In this article, ECEC is used as a general term to refer to the educational and care services catered for the holistic development of children from birth to 8 years, while early childhood education (ECE) refers to educational programs for children aged 3–6 years. Additionally, a special emphasis on the kindergarten curriculum reform is included and discussed. The main objective of this article is to provide an overview of the major policies and strategies adopted under a three-pronged approach to improve teacher, center, and program quality for kindergarten education in Singapore since 2000. While considerable efforts have been made to promote a strong start for every child since 2000, the newly announced slew of strategies and investment in early childhood research signal strongly a compelling state interest and commitment in accelerating and boosting quality improvements in early childhood development and education in Singapore. Another large-scale nation-wide birth cohort study was also funded to investigate and understand the prevention and management of health problems faced by Singaporeans from pregnancy to infancy in 2008 (Growing Up With Gusto 2009). Furthermore, the first government-funded large-scale longitudinal study of the impact of PSE on children’s cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes commenced in 2015 (Goy 2015). In 2012, the Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, announced that government efforts to uplift the overall quality of PSE would be amplified by strengthening teacher training and curriculum leadership, establishing government kindergartens to catalyze quality improvements, enhancing affordability for financially disadvantaged families, and improving policy coordination and regulation of the early childhood sector by forming a new agency (MOE 2012a). Since the turn of the twenty-first century, the Singapore government has invested substantial resources in formulating and executing policies and strategies to raise the quality of preschool education (PSE) in several high-leverage areas (Tan 2007). These long-term benefits have prompted many countries throughout the world to prioritize ECEC on their national agenda, putting in focused efforts in their pursuit of quality ECEC in the recent years. The value of quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) in establishing a strong foundation for lifelong learning and reaping social and economic benefits is well supported by a wealth of multidisciplinary research. Opportunities and challenges associated with implementing recommendations for quality enhancement are discussed and suggestions to further enhance PSE in Singapore are explored. The key recommendations of these reviews were related to uplifting teacher, center, and program quality, and enhancing the affordability and accessibility of PSE. Three major waves of preschool policy reviews were undertaken in 2000, 2008, and 2012 attesting to the seriousness the government attaches to improving PSE for encouraging a strong start for every child. Taking the national agenda for reforming PSE at the start of the twenty-first century as the point of departure, this paper describes and discusses the policies and strategies that have been introduced and implemented for preschool quality enhancement in the past 15 years.
However, preschool education (PSE) is not compulsory and is provided primarily by the private sector. Almost all children in Singapore complete 1 year of preschool before entering primary school.
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