IN the earliest stages of childhood, development can occur quickly and unexpectedly. Recognising that parents might miss these milestones, NTUC First Campus’s My First Skool’s infant care teacher Chen Fei Cui began capturing these precious moments on video to share with families.
This thoughtful approach has deepened her connections with parents and allowed the teacher of My First Skool at 51 Fernvale Link to witness the powerful difference this engagement has made to her children’s learning throughout her decade-long career.
Since joining the early childhood sector in 2013, Ms Chen has been a passionate advocate for strong parental involvement to bolster the outcomes of early education. Her approach has earned her a nomination as a finalist at the 2023 ECDA Awards for Outstanding Early Years Educator.
AN ALIGNED EFFORT GOES A LONG WAY
For Ms Chen, the benefits of fostering a strong bond between parents and educators are two-fold. “A strong parent-school partnership is essential as it equips parents with the knowledge and skills to better support their children’s well-being and development,” she said. This relationship also enables teachers to better understand each child’s needs through insights from parents, allowing them to tailor their teaching methods accordingly.
Ms Chen employs active listening and empathy to learn more about parents’ experiences and challenges. “After listening, I discuss effective strategies with my centre leaders and team to support parents,” she explained. In return, she shares her observations from school, helping parents align practices between home and school to create a richer learning experience.
BRIDGING THE LANGUAGE LEARNING GAP
Reflecting on the diversity of Singapore’s populace, Ms Chen highlighted that it is important to ensure her teaching methods and interactions are culturally sensitive and inclusive. This helps foster an environment of mutual respect and understanding. But as a Chinese language teacher, Ms Chen faces certain hurdles.
“A common challenge I face when trying to engage parents in their children’s education is the language barrier,” she stated. “Many parents today are primarily English-speaking and may feel uncertain about how to support the continuation of Chinese language learning at home.
By fostering an environment of mutual respect and understanding, I can support each child’s development effectively and work collaboratively with their families.”
To inspire them, Ms Chen comes up with creative initiatives, such as recording videos of herself singing Chinese nursery rhymes and providing hand puppets for parents to entertain their children. These engaging methods aim to spark a love for the Chinese language at a young age and are easy methods that empower parents to support their child’s linguistic development.
Beyond language learning, Ms Chen has developed other initiatives following parent feedback that have seen great success. One example is a massage workshop she introduced after some parents highlighted issues with child constipation and difficulty soothing them during sleep.
Another suggestion from parents requesting more outdoor activities resulted in a school-organised picnic at Marina Barrage. “We planned various activities, including reading, bubble play and parachute games to foster parent-child bonding,” she shared.
COMPELLING RESULTS FROM THE PARTNERSHIP
To Ms Chen, the positive impact of strong parental engagement has been undeniable. “I have observed significant progress in the infants’ self-help skills and overall development,” she confirmed. The tangible results have motivated more parents to participate and support development efforts.
Ms Chen recalled the case of an infant in her care who was initially afraid to touch sensory materials like paint. “To address this, I consistently demonstrated touching the paint and encouraged her by staying close and providing reassurance. I communicated her reactions and the steps taken at school to her parents, encouraging them to provide similar sensory experiences at home,” she shared. This collaborative encouragement gradually eased the child out of her fear and she now actively participates in similar sensory activities with joy.
We are extremely grateful to have a dedicated and caring team of teachers for Kayla when she joined the Infant Care Programme in 2023, especially her form teacher Chen laoshi. We are regularly updated on her well-being and developmental milestones in class, as well as areas where we should pay extra attention to, to ensure Kayla’s learning is consistent in school and at home. Even though Kayla has moved to Playgroup class, she is super excited to see Chen laoshi whenever she walks by her class.
KEEPING CHANNELS OPEN AND DYNAMIC
Regular and open communication is central to Ms Chen’s approach. Depending on the type of feedback she needs to share, she uses a combination of face-to-face meetings, emails and phone calls. This dynamic approach is particularly welcomed by busy parents.
Equally important is her validation of the parents’ efforts in their participation. “I actively acknowledge and appreciate parents’ efforts. When they share updates about their child’s progress, including photographs and videos of activities done at home, I make it a point to thank them and affirm their contributions,” she explained.
She later shares this content on the picture talk board in the classroom, so children can see and discuss their home experiences. This, Ms Chen believes, “further integrates and values the parents’ involvement in their child’s learning journey”.
Reflecting upon her journey in childhood education, Ms Chen feels privileged to have established a high level of trust with the children’s parents. By prioritising active communication, empathy and collaboration, Ms Chen has created a model for holistic child development, using the power of partnership between educators and parents to enable bright futures for every child and their family.
NTUC First Campus
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