There's a new preschool in town, and it's a huge one — reportedly the world's biggest.
According to a report in Channel NewsAsia, the Early Learning Village is 50,000 sq.ft in size, and is the result of a collaboration between Stamford American and Australian International Schools.
And it's pretty impressive — it says it can take in up to 2,100 students.
Its features include:
- 6 outdoor playgrounds
- Sheltered 20m swimming pool, which can be configured into 10 short lanes or 4 longer ones
- Indoor air-conditioned gymnasium area
- Special "discovery spaces" in classrooms with sandboxes and experiential learning areas
- 12 specialist rooms for music, dance and other activities
It's even got a 360-degree virtual tour video you can check out:
Sounds great, right? And its central location at Lorong Chuan helps plenty as well.
[related_story]
So of course, there's a catch:
The fees
Just to pluck out a few for the Early Learning Village —
A three-day-per week full-day programme with the school at pre-nursery and nursery (ages 2 and 3 respectively) will set you back by almost $15,000 annually.
Want to send your toddler to a full five-day programme? That'll cost you $11,502 per semester — $23,004 every year.
(And just for some perspective, Singapore citizens entering the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences pay $8,500 in fees per year.)
At the K1 level, a year's full-time schooling there will set you back by more than $34,600.
Contrast this with EtonHouse, one of the more expensive preschool options here:
For a full-day, five-day pre-nursery programme, the fees come up to $22,791 per year — in fairness, reasonably comparable to the Early Learning Village's $23,004.
But for Kindergarten 2, the fee at EtonHouse is $21,507, as compared to $34,606 at Early Learning Village.
Cheaper choices
Now in fairness, there are of course cheaper options.
The Ministry of Education, for instance, has kindergartens with Kindergarten Care schemes, with fees ranging from $325 to $375 per month (up to $4,500 per year).
The fees at kindergartens licensed by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) start from about $550 per month, before subsidies that are available to all Singapore citizens that start from $300.
But hey, that doesn't change the fact: (elite) childhood education can be really expensive.
Here are some totally unrelated but equally interesting stories:
Things to know to prevent your boss from makan-ing you because you blur blur sign contract
Quiz: What kind of Singaporean will you be in a crisis?
H/T: Channel NewsAsia
Top photo: screenshot from video
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.