When parents think of best infant care centres in Singapore, the first criteria that come to mind are typically: top-notch facilities, highly qualified educarers and exceptional operations.
But what also sets the best infant care centres apart is their high standard in curriculum.
“Babies are more aware of the world around them than researchers once thought,” said Dr Philip Kellman, Director of the Cognitive Science Research Program at UCLA.
However early it might seem, infancy is actually rife with learning opportunities.
So you want to make sure that regardless of which infant care centre in Singapore you choose, the curriculum stimulates and maximises the learning potential of your child.
In addition to immersing babies in a stimulating, nurturing and age-appropriate environment, the best infant care in Singapore should be grounded in an understanding of how infant minds acquire language and make sense of the world.
Read also: A Complete Guide to Choosing an Infant Care Centre in Singapore
The S.M.I.L.E.S.TM Development
Backed by extensive research, MindChamps Infant Care programme creates an engaging environment for infants to enhance their Sensory, Motor, Intellectual, Linguistic, Emotional and Social (S.M.I.L.E.S) development.
Babies are ‘opportunistic’ learners. At MindChamps, educarers introduce a comprehensive range of multi-sensory, experiential activities that engage the S.M.I.L.E.S. elements.
For instance, Together Time (One on One), Baby Swing, and Rock-a-bye are activities for 0- to 4-month-olds that encompass cuddling, cradling, gentle tickling and rocking to promote secure bonding and help children feel calm and content.
Throughout the physical contact, the carer sings and talks to the infant. Simply “hearing” the sounds of language can develop babies’ future language acquisition.
In Rough and Smooth, an infant learns about the environment by touching a variety of textures, such as smooth, rough, bumpy and sticky surfaces.
Brightly coloured, textured objects that make noises are held in both hands, helping the left and right hemispheres of the brain to make cross-lateral connections.
Other examples of S.M.I.L.E.S. activities include Funny Faces, Puppet People, Rambling Rattle, Neuromooves and Eye Tracking, all of which provide enjoyable, age-appropriate stimulation that contribute to your child’s building blocks of intellect.
Read also: Reasons Why the Best Infant Care Comes With a Researched-Backed Curriculum
An infant care centre in Singapore that offers a semi-individualised approach
An average infant care centre in Singapore usually follows a timetable of activities for babies. In theory, this makes sense; but in reality, it is not always to the individual baby’s best interest.
Consider this: For one- to two-year-olds, it may be possible to follow a one or two nap routine where all the children are “put down” at the same time; but this is untenable for younger children.
After all, the average three-month-old may take three to five daytime naps; that is his or her natural rhythm.
Read also: Top Benefits of Enrolling Your Baby in an Infant Care Centre in Singapore
So, rather than “timetabling” specific activities at set times for everyone, MindChamps Infant Care’s semi-individualised approach tends to the particular needs and responses of each child, while still setting achievable developmental targets.
Stimulation following the S.M.I.L.E.S. approach is incorporated in every interaction with every child, from feeding, changing diapers and comforting, to preparing him or her for sleep, playing, and reading.
In large part made possible through MindChamps’ intimate 1:3 carer-to-child ratio (compared to the 1:5 ratio set by the ECDA), the semi-individualised approach means your infant receives ample attention and is encouraged to develop at his or her own natural pace.
Read also: Surprising Ways Infant Care Centres in Singapore Develop Your Infant’s Sensory Skills
Dedicated educarers to ensure the best infant care in Singapore
Another reason why MindChamps provides the best infant care in Singapore is because its trusted, dedicated carers are trained to both seize moments and craft moments in order to promote experiential stimuli, social interaction, active engagement and individual exploration.
To “seize a moment”, an educarer will identify age-appropriate learning opportunities that occur naturally during the care process.
Read also: The Beginner’s Guide to Infant Care Subsidy in Singapore
To “craft a moment”, an educarer will create multi-modal, multi-sensory experiences that provide children with diverse opportunities to learn and grow through interaction with the environment and the people around them.
Optimal brain development relies on “the Eight Essential Es” – Engagement, Enrichment, Encouragement, Enjoyment, Experience, Exploration, Empathy and Environment. At every turn of a MindChamps infant’s education, he or she will be fulfilled in all eight Es by highly qualified educarers who are passionate about nurturing new minds.