St James' Church Kindergarten yesterday ushered the oldest group of children from its Harding Road campus in Dempsey into a new season, or "spring break", as the pre-school called it.

They had been away from class for nearly two months, since pre-schools were required to suspend their general services.

As they arrived, the little ones were greeted with colourful flower garlands and posters their teachers had put up, not just a thermometer pointed at their foreheads for temperature taking.

Altogether, about 270 Kindergarten 1 and 2 children attended the morning and afternoon sessions. That is 73 per cent of the campus' total enrolment, similar to the attendance before the circuit breaker.

It is, however, below the numbers before the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, said principal Alice Lock.

Attendance yesterday at the 17 pre-schools run by St James' Preschool Services ranged from 61 per cent to 100 per cent.

At the Dempsey centre, songs were played over the audio system as the children walked in, and each classroom had a photo booth.

Mrs Lock said: "We want to take a more positive approach and create memories for them, while we teach them about social distancing."

Housewife Vivian Goh, 39, whose older daughter is in K1 at the Dempsey centre, said: "Initially, I was considering whether to send the kids back because we have a choice for kids below primary school."

Her younger daughter in Nursery 1 will return to school next week.

"We discussed it as a family, and the children said they were ready and happy to see their teachers and friends. We told them about wearing masks and seating arrangements, to prepare them for what to expect," she added.

Mr Poh Soon Tat, head of operations at Star Learners, which has 41 centres, said about 70 per cent to more than 80 per cent of K1 and K2 children returned yesterday.

Parents were also given a specified time period to drop off and pick up their children to minimise interaction, he added.

At its Bishan Central centre, principal Pua Yoke Ting said: "So far, our children have been cooperative in abiding by the measures. They are very adaptable."

Financial adviser Loh Jia Min, 28, who took her K2 daughter back to private childcare yesterday, said: "We were worried about risks at first, but we were also concerned she would be far behind academically if she stayed at home.

"We also thought it would be tiring for her to wear a mask for so long, but we are pleasantly surprised that she has not complained."