Singapore is intensifying efforts to raise early childhood standards by investing in every stage of the quality teacher journey. The National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) has outlined plans to ensure a steady pipeline of quality teacher professionals for preschools.
Building a strong foundation
NIEC emphasised three core strategies: practice-oriented programs, experienced faculty, and close partnerships with over 2,000 operators and agencies. Faculty are continually upskilling to remain relevant. Programs designed to make every graduate a work-ready quality teacher.
“Our goal is simple: the quality of education cannot exceed the quality of its teachers,” said Geraldine Sue-Lyn See, CEO and Director NIEC.
A new home for educators
Next year, NIEC will open a dedicated home for early childhood educators, designed as a hub for networking and support. By fostering a sense of community, NIEC seeks to enhance teacher retention and thereby sustain the demanding yet vital work of quality educators.
The initiative recognising the challenging roles early childhood teachers play, balancing lessons, child care, and communication with parents. By fostering community, NIEC hopes to strengthen retention and sustain the demanding but vital work of the quality teacher.
Measuring success
Feedback from operators already shows impact. Over 90% confirm that NIEC graduates are work-ready and reflective practitioners.
This focus on reflection ensures every quality teacher continues growing professionally, long after leaving the classroom. Regular engagement with operators allows NIEC to refine programs and maintain a strong quality teacher pipeline for Singapore’s future.
With this comprehensive support, officials believe Singapore can sustain a resilient and motivated quality teacher workforce in early education.
About the speaker:
Geraldine Sue-Lyn See
CEO and Director
NIEC (National Institute of Early Childhood)
From teaching General Paper and Literature to leading Singapore’s national training institute for early childhood educators, Ms See’s journey is rooted in a deep belief in the power of education. Her passion for early childhood was sparked after becoming a mother, which led her to pursue a Master’s in Early Childhood Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign under the MOE Postgraduate Scholarship. She joined NIEC in December 2024, and now steers its mission to nurture, inspire, educate, and care for every child — by empowering the educators who shape their early years.
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5W1H summary:
| Category | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who | 1. NIEC leads the initiative. |
| 2. Early childhood educators benefit. | |
| 3. Operators, MOE, ECDA partner. | |
| What | 1. Establishing an educators’ home. |
| 2. Developing quality teachers. | |
| 3. Providing professional development. | |
| When | 1. Home opens next year. |
| 2. Teacher support is ongoing. | |
| 3. Success measured over years. | |
| Where | 1. For educators in Singapore. |
| 2. Through 2,000 local operators. | |
| 3. NIEC leads national efforts. | |
| Why | 1. To sustain educators’ journey. |
| 2. Improve early childhood education. | |
| 3. Ensure quality teachers. | |
| How | 1. Through practice-oriented programs. |
| 2. Via experienced faculty, upskilled staff. | |
| 3. With strong national partnerships. |
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What is the core mission of NIEC? NIEC’s core mission is to ensure quality teachers for the early childhood workforce. They believe the quality of education cannot exceed the quality of its teachers.
- How does NIEC develop quality teachers? NIEC develops quality teachers in three main ways: through practice-oriented programs, by investing in experienced and expert faculty, and via strong partnerships with over 2,000 operators and government agencies.
- What new initiative is NIEC launching? NIEC announce they will set up a “home for early childhood educators” next year. This new home aims to support teachers throughout their career journey.
- What is the purpose of the new “home for early childhood educators”? The home aims to bring early childhood teachers together for networking and mutual support. It will also provide professional development opportunities to help them grow in their profession. The initiative seeks to sustain teachers in their challenging roles.
- How does NIEC measure the success of its programs and graduates? NIEC measures success by collecting feedback from operators on their graduates’ performance. 90% of their graduates are reported to be work-ready and are reflective practitioners who continue to grow throughout their careers.
Transcript of the interview:
The importance of early childhood education cannot be understated. It’s positive impact on children. It is quality early childhood education that is key. I love this quotation that resonates with me: the quality of education cannot exceed the quality of its teachers. This is really what NIEC is about.
We want to ensure quality teachers in our early childhood workforce. We do this in three ways: through our programs which focus on making the teachers work ready, confident, it’s a practice-oriented program. Through our people: we have very experienced faculty with very deep expertise in early childhood education and we invest in them. They have to be constantly upskilled to keep current. And of course our partnerships: we work with operators, there are about 2,000 operators in early childhood in Singapore, as well as the Ministry of Education, the Early Childhood Development Agency or ECDA so that we keep abreast of all the developments nationally in terms of the policies as well and we constantly update our programs and our faculty in these areas.
And what concretely do you bring, what resources do you step up with in order to achieve these outcomes?
I think with NIEC we are also very pleased to announce that we are going to set up a home for early childhood educators next year. As you know, teaching is a journey. You don’t just produce a teacher and they are fully formed. For every stage of a teacher’s career we have something for them.
Our home for early childhood educators really aims to bring them together to network. You can imagine if you’ve been in a childcare center or you have had relatives who are early childhood teachers, the early childhood teacher’s job is not an easy one. In fact, it is really tough because they’re juggling between teaching, looking after the, seeing to the needs and the routine care of the children as well as updating and responding to parents. We feel that through this journey that they have and we want to sustain them through this journey to bring them together to network, to support one another and at the same time we provide professional development opportunities for them. So they are always growing in their profession and NIEC is really pleased that we have the opportunity to be this home for early childhood educators.
And how will you measure the success of this new center?
Well, Mark, I think over the years we’ve also had partnerships with operators and we do go back to them to find out how the NIEC graduates are doing. I’m really pleased to say that over 90% of them do say that our graduates are ready for the work. They are more importantly reflective practitioners so they continue to grow, not just at the start but throughout their career. We are pleased with that and we will continue to do that in the years to come.