YWCA Transfers Preschool Operations to New Life Community Services
- Announcements
- YWCA Preschool
- Mar 18 2024
JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
YWCA Transfers Preschool Operations to New Life Community Services
[18 March 2024, Singapore.] The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Singapore is transferring its childcare services operations of YWCA Preschool to New Life Community Services Ltd (NLCS) after strategic review of their future direction.
Founded in 1875, YWCA is the oldest women’s charity in Singapore. To meet the childminding needs of women in the 1960s, YWCA set-up affordable childcare services in Singapore. This support encouraged and enabled young women to work and contribute to the economic growth of Singapore. The pioneering move to set-up the YWCA Child Development Centres provided much needed welfare for low- to middle-income families. Over the years, the Child Development Centres grew to become the YWCA Preschool of today, availing quality preschool education to children of all backgrounds, races, and religions.
The early childhood industry has evolved significantly since those early days. Today, the sector is well-served by many operators. YWCA is therefore transferring its preschool operations to another operator which shares the same values and ethos of serving the community. This will allow a pooling of resources and greater economies of scale to be reaped through the expanded operations.
NLCS shares YWCA’s commitment to serving families and children and will continue to uphold the high standards of care and support that YWCA families have come to expect. NLCS currently operates three SPARK-accredited Preschools Centres in Singapore – Bukit Panjang (2001), Woodlands (2015) and Junction 10 (2017).
Established by Covenant Evangelical Free Church in 2000, NLCS is a not-for-profit social service agency that seeks to bring hope and purpose to children, youths and seniors so that they go on to create positive impact in their community and society. Over the years, NLCS has reached out to thousands of individuals from different religions and races.
With effect from 1 April 2024, the preschool operations of Y.W.C.A. Preschool Ltd (YPL) will be transferred to New Life Preschool Services Ltd (NLPS), a subsidiary of New Life Community Services (NLCS). All the nine existing centres of YWCA Preschool will continue to operate under the Partner Operator Scheme (POP) administered by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).
Plans are underway to rebrand the nine YWCA Preschool Centres and to merge all the existing centres under New Life Preschool Services (NLPS).
The NLPS head office team comprises experienced practitioners in curriculum and quality management, business development partnerships, child and family support, and centre operations. With the transfer, close to 90% of YPL’s staff will be crossing over to join the NLPS team to ensure the continuity of the centre operations.
NLPS commits to ensuring that every child receives quality care and education tailored to their unique needs and interests. Under the New Life Preschool Curriculum, parents can expect a customised and robust inquiry-based learning approach that helps their children acquire knowledge and develop skills in an engaging and meaningful setting. Renovation plans are put in place to spruce up each centre progressively to make the learning environment more conducive, including installing CCTVs in every centre in compliance with the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) regulatory requirements.
“YWCA Singapore is proud to have played an instrumental role as a pioneer in the early childhood industry in Singapore, offering full-day childcare services to relieve women from their childcare burdens and to allow them to return to the workforce,” said Ms. Sim Hwee Hoon, President of YWCA of Singapore, “We are thus heartened to find a great partner in New Life Community Services, who will be carrying on our proud heritage of serving YWCA Preschool children and families with love.”
YWCA commits to meeting the needs of serving the women community in Singapore and will continue to focus on its core mission of empowering mums, women and young women with programmes that deliver positive impact.
“YWCA has served the preschool sector for the past 60 years, and we want to honour its heritage and continue its good works,” said Ms. Ivy Chin, Executive Director at New Life Preschool Services. “As we carry the baton from YWCA, we hold the same values of serving the community, regardless of race or religion, and we affirm the belief that every child should have access to quality education in a safe, caring and healthy environment.”
As part of their joint commitment to ensure continued open communication with our stakeholders, YWCA and NLCS invite parents and stakeholders to visit the NLCS website at https://newlifechildcare.org.sg/ for further information and updates.
About YWCA of Singapore
Founded in 1875, the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Singapore is a social service agency committed to serving those in need, regardless of race or religion. Our holistic programmes and services aim to empower and support women from low-income families by alleviating financial burdens and care-giving responsibilities. We strive to uplift the family unit, and to provide the right resources and opportunities to improve lives.
YWCA’s community service programmes are supported by YWCA Fort Canning, our revenue-generating arm in hospitality. All net proceeds contribute towards our social initiatives such as Empowering Mums, Meals-on-Wheels, and Sustenance for Families.
For more information, please visit www.ywca.org.sg.
About New Life Community Services
Founded in 2000, NLCS is the faith-based non-profit social service arm of Covenant Evangelical Free Church dedicated to its mission of nurturing children, developing youths’ potential, and empowering seniors to live purposeful lives. New Life’s services include early childhood education through childcare and student care services, as well as literacy and character
For more information, please visit http://www.newlife.org.sg/
For media inquiries or further information, please contact:
Gerlynn Cai
Senior Manager, Marketing & Communications
YWCA of Singapore
9792 9310
Ms Joserine Lim
Assistant Director, Communications and Partnerships
New Life Community Services
9824 5817
