10 Best Preschools in Singapore (August 2026)

As an Anchor Operator, My First Skool's fees are capped at S$610 per month for full-day childcare from January 2026, before subsidies. With the Basic Subsidy of S$300 and Additional Subsidy for qualifying households, some families pay as little as S$3 per month. The curriculum follows the NEL framework with a strong emphasis on bilingual development, and the centres cater to children from two months through six years old.

The trade-off with scale is consistency. With 160+ centres, experiences vary by location. Some centres have outstanding teachers and engaged leadership; others receive mixed reviews on communication and staff turnover. I would recommend visiting your specific neighbourhood centre rather than choosing My First Skool based on the brand name alone. That said, for families who need reliable, affordable, and government-backed childcare, few operators match My First Skool's combination of accessibility and value.

Fees are among the lowest in Singapore. Full-day childcare for Singapore Citizens ranges from S$580 to S$680 per month before subsidies, and after the Basic Subsidy and Additional Subsidy, qualifying families can bring costs below S$50 per month. The curriculum follows NEL guidelines and includes bilingual instruction in English and a mother tongue language. Many centres also integrate enrichment activities like speech and drama, art, and physical education into the core programme without additional fees.

Parent reviews are mixed across centres, which is expected for a network this large. Some centres have excellent teachers and active parent engagement; others face challenges with communication and teacher retention. The void-deck locations mean outdoor space can be limited compared to standalone campuses. For families where affordability and proximity are the deciding factors, PCF Sparkletots delivers on both counts consistently.

Also run by NTUC First Campus, Little Skool-House is positioned as the premium tier of the same parent organisation behind My First Skool. As a Partner Operator, fees at POP centres start from S$650 per month before subsidies and GST. Non-POP centres run considerably higher, from around S$2,016 per month. The difference in fee structure reflects location and programme intensity rather than a quality gap in teaching standards.

A 2023 parent satisfaction survey showed over 90% of parents expressing satisfaction with programmes. The centres are trusted by employers including MOE, NUS, and OCBC Bank, who host Little Skool-House centres at their premises for staff families. If bilingual fluency in English and Mandarin is a non-negotiable priority, and you want a curriculum with genuine research backing rather than marketing claims, Little Skool-House is hard to overlook.

With 19 centres across Singapore, Mulberry Learning draws on the Reggio Emilia philosophy of treating children as capable, curious learners who construct knowledge through exploration. Projects are inquiry-based and child-led, which means your child might spend weeks investigating how bridges work or why leaves change colour rather than filling in worksheets. The centres cater to children from two months to six years old, and the learning environments are thoughtfully designed with natural materials and open-ended resources.

Fees sit in the mid-to-premium range for private preschools. Mulberry occasionally runs promotions, including 50% off the first month and discounts on subsequent months for new enrolments. Parent reviews consistently praise the depth of the curriculum and the quality of teacher engagement, though some note that the inquiry-based approach requires patience from families used to more structured, outcomes-focused programmes.

Centres are designed with the same attention to learning environments that EtonHouse is known for: purposeful play areas, natural materials, and documentation-rich walls that make children's thinking visible. The curriculum integrates the MOE NEL framework with EtonHouse's inquiry approach, covering children aged two months through six years. Families with household incomes of S$6,000 and below receive priority enrolment and additional financial support through the EtonHouse Community Fund.

The Anchor Operator model does mean that E-Bridge centres tend to be in HDB residential areas rather than the premium addresses of EtonHouse's private campuses. Facilities are functional and well-maintained rather than architecturally striking. But the teaching methodology, teacher training standards, and curriculum philosophy are rooted in the same EtonHouse DNA, which makes E-Bridge one of the strongest value propositions in Singapore's preschool market.

The Inquiry.Think.Learn framework encourages children to explore topics deeply through projects that emerge from their own interests and questions. Documentation of children's learning, displayed throughout the centres, makes thinking visible and gives parents genuine insight into what their child is doing beyond surface-level activity reports. Teachers are trained to facilitate rather than instruct, which produces confident, articulate children who can explain their reasoning.

Fees reflect the premium positioning, with costs varying by campus. A compulsory student insurance fee of S$19.62 applies for the 2026 academic year, and sibling discounts of 10% are available across all EtonHouse brand campuses. For families who believe the learning environment matters as much as the curriculum itself, and who have the budget for a premium experience, EtonHouse sets the standard that many others try to emulate.

Brighton operates multiple centres including Mountbatten and a newer HarbourFront location. The curriculum covers practical life skills, sensorial exploration, language, mathematics, and cultural studies through hands-on materials rather than worksheets. Children work at their own pace, choosing activities from the prepared environment, which builds independence and intrinsic motivation. The approach works especially well for self-directed children who thrive when given autonomy.

Fees sit in the mid-premium range: full-day programmes start from around S$1,850 per month, with half-day options from S$1,000 to S$1,450. Brighton occasionally runs promotional offers, including 15% off the first three months for new enrolments. The Montessori method is not for every child. Children who need more structure or who are highly social may find the individual-paced approach isolating. But for families who believe in learning through doing and self-discovery, Brighton delivers Montessori with integrity.

The curriculum is structured around thematic units that integrate language, mathematics, science, and social skills. What parents consistently mention in reviews is the warmth of the teaching staff and the regularity of updates through the MapleBear mobile app. Demand for places can be high at popular locations, so the standard advice is to begin the admission process at least three to six months before your preferred start date.

Fees range from approximately S$1,450 to S$2,000 per month depending on the programme and location, placing MapleBear in the mid-to-premium private range. There are no government fee caps since MapleBear operates as a private franchise. For families specifically drawn to the immersion model of bilingual education, rather than the more common split-teacher approach, MapleBear offers a well-researched alternative with an established track record across 16 countries.

With centres spread across heartland locations including Yio Chu Kang, Sengkang, Hougang, and Tampines, Star Learners serves families in the residential corridors where most young families actually live. Fees are capped at S$650 per month for full-day childcare for Singapore Citizen children from January 2026, before subsidies. The curriculum blends structured learning with creative, hands-on activities, and teachers are described as caring and patient by the majority of parents.

The honest caveat: some parents have flagged that communication from administration can be slow, particularly around scheduling and policy changes. The teaching experience at the classroom level receives strong praise, but the back-office experience does not always match. For families in the heartlands who want an affordable, values-centred preschool with government backing and a curriculum that prioritises character alongside academics, Star Learners belongs on the shortlist.

With more than 30 centres across Singapore, Kinderland offers both half-day and full-day programmes for children aged two months through six years. The bilingual curriculum covers English and Mandarin, and the music component is designed to strengthen both languages through songs, rhymes, and performance. Centres are generally well-equipped, and the network's scale means families can usually find a location that works geographically.

Parent reviews are mixed. Many praise the music programme as genuinely transformative for their child's confidence and creativity, while others have raised concerns about inconsistency across centres, particularly regarding safety protocols and management responsiveness. Fees vary by centre and programme, generally falling in the mid-range for private preschools. For families who want music to be a core part of their child's early education rather than a weekly enrichment class, Kinderland's 40-year commitment to this approach is unmatched in Singapore.