5th Anniversary

Announcement of NIEC’s Set Up Marks an Important Milestone in Early Childhood (EC) Education in Singapore

As part of the overall government approach to raise the quality of early childhood education in Singapore, our then-Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong announced the set-up of NIEC to uplift the quality of training and professional development for early childhood educators. This clearly situated preschool teachers at the heart of quality early childhood education.

Forming the foundation of NIEC – Our Mission, Vision and Values and Staff

Following the announcement, NIEC began to take shape through consolidation of early childhood courses and EC capabilities from four institutions (namely, Institute of Technical Education, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, NTUC’s SEED Institute, Temasek Polytechnic) while new corporate structures and functions were set up. The four institutions’ existing EC faculty and staff came under NIEC’s employment, and new hires were added to the NIEC family. In order to rally everyone together, NIEC’s corporate values, our Mission and Vision were established to set us on the path in offering quality training for EC educators. 

*Footnote

• Mission: to develop early childhood educators to nurture, inspire, educate, and care for every child
• Vision: the leading institute for early childhood educators – Inspiring excellence in practice
• Values: respect, integrity, care, collaboration, excellence

The First Harmonised Diploma Course was Launched

With 25 full qualifications and a wide range of CPD courses coming under NIEC’s purview, the content and delivery of the various courses were reviewed in stages. In February 2019, the first harmonised PET diploma course* and CET diploma course** were rolled out, ensuring a robust curriculum that consistently meet professional requirements for practice even as the courses were conducted across different campuses.

Footnote:
*Diploma in Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE)
**Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education – Teaching (DECCE-T) [and an accelerated version, DECCE-T (Conversion)]

Celebrating the Achievements of Our First Batch of Graduands

In July 2019, NIEC . The inaugural graduation ceremony for mid-careerist graduands, held at the NTU Auditorium,

Launch of Mother Tongue Language Courses

Recognising the importance of early exposure to the Mother Tongue Languages (MTL) and to instill in children the joy of learning the MTL, NIEC launched 3 MTL courses to strengthen preschool teachers’ capabilities, in deepening their cultural knowledge and equipping them with the skills to foster interest in the language. To date, NIEC has trained more than 1000 educators in these MTL courses.

*Footnote:
Sept 2019: Advanced Certificate in Early Years (ACEY) (with exemptions) (CL)
Jun 2019: Certificate in Preschool Mother Tongue Language (MTL) Teaching (CPMTL-T) (Malay)
Aug 2019: Certificate in Preschool Mother Tongue Language (MTL) Teaching (CPMTL-T) (Tamil)

Spearheading Outdoor Learning for Children

NIEC was part of the National Workgroup on Outdoor Learning for Children set up in September 2019. Since then, NIEC has mounted and launched multiple runs of seven newly developed CPD courses on Outdoor Learning to meet national priorities, catering to EC educators working with various age groups and trained over 2200 educators.

Strong Partnership with KKH

NIEC collaborated with KKH to develop a series of books called “Wagga” to teach social-emotional skills, anger management and regulation of behaviour in young children. 

Navigating Challenges: NIEC’s Resilience and Adaptability

During the pandemic, our faculty adapted swiftly by making use of innovative and effective teaching materials to carry out their lessons. The shift to full e-learning received significant positive feedback. NIEC launched our first 1-hour naptime webinar during children’s naptime to connect us with Early Childhood educators and influence ground practices through sharing of expert opinion and views by our faculty.

NIEC’s First Signature Naptime Webinar

NIEC launched our first Naptime Webinar session in 2020 – a one-hour webinar held during children’s naptime, designed for early childhood educators to connect and influence ground practices through expert opinions and insights shared by our faculty. This initiative allows educators to learn while at the workplace, fostering a sense of community within the fraternity.

NIEC’s Growth and Continued Commitment

Following one year of operations, NIEC expanded our team in a concerted push to meet sector needs for quality early childhood educator training. During this time, NIEC received increasing media attention, indicating a growing interest and demand in the training and professional development of early childhood educators.

Ministerial Visit by Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo and Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli

NIEC hosted a virtual visit from then-Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, then-Manpower Minister Josephine Teo and then-Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli. They observed an online class and spoke with our students. Their visit underscored the government’s strong support for the EC sector and NIEC’s integral role in quality training provision.

Shaping the Future: NIEC Raises the Bar with the Desired Graduate Profile

In articulating NIEC’s aspirations for our graduates, we articulated NIEC’s Desired Graduate Profile to strengthen our graduates’ workplace readiness, where students are enriched with learning opportunities to be Reflective Practitioners, Relationship Builders and Resilient Learners.

Visit by Minister for Education, Mr Chan Chun Sin

Minister for Education, Mr Chan Chun Sing visited the NIEC (TP) Campus where he toured our students’ learning environments, equipped with dedicated facilities to enrich their preschool teacher training.

More New Continuing Education and Training (CET) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Courses were Launched.

NIEC continued to develop and launch a diverse array of courses to address the evolving needs of the sector. As part of the recommendations of the Third Enabling Masterplan (2017 – 2021), NIEC developed the Certificate in Inclusive Practice (CIP) and 7 CPD courses on Inclusive Practice. To date, NIEC has trained over 200 educators in CIP and more than 1000 in the CPD courses on inclusive practice.

*Footnote:
6 Full qualification course: 

• Diploma in Early Childhood Care & Education – Teaching (Conversion) [DECCE-T (Conv)]
• Advanced Certificate in Early Years (ACEY – Chinese) 幼儿保育高级证书
• Certificate in Inclusive Practice (CIP)
• Certificate in Infant Care Practice (CICP)
• Certificate in Preschool Mother Tongue Language Teaching – Chinese (CPMTL-C) 学前母语教育证书 – 华文

9 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses:

• Building Number Series
• Storytelling for Effective Classroom Management
• Outdoor Learning Series (7 courses, both English and Chinese)
• Nurturing Early Learners (NEL) Educators’ Guide (EG) Training for Tamil Language (TL) Teachers
• Preschool Tamil Language Drama Infused Workshop for Spontaneity & Creativity
• Improving Parental Engagement in the Preschool Classroom (Malay)
• Fi-Fai-Fonik: Learning Phonics in Malay through Play
• Mentoring 101: Bringing out the Best in EC educators (Chinese) (指导101：发掘幼师的最佳能力)
• Supporting Social & Emotional Development of Preschoolers (Chinese) (4至6岁幼儿社交与情绪能力的发展与促进)

Guest of Honour Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Education at NIEC (NP) Graduation Ceremony

On 5 May 2022, we had the honour of having Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Education at our NIEC (NP) Graduation Ceremony celebrating the milestone of over 170 of NIEC’s Diploma in Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) and Diploma in Tamil Studies with Early Education (TSE) graduates.

President’s Award For Teachers 2022

NIEC Senior Lecturer, Ms Tan Hui Min was among one of the educators awarded the President’s Award For Teachers 2022! The award was given in recognition of the critical role that teachers played in molding the future of our nation, as they prepared students for life and inspired both their students and peers through their words and deeds.

Minister of State for Education, Ms Gan Siow Huang Joined Us as a Special Guest for Our Naptime Webinar

Ms Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Education joined NIEC’s Naptime Webinar, sharing with educators useful and insightful tips about teacher resilience. Her presence underscored strong government support for the good work of EC educators.

Adapting to the New Normal, Resuming Face-to-Face Lessons and Enhancing On-line Learning Experience

As COVID-19 conditions stabilised and community restrictions eased, in view of the practice-oriented nature of EC educator training, NIEC reintroduced face-to-face sessions for selected modules/courses in January 2023. With the new updates to the Ministry of Education (MOE)’s Nurturing Early Learners’ Framework and Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA)’s Refreshed Skills Framework for Early Childhood, NIEC incorporated the revisions to ensure the continued relevance of our courses to the sector, including the use of educational tech-enhanced learning to amplify the effectiveness of teaching and learning methods.

Revised Nurturing Early Learners (NEL) and the Early Years Development Framework (EYDF)

Gaining recognition in EC thought leadership, NIEC was called upon by ECDA to be part of the Review Advisory Panel for the Early Years Development Framework (EYDF) launched in 2023. NIEC also provides training for the early childhood sector based on the revised Nurturing Early Learners (NEL) launched in 2022.

Elevating Professional Growth Through our Suite of Leadership Courses

NIEC revised the Advanced Diploma on Early Childhood Leadership, the mandatory course for all aspiring EC centre leaders. Underscoring NIEC’s key role in the strategic capability building of EC leaders, NIEC also took over the Leadership and Executive Leadership Series developed by ECDA which aimed to provide courses for experienced centre leaders.
Some of the Leadership courses include:

• Developing a Professional Portfolio for Educators
• Essentials of Leadership (ESLP)

Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of Social and Family Development participated in our EC lessons

NIEC had the honour of hosting Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of Social and Family Development, at the NIEC (City) Campus on 17 October. MOS Sun mingled with students and participated in classes, immersing herself in the vibrant atmosphere of learning and engagement.

Making Our Mark Beyond Singapore

NIEC faculty presented their research insights at the Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association (PECERA) Conference 2023 in Bali, Indonesia. The PECERA Conference provided a platform for raising the awareness of our work amongst international participants. Our faculty were also able to foster connections with fellow early childhood professionals and researchers from around Asia Pacific in the early childhood landscape while engaging in robust exchanges, further strengthening their expertise.

Building Capabilities

NIEC worked closely with KidStart to train the practitioners on the Abecedarian approach to improve the early development and later academic achievement of children from at-risk and under-resourced families.

Employment and Further Education Outcomes

The Continuing Education and Training (CET) Graduate Employment Survey (GES) Results 2023 revealed that the majority of our students are working in the EC sector after six months from graduation and the Pre-Employment Training (PET) GES Survey 2022 revealed majority of PET diploma graduates found jobs within six months, with some choosing to further their studies. Among Higher NITEC graduates, majority pursued further studies, while close to half secured employment within six months of graduation.

Continuing to Grow NIEC’s Brand Amongst Overseas Visitors

As part of the programme for the International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) 2024, hosted by the Ministry of Education, NIEC welcomed the delegation from Australia and New Zealand, including Mr Tony Cook, Secretary of Australia’s Department of Education, and Mrs Erica Stanford, Minister of Education in New Zealand.

Together with MOE, NIEC shared about the EC landscape and our partnerships aimed at enriching students’ learning and promoting lifelong learning of early childhood educators. The delegates also observed classes led by our lecturers at our NIEC (TP) Campus, providing them with a glimpse into our innovative teaching methodologies.

Celebrating our 5 Years!

This year marks an important milestone for NIEC as we celebrate our 5^th anniversary! To celebrate it, we will be orangising a NIEC Conference 2024 at Sands Expo & Convention Centre on 17 & 18 October.