New campaign by Lien Foundation to help parents raise happy kids

Children visiting the River Safari. A new campaign which aims to urge parents and educators to rethink the priorities of childhood was launched on Thursday. -- ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN 
Children visiting the River Safari. A new campaign which aims to urge parents and educators to rethink the priorities of childhood was launched on Thursday. -- ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN 

SINGAPORE - A new campaign which aims to urge parents and educators to rethink the priorities of childhood was launched on Thursday. Called StartWell, it hopes to support parents in nurturing happy children amid pressures of Singapore's competitive society.

Organised by local philanthropic group Lien Foundation, the series of projects is backed by an advisory committee of veterans in the pre-school industry.

The advisors include Ms Ho Yin Fong, academic director of training provider Seed Institute, and Ms Jacqueline Chung, senior principal of St James' Church Kindergarten.

The first programme to be launched under the campaign is Superhero Me, a values-based craft project in which children are encouraged to pursue their dreams and create the superhero they want to be. It was piloted earlier this year at the Leng Kee childcare centre run by welfare group Care Corner and involved 15 Kindergarten 2 pupils, mostly from disadvantaged backgrounds. A guide for pre-school teachers to implement this programme in other centres was also launched.

Other StartWell projects to be rolled out later include a college for parents of children aged up to six. This will be run by training provider Seed Institute and is expected to be ready in the second quarter of next year.

Later this year, an international competition to design playgrounds of the future will also be launched, and construction of a purpose-built pre-school and playground for both mainstream and special needs children will begin.

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