More reports of suspected child abuse in pre-schools in 2024, with CCTVs aiding investigations

SINGAPORE - Investigations into the mishandling of children in Singapore pre-schools have risen, largely prompted by heightened vigilance and the availability of video evidence over the past year.

CCTV cameras have been made

mandatory in all pre-schools here

since July 2024.

In 2024, 227 cases of suspected child mismanagement were investigated, up from 169 in 2023, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) said in response to queries from The Straits Times.

Child mismanagement refers to actions that compromise a child’s safety or well-being, such as intentional neglect or corporal punishment, said ECDA.

Its Early Childhood Development Centres’ 2025 Code of Practice spells out in detail actions that staff must not commit, which include striking or shoving a child, shouting, using verbal or physical threats, and causing psychological trauma.

As at Oct 31, ECDA had investigated 195 such cases. The agency said that in 2024, the number of substantiated cases – those proven through investigation – stood at 35 per 100,000 enrolled children, higher than the 2023 average of 26 per 100,000.

It attributed the increase in the number of investigations and confirmed cases to greater vigilance and awareness among educators and parents to identify and report incidents, as well as the wider availability of CCTV footage.

Two fresh cases of pre-school abuse surfaced in court this week. On Nov 21,

a woman was hauled to court

after she allegedly hit an eight-month-old baby’s head, and hit another 16-month-old toddler while feeding milk to him.

A day earlier, on Nov 20,

a pre-school teacher was charged with ill-treating children

after it was alleged that she force-fed a one-year-old child until she vomited, and stuffed a bib into another baby’s mouth.

Former pre-school cook Teo Guan Huat

, 61, was also sentenced to over nine years in jail on Nov 10 for molesting three girls, aged one to two, while they napped at the school between May and November 2023.

The man’s crimes were caught on the school’s CCTV system by an employee, but the footage was erased, and the police were alerted only weeks later.

Three staff members were charged over their alleged involvement in tampering with evidence, while another was granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal by the courts and given a stern warning.

Since July 2024, all pre-schools in Singapore have been required to install CCTV cameras in areas accessible to children, such as classrooms, activity rooms and play areas. Cameras are not allowed in private spaces like toilets and changing rooms.

This requirement was enforced in January after a six-month advisory period. Since then, ECDA has taken regulatory action against one operator for non-compliance.

The agency said it can issue warnings and financial penalties to operators who fail the CCTV requirements. All pre-schools must also collect, store and submit footage to ECDA and other authorities when needed during investigations.

Those who refuse to provide, tamper with or delete CCTV footage can be fined up to $5,000, imprisoned for up to six months, or both.

CCTV footage is another source of objective evidence to corroborate findings and better determine whether a regulatory breach occurred, said ECDA. Other evidence includes statements from staff and witnesses, pre-school records and documentation, and reports from medical professionals.

More transparency

Pre-school operators said CCTV cameras have improved transparency and provided more objective evidence when reviewing incidents.

Some had already installed them before the requirement took effect.

Of the 12 pre-schools ST contacted, four responded to queries about the use of CCTV cameras. The rest declined to comment or did not reply.

M.Y World, which runs more than 50 centres across Singapore, said it installed CCTV cameras ahead of the mandate as it supports fair and timely reviews of incidents when needed.

Babilou Family Singapore, which manages the KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse and Little Footprints Preschool chains, said the cameras strengthen safety, transparency and trust between pre-schools, educators and families. The operator began installing cameras in August 2022 and completed the roll-out by February 2023.

It also conducted a review to ensure its centres fully complied with the updated specifications, adding cameras in areas where needed. Babilou Family runs 60 centres across both chains in Singapore.

“In instances of raised concerns, the availability of CCTV footage has helped our teams to conduct fact-based reviews and provide clearer, more objective information,” said its spokesman.

He added that such footage is treated as confidential and released only to the authorities like ECDA or police for cases that are under official investigation.

Chief operating officer of PCF Sparkletots Marini Khamis said it evaluates all requests to view CCTV footage on a case-by-case basis, to address parents’ concerns while safeguarding the privacy of children and educators.

E-Bridge Pre-School, which has more than 30 centres in Singapore, had installed CCTV cameras in all its centres from its inception in 2014.

CCTVs have been useful in clarifying feedback and addressing parental concerns objectively, a spokesman for the operator said.

“Footage provides a factual reference point that helps verify events quickly and ensures fair handling of incidents. This has enhanced transparency and strengthened trust between parents and our centres; and in compliance with ECDA’s regulatory requirements,” he added.

Requests to view CCTV footage are uncommon though, he said, adding that most parental concerns are resolved through open communication, without needing to review footage.

When there are reasonable grounds to view footage, this takes place around authorised staff, and the faces of other children are masked to protect privacy, he added.

None of the operators disclosed how many requests it has received from parents to view CCTV footage.

Ms Camela, whose three-year-old son attends a pre-school in the Potong Pasir area, said she has peace of mind knowing that all pre-schools have CCTV cameras and that objective evidence exists.

“For quiet or shy children, they may not immediately communicate details of an incident. You can’t expect that of a child,” she said.

In February, her son complained that his arm hurt when he was picked up from school.

The 35-year-old administrative executive, who wanted to be known only by her first name, asked to see CCTV footage in her son’s classroom. The centre’s principal said that staff would view it first to determine the cause.

“Although I was panicking, I knew they had privacy concerns to manage. They responded to me quickly and explained that the camera caught him falling off his chair,” she said, adding that she was shown a short clip of the incident, with the faces of other children blurred out.

Another mother, who wanted to be known only as Ms Paul, said she relied on recommendations from friends when choosing a pre-school for her younger son, now four.

Apart from having CCTV cameras, her son’s pre-school in Serangoon also allows parents to go into the school early, from 5pm, to pick up their children, allowing the parents to observe them in the classroom, the 39-year-old homemaker said.

“This certainly is helpful and assures me that the kids are happy,” she said.

“I have made it a point to speak to other parents when I get the chance, engage my child in conversations often about what happens in school, and also speak to the teachers and other staff when I can,” she added.

“I think most pre-schools are generally safe and the people who work in the sector are in it for the right reasons, but I suppose bad eggs are unavoidable.”

Parents or staff who have concerns about child management should report the matter to the pre-school operator, or they can make a report of suspected child mismanagement in a pre-school to ECDA at 

contact@ecda.gov.sg