Emile Preschool: A Beacon of Holistic Early Childhood Education

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Introduction

Emile Preschool Singapore is a beacon of excellence in early childhood education, founded in 2017 by esteemed professors from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Dr. Pei-Wen Tzuo and Dr. Ke-Wei Huang, along with the dedicated Principal, Ms. Reina Tan, have created a unique learning environment that reflects a mission to provide high-quality early childhood programs grounded in research findings and international best practices. Emile Preschool is committed to fostering holistic development, character building, and a love for learning, making it a distinguished choice for parents seeking a strong foundation for their children’s future.

Educational Philosophy and Core Values

Emile Preschool’s educational philosophy centers around research-proven approaches, recognizing early childhood as a critical period for brain development. The school aims to cultivate various intelligences, including language and literacy, logical-mathematical, scientific, social understanding, art, body-kinetic, collaborative, and intrapersonal self-understanding. The founders, being university professors, integrate research findings from neuroscience, psychology, and education into the curriculum, ensuring that children’s abilities in thinking, problem-solving, and motivation for learning are fostered from an early age.

The school’s core values emphasize recognizing and nurturing every child’s giftedness, providing organic and healthy meals, and creating a safe and conducive environment. Emile Preschool believes in the importance of bilingual education and adopts high-quality English and Chinese teaching materials to promote language and literacy skills.

Infrastructural Facilities and Learning Environment

Emile Preschool considers the environment as the third teacher, providing an orderly and conducive classroom environment with high-quality learning materials. The school’s facilities include:

1. Ample Natural Light and High Ceiling: The spacious classrooms feature full-length glass panels, allowing ample natural light, creating a positive and vibrant atmosphere.
2. Stage: Emile Preschool’s commitment to future leadership is reflected in a large stage within the school, promoting learning in speech, drama, music, and movement.
3. Gymnastic Equipment: The gymnastic play area supports activities that enhance balance, flexibility, coordination, and social skills, fostering a well-rounded development.
4. IT Equipment: Emile Preschool incorporates state-of-the-art technology, including interactive floor games, iPads for ScratchJr learning activities, and BeeBot for logical programming.
5. High-Quality Teaching Materials: The school adopts an array of reputable materials, including National Geographic Kids, Oxford Reading Tree, and other Chinese Readers, enhancing the bilingual teaching approach.
6. Special Programs for Gifted Kids: Emile Preschool offers mind-challenging programs from around the world to cater to the unique needs of gifted children.
7. Learning Tools: Tools like BambinoLUK and LogicoPrimo are used to enhance children’s thinking capacities, visual perception, concentration, logical thinking, numeracy, and literacy skills.

Prominent Personalities:

The founders, Dr. Pei-Wen Tzuo and Dr. Ke-Wei Huang, bring a wealth of academic and research experience to Emile Preschool. Dr. Tzuo’s expertise in early childhood education, with numerous research grants and publications, and Dr. Huang’s background in information systems and passion for gifted education, contribute to the school’s unique approach.

The founder, Dr. Pei-Wen Tzuo (Sophia), received her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education from Indiana University – Bloomington in the US. She was a former assistant professor at Nanyang Technology University (NTU) in Singapore and worked there for the past 10 years. She has conducted various studies on early childhood education and beyond and has won research grants of over SGD $2.54 million as a principal or co-investigator from MOE, NTU, and Singapore Millennium Foundation. She has published her findings in 43 articles in scholarly journals, books, conference proceedings and presentations. She has been invited as a keynote speaker as well as presenting her research findings at many international conferences.

The co-founder, Dr. Ke-Wei Huang, received his Ph.D. (2007), M.Phil. (2005), and M.Sc. (2002) degrees in Information Systems from the Stern School of Business at New York University, and his M.B.A. in Finance (1997) and B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering (1995) from National Taiwan University.  Currently, he is a tenured associate professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS). His research interests include economics of information systems, business analytics, and e-commerce.

He has published various scholarly articles in top research journals.  He has received four teaching awards while at NUS. Aside from that, he is passionate about gifted education. He believes that language and literacy play the most fundamental roles in the early years of education. More than just highlighting language and literacy, he wants to build a preschool which also nurtures children’s interests and thinking skills in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math).

Ms. Reina Tan, the Principal, holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and brings extensive experience in curriculum design and teaching. Her commitment to discovering and cultivating children’s hidden talents aligns with Emile Preschool’s philosophy.

New Services and Activities:

The center will facilitate integrated learning by providing a wide range of learning activities from thematic learning activities, to project approach and Reggio Emilia approach, in order to integrate the various styles of learning, problem solving skills, areas of development, thinking dispositions, and abilities to make creation through life-related hands-on experiences.

• Theme is a broad concept or topic such as “house”, “car”, “animals”. When using a theme, teachers provide lots of different propos and materials to support the learning of concept. A teacher also tries to integrate the various aspects of development (language, numeracy, science, motor, social emotion, art) when designing the thematic learning experiences.
• Project approach is an in-depth investigation of a topic significance learning more about, a research effort deliberately focused on finding answers to questions concerning a topic posed either by the children, the teacher, or the teacher working with the children. (Katz, 1994, p.1) By doing project approach, (1) learning is autonomous (2) Projects are focused on questions which drive children to explore and learn knowledge of a discipline or content area (3) Projects involve children in constructive investigation. (4) Learners construct personally meaningful artefacts that are representations of their learning. Various domains of areas such as language, math, science will be related and connected to the project.

Reggio Emilia is an in-depth investigation of a project through the emphasis of environment as a 3rd teacher to entice as well as challenge children’s thinking. It also addresses to let children express their thoughts and document them through the various ways by using art- understand children’s “hundred languages”.  The center will likewise to promote children’s abilities of creating through integrating the multiple ways of interacting with the environment and documenting.

Partnerships and Community Engagement:

Emile Preschool emphasizes a holistic development partnership between the school, parents, and the community. Regular communication, parent-teacher conferences, and community outreach programs create a collaborative learning environment.

Motivation and Overall Development:

The school adopts a Constructivist’s notion of development and learning, emphasizing children as capable and competent learners. Teachers act as co-investigators, facilitating interactive and integrated learning experiences, creating purposeful learning environments, and empowering children to construct their knowledge.

Financial Assistance:

Emile Preschool leverages government subsidies for Singaporean children with working mothers and enhanced subsidies for families in need, ensuring that financial constraints do not hinder access to quality education.

Unique Values:

Emile Preschool stands out for its commitment to equality, empowerment, character development, and innovation in the learning environment. Every child is recognized for their giftedness, and the school focuses on fostering a love for learning through various intelligences.

Future Plans:

Emile Preschool’s future plans include expanding to a new branch due to increased demand and incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the curriculum to enhance learning and promote innovation.