Singapore Expats

Hi.

My family and I are moving to Singapore in the next 6 months and we have 3 children under 4. (2months, 2yr and 3yr) Could anyone please identify when children start their formal education in Singapore. If there are nurserys or nannys available and where the best place to live for a young family.

I know its alot to ask but with such a young family time seems to be flying past with not enought time to organise everything.

Many thanks. A

hi. yes there are pre-primary schools. My almost-3-year-old goes 4 mornings per week. I have twins (17mo) but they are at home.

Not sure about a nanny, i know of no family that has one...in the true sense of the word. Most (including us) have a full time live in helper, who takes care of some of the cooking, all of the cleaning/ironing/housework. She also does look after the twins from time to time as well.

As far as the 'best' place to live. Well thats pretty subjective. Frankly I think Singapore is not the most child friendly place for very small children! I live near orchard road and it suits us. Is your husband moving out here with his work? I would recommend getting in touch with someone (maybe through his work?) who is already here, with a family, and talking to them. Accommodation is pretty expensive here too. So it depends on your budget.

You might get some useful advice from this forum. When you have a minute (difficult I know with a tiny baby and toddlers!) have a look through this board, and also"moving to singapore" boards. You might get some useful info there.

Good luck. it can be pretty daunging! You are welcome to PM me. Though I think you have to have a certain number of posts to activate the PM function.

your 2- and 3-yr old can already start preschool if you want. there are even childcare centres that take in 6 month olds!

if it's too late or inconvenient to go for a look-see before you actually move, perhaps you can negotiate that your (or your husband's) employer pays for a Serviced Apartment for a month or two while you look for a suitable place.

Formal education (ie what's mandatory for Singapore citizens) starts for a child in the year he/she turns seven. But there are educational facilities for children of any age at all, even from 2 mths! Yes, for infants from 2mths to 18mths old, there are infant care centres, meant for working mothers, but you can send your infant for shorter sessions as well. Enrichment courses are available for all age groups.

Having said that, I would say most children here start proper education from 3 years old (Nursery One), in that parents would send them to some form of school for at least a few hours a week.