Pre‑schools Grappling with a Covid‑19 Tidal Wave
As the Omicron surge keeps rolling in, Singapore’s pre‑schools are feeling the crunch. A handful of principals and operators spilled their guts to The Sunday Times, explaining that the ever‑changing health rules are turning their workplaces into a circus of paperwork, testing and sneezing.
When a Coin Toss of Contact Lists Feels Like a Job
Back in February, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) handed pre‑schools the impossible task of spotting every close contact of a confirmed case for the Ministry of Health (MOH) and keeping parents in the loop. They’re also forced to double‑check that any kid flagged with a Health Risk Warning (HRW) has a clean rapid antigen test before stepping onto school grounds.
“If parents forget to tell us their child’s got the bug, the chaos multiplies,” said Magdalene Ang, head of Nanyang Kindergarten. “We’re on standby 24/7 for submissions, tracing and messaging to parents and staff.”
To keep every child safe, staff have been literally putting a shuffle guard in front of the school gates when a parent can’t prove an ART for an HRW‑listed child.
Queue System for the Forgetful
Mabel Wang, deputy director for Anglican Preschool Services, revealed that one of its large centres now has a separate line for parents who haven’t produced an ART result for their kids.
Covid‑19 in the Stiff Of A Teacher
Almost every pre‑school in the survey said they’re short on numbers, especially when relief teachers are a luxury. Madam Shirley Tan, executive director of Catholic Preschool Education, summed it up: “The biggest headache is when a teacher tests positive—who’s going to keep the little ones safe?”
Sometimes, principals end up cooking school lunches or double‑teaching because a handful of staff are down with Covid‑19.
After four out of eight staff members tested positive right before Chinese New Year, Yvonne Law, director of Little Kinder Montessori, had to stagger opening hours to avoid burning out the remaining healthy team. “We’re grateful to our parents for their patience and help—that’s how we weathered the temporary crunch.”
Unfinished Business: Still Testing After Recovery
Mabel Wang noted that many parents don’t understand why their kids still need to be swabbed even after recovering, because there’s no doctor’s note to confirm. “They’re stuck with extra tests and costs, for no reason.”
Jerking Rules and Confused Parents
Swallows and Amazons Kindergarten’s team highlighted that ECDA’s guidelines—though clear—have been tweaked twice in the past fortnight, throwing confusion into the mix. Dr. Richard Yen of Ednovation, which runs 14 pre‑schools, mentioned people are still puzzled about why HRWs aren’t issued to those who test positive via self‑administered ARTs, per the latest rules.
Ecda laces the policy changes on feedback loops from principals. In the beginning of the pandemic, every hit case required deep cleaning that cost thousands of dollars to outsource. The upset chorus led ECDA to let pre‑schools chart their own cleaning regime.
Dawn Choy from Dreamkids Kindergarten is pleading with authorities for more ART kits. They’ve already spent the two‑month supply earmarked for routine testing. Prior to that, many staff—including those who’d become close contacts—couldn’t get ART kits before they were slapped with HRWs, forcing them to test with school‑provided kits.
Juggling Your Child’s Health in Your Home Play‑Space
Ms. Ang also urged the community: “Please keep kids at home if they’re sick and keep us posted. We’re dancing our own dance to keep you all safe.”
Lifting the Veil: Hope for a Less Restrictive Future
With vaccines rolling out, pre‑school leaders are yearning for lighter Covid rules so teachers can focus on teaching and kids can play outdoors safely.
Little Seeds Preschool’s Candice Koh said, “It’s a nightmare keeping kids apart while still giving them quality time.” And Ms. Oh added, “Youngsters can’t magically pick up social skills from behind masks. How can they learn empathy with two-thirds of their faces hidden?”
On Feb. 16, the multi‑ministry taskforce announced a shift from HRWs to a five‑day health risk notice. The Sunday Times reports ECDA’s guidance will update in line with these new measures.
In short, pre‑schools are feeling the strain, juggling checks, tests, and the ever‑flipping rulebook—while hoping the world loosens its grip and children can finally enjoy the playground without a pandemic-induced bubble.
Guidelines for pre-schools when Covid-19 cases are detected
When a Little Scout or Teacher Tests Positive
Ever asked your little one, “Did you get a test at home or at the clinic?” If they’re popping a rapid antigen test (ART) at home and it comes back positive—yet they’re feeling fine—here’s what the pre‑school should do.
- Keep the info confidential. Tell the childcare centre, then quietly isolate for 72 hours. Think of it as a short break to stay healthy.
- No super‑vised test? If no one checked the ART under a professional eye, it won’t show up on the Ministry of Health (MOH) list, so no official “confirmed case” label.
- Stay communicative. The school can pass on the news to parents—give them the scoop so they can decide if their child’s ready to return to the playroom.
- Two‑day rule. After 72 hours, if the second ART is negative, the child or staff member can bounce back to their normal routine.
- Feeling unwell? If fever or cough creeps in, the striker or teacher should head to a clinic for a proper check‑up.
Clinic or Test Centre Confirmation
When a student or staff fiends up with a confirmed positive at a clinic, the rollout looks a bit different.
- Silent notification. The MOH will no longer ping pre‑schools about positives; the school takes the lead.
- Identify the contacts. As soon as a case is confirmed, pinpoint all close contacts within a two‑day window prior to symptom onset (or test date for asymptomatic kids). Then report those names to MOH within four hours.
- Heat‑row alerts (HRWs). For every close contact, the MOH sends hack notifications within 24–48 hours. The school must verify receipt.
- Missing HRW? Reach out. If a contact hasn’t seen the alert after 48 hours, the school pulls the MOH for a quick update.
Keeping the Playhouse Sparkling Clean
No need to scrub and mop the entire classroom after a confirmed case. As long as the pre‑school has a solid cleaning routine that tackles surface transmission, deep cleaning isn’t mandatory.
In a Nutshell
- Home positives: isolate, inform, parent‑handshake, re‑start if the follow‑up test clears.
- Clinic positives: self‑report contacts, verify HRWs, call MOH if anything’s off.
- Routine cleaning keeps the virus at bay without drama.
All told, keep the lines open, stay calm, and show that your pre‑school is the safest and most caring place for our little explorers.
