SINGAPORE – At times, housewife Belinda Mohd Azmi was on the verge of tears dealing with her stubborn three-year-old daughter – the fourth of five children – who would scream for attention.
As a full-time housewife, the 30-year-old said attending to the household needs and her youngest child – a four-month-old son – left her with no time to interact with the rest of her children.
“I’m busy doing the chores and after I’m done, I’m too tired to interact with my kids. My daughter will just play and read on her own,” she added.
In October, Ms Belinda signed up to be part of the KidSTART Group programme – a weekly community-based playgroup sessions for parents with children aged up to three – after hearing it from a volunteer at the We Love Learning (WELL) centre located at Block 93 Henderson Road, just a block away from her flat.
The pilot programme, which was rolled out in October and ended on Saturday (Nov 5), comprises sessions lasting up to two hours and allows parents to learn from Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) trained facilitators on how to interact better with their children, such as using a softer tone when speaking to them.
The facilitators may also conduct home visits for families requiring additional support.
After going through the playgroup sessions, Ms Belinda said she was able to handle her daughter better, and also noticed that the little girl was calmer.
These days, she tries to handle all her five children by using the tips she had picked up from the sessions.
“Now at home, whenever I read to my daughter, I try to make it more fun and explain what the words mean. I’m like a dictionary to her,” Ms Belinda said, laughing.
The playgroup held its last session on Saturday (Nov 5), which also saw a visit from Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin.
The pilot, which involved 33 children and 29 parents, saw a good turnout rate, about 80 per cent per session.
After the trial, ECDA said it will refine the model and introduce it to the other pilot regions next year.
The initiative is meant to support around 1,000 children, aged up to six years old, from lower-income and vulnerable families earning a monthly household income of S$1,900 and below, based on the criteria of financial assistance scheme ComCare.
Since July, the ECDA shared that 283 children have come onboard various programmes under KidSTART, such as those which offer home visitation and enhanced support to preschools.
First announced at this year’s Budget, KidSTART will cost over S$20 million and will be rolled out in Kreta Ayer, Bukit Merah, Taman Jurong, Boon Lay and Geylang Serai.
For families with infants, there will be regular home visits made by trained personnel from the ECDA and KK Women’s and Children’s (KKH) to monitor their children’s growth, health and nutrition until they are three years old.
Visits will be done fortnightly in the earlier stages, and will progress to monthly after the home visitor has assessed that the parents are more confident in caring their child. A total of 50 infants are now under the programme, said the ECDA.
Regular screening will also be done for pregnant mothers at the antenatal and postnatal stages to monitor the child’s development and early detection of medical issues.
And as part of a programme to give enhanced support to preschools, child enabling executives – who will monitor the child’s progress in school and address issues relating to poor attendance – are expected to be deployed to 10 preschools operated by anchor operators PAP Community Foundation (PCF) and NTUC first campus by end of this year. The programme currently serves about 200 children.
