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'Mama is here': Mother-of-two develops calm and confidence with pre-school-based programme
The Heads-Upp programme takes a holistic approach in supporting the health and development of children from lower-income families
Mdm Ana Meriani says her relationship with her children has improved, thanks to positive parenting tips from the Health and Development Support in Pre-school Partnerships (Heads-Upp) programme.
PHOTO: THARM SOOK WAI
Genevieve Chan, Content STudio
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In just four months, Mdm Ana Meriani has witnessed a remarkable change in her three-year-old daughter.
The 37-year-old had problems just getting her daughter to brush her teeth, sleep early, or avoid sweets. Each request was met with tantrums.
“She used to be very naughty and wouldn’t listen to me,” Mdm Meriani, who is Indonesian Chinese, says in a mix of Hokkien and Mandarin.
Mdm Meriani works as a part-time admin assistant from home, a three-room Housing Board flat she shares with her Singaporean husband, mother-in-law, and two children. Her youngest son is one.
“When I tell her she can’t do something, she’d cry. Now, when I explain to her, she’ll understand and say ‘OK, Mama’.”
What changed? Mdm Meriani credits this shift to a partnership that combines the medical expertise of healthcare professionals from the National University Hospital’s (NUH) Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute (KTP-NUCMI), with support from Care Corner Singapore social workers and PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Sparkletots pre-school teachers.
Together, they form the “head” and the “heart” of the Health and Development Support in Pre-school Partnerships (Heads-Upp) programme. Mdm Meriani learnt of the programme through PCF Sparkletots, her daughter’s pre-school.
The Head
Heads-Upp, launched last June, takes a comprehensive approach to supporting children from lower-income families. It includes early identification of health and developmental issues through pre-school screenings, and ongoing guidance for children and their mothers.
The programme focuses on families that receive the highest level of pre-school subsidies and assistance from the PCF Enhanced Early Headstart Fund. It has been piloted at eight PCF Sparkletots centres so far, and aims to help about 400 children over two to three years.
Heads-Upp is also supported by the inter-agency Child and Maternal Health and Well-being action plan, announced by the Ministry of Health in 2021.
“We look at not just education,” says Mr Vital Tan, 47, assistant director for Care Corner’s children and youth services, “but also health, from physical and cognitive to social and emotional aspects.”
A pilot study by KTP-NUCMI and Care Corner in 2017 found that children from lower-income families had more health and developmental issues compared with their more well-off peers.
Such children needed more preventive care but did not receive it, explains Adjunct Associate Professor Chong Shang Chee, head and senior consultant of KTP-NUCMI’s Child Development Unit, who led the study.
These issues range from poor nutritional and sleep habits to poor dental health or speech and language delay.
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“We also found that despite the children being screened by the health team, parents – for various reasons – struggled to bring them in for follow-up of specific health issues,” says Dr Chong.
This could be due to parents from lower-income households having fewer resources, says Mr Tan. The programme aims to address this by bringing care to the doorsteps of families.
“We go out and meet parents, instead of having them go to a polyclinic (for check-ups) because these parents may not have the time or mental bandwidth,” says Mr Tan.
The pilot study’s findings also helped refine Heads-Upp’s follow-up process to address the top concerns of parents and teachers and maximise its impact.
Medical professionals conduct check-ups within the familiar setting of the pre-school. If needed, they help schedule follow-up appointments, streamlining the process and reducing stress.
“This approach is particularly beneficial for vulnerable families as it addresses their diverse needs and saves time,” notes Dr Honey Ng, deputy director, Inclusive Education Team, PAP Community Foundation.
The benefits of Heads-Upp extend beyond physical health. Mdm Meriani, whose daughter is healthy, has also learnt positive parenting tips: “I used to get very angry and frustrated when my children misbehave.
“But I learnt from Missy that I should speak to my daughter in a gentler way and explain what’s right and wrong, instead of just punishing her.” Missy is the colloquial term for nurse.
How has this affected her relationship with her son? “He doesn’t know how to speak yet, only knows how to say ‘Mama’. But what I have learnt also changed how I take care of him, like adding more vegetables into his porridge, getting him to sleep earlier, and communicating more.”
“Even when he just calls out for me, I respond gently and let him know ‘Mama is here’.”
The Heads-Upp programme's strength lies in its integrated team. Medical professionals, social workers, and pre-school teachers work alongside each other to provide mothers like Mdm Meriani with a single point of contact for diverse support.
Pre-school teachers share valuable insights on the children’s needs based on their daily observations, which complement the social worker’s understanding of the family.
Together, they paint a holistic picture, enabling tailored planning and support for each family, adds Dr Ng. The Heads-Upp team provides a health report and personalised parenting strategies for each child, which are also shared with their teachers.
Beyond the parenting tips and health check-up that her daughter has received, Mdm Meriani’s social worker from Care Corner, Ms Cal-lin Neubronner, has also introduced her to additional resources for support. These include financial assistance and mental wellness strategies.
“It’s very easy and convenient for me,” says Mdm Meriani. “I didn't know where to look for help, and I didn't have the time. But now, there are so many people helping us.”
The programme also fosters learning among the team. “It's not just about bringing in our own professional expertise, but also incorporating what we learn from each other,” says Ms Geraldine Foo, 46, lead social worker at Care Corner.
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Social workers, for example, receive specialised training from psychologists from the NUH’s Women Emotional Health Service to better understand emotional stress and mental health support, explains Dr Chong.
“As we talk to mothers with high levels of stress and anxiety, we get to know them better,” says Ms Foo. “This way, we can help identify where the anxiety and stress stem from and refer them to medical professionals for targeted support.”
In Mdm Meriani’s case, the programme's holistic approach has yielded tangible results. She now takes time for herself by going on walks, which has helped her manage stress and improve her mood.
“I’m very happy and grateful,” she says. “This programme has helped me so much. Cal-lin has even found part-time English lessons for me so I can improve myself further.”
‘We lift them up with head and heart’
Ms Pow Lay Kuan, 58, director of the SG Cares volunteer centre (VC) at Sembawang, is especially proud of what her team has accomplished.
With just two other full-time staff, they’ve managed to train and deploy almost 3,500 volunteers this year.
The centre in Sembawang is run by active ageing charity Blossom Seeds. These VCs were set up in 2018, under the national movement SG Cares, to match volunteers and resources in each town to community needs and beneficiaries.
Ms Pow credits the success of her team to a partnership with Singapore University of Social Sciences’ Centre of Excellence for Social Good (SUSS-CESG). It is built on a simple premise: Equipping social service agencies (SSAs) with the skills and knowledge they need to work more effectively.
“We identified three main challenges faced by the SSAs,” explains Professor Ang Hak Seng, director of SUSS-CESG. “These are the lack of the ‘know’, the ‘know-how’, and the ‘know-best’.”
SUSS-CESG addresses these gaps through a three-pronged approach:
- Formal learning: This includes skills such as digital marketing (to help with outreach online) to address the first lack of knowledge.
- Applied learning: To enable knowledge to be adapted and practised within the organisations. For Ms Pow, the apps and software she learnt through digital marketing have changed how she creates videos for social media, cutting a week-long process down to just one or two hours.
- Informal learning: VCs form learning circles to bridge the gap between academics and practitioners. “Everyone learns from each other, forming best practices,” says Prof Ang.
This ecosystem of learning and training empowers Blossom Seeds to thrive. “Our service relies heavily on our 290 volunteer leaders,” Ms Pow says.
“They, in turn, train other volunteers, creating a sustainable ecosystem. In fact, about 30 to 40 per cent of our volunteers started as beneficiaries themselves too.”
Such a collaborative spirit is crucial for the future of Singapore’s social sector, says Prof Ang. “Volunteers and beneficiaries today want to get involved, and that's good for society. How can the social service sector meet this aspiration?”
Co-creation and shared responsibility is his answer: “It’s when the head and the heart become connected and form an ecosystem of collaboration.
“That’s the social innovation we are driving: We work together to discover the issues on the ground, share best practices, and help prepare our sector for the future. Together, with the head and the heart, we’ll lift all up.”
Celebrating partnerships
The Ministry of Social and Family Development designated 2023 as its Year of Celebrating Social Service Partners, highlighting the power of collaboration between organisations and individuals in fostering positive change.
To make an impact on the lives of those in need, Singaporeans and companies are encouraged to volunteer, donate, or join the social service sector.
For more information on how you can make a difference, visit https://go.gov.sg/YCPartners
This was produced in partnership with the Ministry of Social and Family Development, in support of the Year of Celebrating Social Service Partners.
