More pre-schools to join programme to detect developmental needs in young children

SINGAPORE – A programme that supports young children with developmental needs, as well as monitors their physical growth and dental health, will be expanded to more pre-schools from January 2026.

The Mission I’mPossible 2 initiative, which is funded by Lien Foundation with a budget of $5.9 million, has been working with 3,500 children from 16 PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Sparkletots pre-schools in Sengkang and Punggol since 2022.

The plan is to eventually include all PCF Sparkletots pre-schools, which number close to 350.

Two other pre-school operators NTUC First Campus, which runs My First Skool and Little Skool-House pre-schools; and Crestar Education Group, which manages the Skool4Kidz pre-schools, have also expressed interest in joining the programme.

Children from infant care classes and up to Nursery 2 are in the programme.

Children in Kindergarten 1 and 2 will be supported by the Development Support and Learning Support (DS-LS) national programme, which was adapted from Mission I’mPossible 1.

This predecessor of Mission I’mPossible 2 was launched in 2009 by the same partners – PCF, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Lien Foundation.

DS-LS is now available to about 60 per cent of pre-schoolers aged five to six, with a target of 80 per cent in the long term.

When issues associated with developmental milestones – such as crawling, eating solids or holding their heads steady – are detected early in children, they have more time to benefit from appropriate intervention programmes, like the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children in pre-schools.

The first phase of Mission I’mPossible 2 identified 20 per cent of participating children who required additional developmental support, 9 per cent to be overweight, and 22 per cent with early childhood caries – or tooth decay caused by acid erosion of tooth enamel.

Under the programme, over 250 early childhood educators were trained to observe and monitor pre-schoolers for growth, oral health and developmental needs.

They were guided by a multidisciplinary clinical team that includes a nurse, nutritionist, psychologist, curriculum specialist and therapists.

The team of 12, known as the School Child Development Unit, moves around the participating pre-schools.

One child who received help from Mission I’mPossible 2 is 18-month-old Aufi Azirwan.

When he was nine months old, he was unable to hold up his head when placed in a sitting position during feeding, unlike his peers. His teachers had to support him so he would not vomit.

After the teachers informed the School Child Development Unit, the team provided the boy with a Tumble Forms seat, a piece of adaptive equipment that supports him in a sitting position.

Within two months, Aufi was able to sit by himself on a Tumble Forms seat and eat half a bowl of porridge without vomiting.

“We were overjoyed,” said Aufi’s father, field technician Azirwan Mastan, 34.

“It just got better from there. He could be fed, his motor skills improved, and he’s able to start doing other activities like socialising,” said Aufi’s mother Nurdiana Abdul Rahim, 35, who works as a pre-school teacher.

At around 15 months old, Aufi was able to walk, and now the healthy boy “actively follows” his parents around.

“I think as parents, we all want the best for our children. We want them to have all the help that they need. If the centre provides some help, just try to give it a go,” Ms Nurdiana said.