The National Institute of Early Childhood (NIEC) has unveiled a structured leadership development framework to strengthen the capabilities of early childhood leaders. The framework introduces three key programmes: Booster, Immersion, and Coaching. These are designed to address the shortage of support many aspiring leaders face.
A recent study in Singapore found that nearly two-thirds of educators aspire to take on leadership roles but lack sufficient guidance and resources. NIEC’s new framework seeks to close this gap by offering practical pathways for upskilling and sustained support.
Vinothini Mariappan, Manager of Academic Management at NIEC, said, “Almost two-thirds of the educators really wanted to be leaders but what they lack is the support. At NIEC we wanted to give the support and build the ecosystem for these leaders so they can upskill themselves and work towards becoming future-ready leaders.”
Booster: Structured training for experienced leaders
The Booster programme targets leaders with more than three years of experience. It provides carefully structured training while building an ecosystem of peer support. The programme focuses on enabling leaders to upskill without working in isolation.
Immersion: On-the-ground guidance for new leaders
For new leaders or those recently certified, the Immersion programme offers practical exposure. Through NIEC’s PPA Connect initiative, experienced faculty members attach themselves to new leaders, guiding them through the early months of leadership and reinforcing coaching practices in real-world settings.
Coaching: Introducing structure to mentoring practices
Unlike traditional mentoring, which is often applied loosely, NIEC is introducing structured coaching sessions. Leaders undergoing training are offered free coaching tasters to experience its impact first-hand and integrate the approach into their centres.
More stories: NIEC steps up teacher training to cope with demanding job roles
About the speaker:
Vinothini Mariappan
Manager, Academic Management NIEC (ITE)
Ms. Mariappan Vinothini, Manager of Academic Management at NIEC (ITE), is an accomplished education specialist with 12 years of experience in early education. Her expertise spans play-based learning, Tamil language instruction, and the development of learning corners and teaching resources. Ms. Vinothini holds a Master’s in Education (Early Childhood Education) from the National Institute of Education, and a Bachelor’s in Arts in Childhood and Family Education from Edith Cowan University. A decorated educator, she received the ITE Teacher Award in 2018, and multiple Service Star and Excellent Service Awards in 2015. Her innovation, the ‘Safe Haven’ virtual reality classroom, demonstrates her commitment to enhancing students’ safety awareness through authentic learning experiences.
5W1H summary
| Category | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who | 1. National Institute Early Childhood |
| 2. Early childhood centre leaders | |
| 3. Educators seeking leadership | |
| What | 1. Launched leadership development framework |
| 2. Offers Booster, Immersion, Coaching | |
| 3. Upskills early childhood leaders | |
| When | 1. Current ongoing initiative |
| 2. Not precisely specified | |
| Where | 1. Singapore early childhood sector |
| 2. NIEC training programs | |
| 3. Centre leaders’ workplaces | |
| Why | 1. Educators lack leadership support |
| 2. Build future-ready leaders | |
| 3. Improve sector leadership skills | |
| How | 1. Structured Booster training plan |
| 2. PPA Connect ground training | |
| 3. Free coaching sessions offered |
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Q: What are the three main components of NIEC’s leadership development framework?
- A: The framework comprises the Booster, Immersion, and Coaching programmes.
- Q: Who is eligible for the Booster programme?
- A: Leaders in early childhood centres who have served for more than three years in a leadership role.
- Q: What is the “PPA Connect” programme?
- A: It is NIEC’s Immersion programme, offering on-the-ground training where leaders attach with faculty to guide their leadership journey.
- Q: Why did NIEC develop this leadership framework?
- A: A study in Singapore found that many educators aspire to be leaders but lack sufficient support, which NIEC aims to provide.
- Q: Are there any costs associated with the coaching sessions offered by NIEC?
- A: No, NIEC provides these coaching sessions for free, allowing leaders to experience professional coaching.
Transcript of the interview:
Maybe I share with you about NIEC that what we are doing for the leadership development framework. So number one is the booster and number two is immersion and number three is coaching.
Let me tell you about the booster program. What happened to the booster program is if there are leaders in the center who have been there for more than three years as leaders we want them to embark into our training program which is the booster program.
What happens is that we have a very careful plan, carefully planned structured plan for them so they don’t just come to us for training, they’re also building the ecosystem to step on each other. Why I say this is because there was a recent study that made in Singapore that was done in Singapore.
What happened was almost like two-thirds of the educators they really wanted to be leaders but what they lack is the support. In NIC we wanted to give the support and build the ecosystem for these leaders so that they can upskill themselves and at the same time they can also work towards the future future ready leaders.
So that is under the booster program. Apart from that we also looking into the second which is the immersion.
Maybe I share with you a story about how immersion works. Maybe you are a leader, you are either a new leader or just completed a leadership program leadership certification and you’re taking on leadership as the first maybe first few months in the in the center.
Then we as a faculty we have this program in NIC and we call this PPA connect. What do we do under the PPA connect is the leaders go and attach with you and then they walk you through the leadership journey in terms of how can they include coaching in their leadership and what are the areas that they can work on to build on their leadership as well.
So this we call it on the ground training. Which is something very very interesting and I would proudly say this is NIC’s first ever initiative.
The third is a coaching also another area that we are looking into because under the early childhood industry practices we call mentoring and coaching very fluidly not knowing the structure. What we are doing in NIC is those leaders who are already in the ground or maybe those who are still undergoing the leadership courses with us.
We are giving them the taster of how coaching works and we are giving this coaching session for free so that they just have to feel experience how coaching works in their life so that they can bring it over to their immediate environment.