Infant gets head injury at Sengkang preschool, cause unable to be determined after almost a month

An 11-month-old infant allegedly sustained a head injury at a preschool in Sengkang on Apr. 22.

As of the time of writing, the cause has yet to be determined.

Parents notified more than five hours after injury was discovered

The infant's parents, who wished to be identified only as C and L, told Mothership they received a phone call from My First Skool's interim covering principal at 4:30pm that day, informing them that their son, N, had been injured.

This was more than five hours after the injury was first discovered by staff at around 11:30am.

The injury was described to them over the phone as "a bit of a bruise", and no photographs were sent over.

As a result, the couple did not rush to the centre, and instead arrived at their usual pick-up time of around 6:40pm.

L said when they arrived, N initially appeared happy to see them.

However, once he was handed over to them, he clung to his mother and appeared upset, sucking his thumb — a behaviour his parents said he typically exhibits when distressed.

L described the injury at the time as visibly severe: swollen, blue-black in colour, and significantly larger than how it had been described over the phone.

Doctor unable to confirm cause

The family brought N to a doctor that evening, who observed that the injury was consistent with an impact against a ledge or "rough surface such as tarmac", and noted visible abrasions.

A line in the medical report seen by Mothership referred to the bruise as a "suspected non-accidental injury".

However, she was unable to confirm the cause, noting that a cold compress had already been applied by the school and that approximately 12 hours had elapsed since the estimated time of injury.

She advised the family to file a police report, and said she would need the nature of the injury to be established before deciding whether further medical assessment was required.

Teacher's bracelet identified as only observed point of contact

The following day, a representative from My First Skool's headquarters provided the family with an account of what had happened.

According to the representative, N was in the nap room from approximately 10:50am.

About 15 minutes later, he woke up, and his teacher was said to have entered the room to soothe him.

When N did not settle, she brought him to the activity area approximately at around 11:17am. Other teachers noticed red marks on his head and applied a cold compress at around 11:30am.

The representative said that because no incident had been reported or observed that morning, staff needed time to gather statements and review CCTV footage before notifying N's parents.

Upon reviewing the footage, the representative said the only possible issue the centre could identify was the teacher's gold bracelet.

The footage showed the teacher soothing N with her right hand on his head, and the bracelet represented the only observed contact close to his head.

This was consistent with what the interim covering principal had told the family at their meeting the previous evening — that the teacher had been wearing a gold bracelet during N's nap, which she confirmed was a breach of the centre's own standard operating procedure (SOP).

However, she noted that due to the camera angle of the CCTV, the exact cause of the bruise could not be confirmed.

L said that they have not yet been permitted to view the CCTV footage.

The representative also clarified that restricting jewellery is not a company-wide SOP across all My First Skool centres, and such SOPs are left to individual principals to enforce.

Behavioural changes

According to his parents, N's behaviour has changed noticeably since the incident.

L said N used to readily smile at strangers and showed visible excitement during drop-offs at school, kicking his legs happily when handed over to teachers.

N had previously been enrolled at another infant care centre until February this year, before joining My First Skool in March 2026.

Following the incident, L said they withdrew N from My First Skool and re-enrolled him at his previous centre from May 1.

Since the incident, however, his parents said their son no longer smiles at strangers as he once did.

Even at his current centre — with teachers he had a prior relationship with — he would hold onto his parents during drop-offs and be reluctant to let go, crying and reaching out when a teacher carries him.

Investigation updates

The family filed a police report on Apr. 23, and lodged formal complaints with both My First Skool management and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) on the same day.

On May 5, the family said they contacted ECDA's investigating officer directly, who confirmed that they had received the CCTV footage and the case was under active investigation, with a timeline of up to six months.

The investigating officer committed to expediting the footage review, as well as providing a preliminary report by the end of that week. However, L claimed no such report was received.

On May 17, L said the officer called and shared some findings.

According to L, the officer said she had reviewed the full day's footage and was able to narrow the incident down to nap time.

L said the officer described footage showing the teacher patting N from head to toe in an attempt to soothe him back to sleep.

The officer was said to have described the actions as involving both patting and "hits", which she clarified referred to a palm slapping motion rather than a punch.

According to L, the officer identified the teacher's gold bangle as the only possible cause of the injury she could determine from the footage, and confirmed there was no fall from height, slamming, or punching action observed.

When the family asked directly whether there was wrongdoing, L said the officer stated that the teacher's actions were not right and were not necessary to put a child to sleep.

The family said the officer also acknowledged negligence, wrongdoing, and gaps in reporting on the part of the centre, and that investigations are still ongoing.

My First Skool's response

In response to Mothership's queries, a My First Skool spokesperson said the school's immediate priority had been the child's wellbeing, and that it had responded promptly upon becoming aware of the incident.

The spokesperson said the school had remained in contact with the family to provide support, assistance, and updates, including sharing initial findings with them.

"We recognise that this has been a concerning experience for the child's family," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson further added the school had reported the matter promptly to ECDA and submitted the relevant CCTV footage to support the agency's review.

The teacher has since been reassigned to non-teaching duties as the review is ongoing, in line with the school's practices.

The spokesperson affirmed:

"We are treating the matter seriously and will continue to cooperate fully with the relevant authorities.

We value the trust that families place in us each day and remain committed to providing a safe, caring and nurturing environment for every child."

Investigations ongoing: ECDA

In a statement to Mothership, an ECDA spokesperson confirmed that the agency was informed of the incident on Apr. 23 and has since commenced investigations.

They confirmed that the teacher involved has been redeployed to non-teaching duties and "will not have contact with any children".

"Regulatory lapses that compromise the safety and well-being of children in preschools are not acceptable," the spokesperson said.

"ECDA will take firm action against preschool operators or staff who are found guilty of not fulfilling their duty of care to the children under their charge."

The spokesperson affirmed that all preschool operators are required to have measures and safeguards in place to keep children safe, including ensuring educators interact with children appropriately and are adequately supervised in carrying out their duties.

The spokesperson added that ECDA is unable to provide further details at this time as investigations are ongoing.