choose to run smaller ratios than that.
Ask for the ratio in the class your child would join, not the best class in the building. Ask about group size too. Two educators with 16 children is the same ratio as one educator with 8, but the room is busier.
3. Match the hours to your real week
Ask when children can arrive, when the teaching day ends, how an afternoon extension works and which days the centre closes. Then test it against an ordinary working day: who drops off, who picks up and how long the journey takes.
4. Ask what the fee covers, in writing
Two fees that look alike can cover different things. Ask which of these are included and which are charged separately: meals and snacks, insurance, materials, an afternoon extension, transport, registration and deposits. Ask for the full fee schedule and payment terms in writing before you decide.
5. Ask how children learn to read and count
Ask which phonics programme the centre uses and how maths is taught. Then ask how teachers record progress, how often they review it, what you will see and what happens when a child needs more help.
6. Ask how the first weeks work
Children settle at different speeds. Ask what the settling-in process is, whether you can stay at first and what staff do when a child is still upset. Then ask when they will call you.
7. Ask how you will hear from them
Ask what updates you will get and how often, whether photos are included, who answers your messages and how urgent concerns are handled.
8. Visit while the programme is running
A tour shows a centre at its most prepared. If you can, also see an ordinary session. Watch how staff speak to the children, how the room is used and what happens with a child who needs help or would rather watch.
Questions to bring to a visit
- What is your ECDA licence type and centre code?
- What is the ratio in my child's class and how many children are in the group?
- Who will be with my child each day and how are absences covered?
- When can children arrive, when does the day end and how does the extension work?
- Which charges are in the fee and which are separate?
- Which phonics programme do you use and how is maths taught?
- How do you record progress and what will I see?
- How do the first two weeks work and can I stay?
- How do you handle meals, allergies, rest, toileting and illness?
- What support is there if my child has additional needs?
How Agora answers these
- Licence: Agora Preschool is licensed by ECDA as a kindergarten, centre code PT9869.
- Ratios: up to one educator to five children in Playgroup and up to fifteen in Kindergarten. See the Preschool page.
- Hours: weekdays from 7.30am, a core day to 2pm and an afternoon extension of two or four more hours, all year round.
- Reading and maths: Read Write Inc phonics and Singapore Maths.
- Progress: a written Individual Learning Plan for every child, reviewed every six weeks.
- Updates: a daily note, a fortnightly newsletter and a six-weekly update against the plan.
- Fees: in writing, at your visit or within 24 hours of asking on WhatsApp.