Our Pre-School Curriculum

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The Early Years

“Our task regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible.”

- Loris Malaguzzi, Founder of Reggio Emilia schools

The EtonHouse Educational Continuum

The EtonHouse infant, pre-school and primary curricula were developed using a “backward design” approach. The curricula were designed in conjunction with each other to support vertical alignment for the transition from one stage to the next, including from the primary to the secondary stage. This provides a continuum of EtonHouse education from infant to International A-Levels. In addition, horizontal alignment across all EtonHouse pre-schools and primary schools enables a smooth transition for children who transfer to a different campus within EtonHouse, whether from a local to an international school or vice versa. 

What to Expect in the EtonHouse Pre-School Curriculum (9 months - 6 years)

We have a total of 10 standalone Pre-Schools in Singapore, in addition to two International Schools that also offer Early Years. The Pre-Schools are categorised into: ECDA (Singapore) Pre-Schools and International Pre-Schools. The former follows the January to December academic school calendar and offer childcare services from 7am to 7pm, while the latter follows the August to June calendar with no childcare services. 

International A-Levels

Whether you pick an International or ECDA (Singapore) Pre-School, all schools follow the EtonHouse Inquire.Think.Learn (ITL) curriculum framework, which is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach. 

EtonHouse is the only education group in Singapore that is part of the Reggio Children International Network. We run REACH (Reggio Emilia in Asia for Children), representing Reggio Children in Asia and is the acknowledged reference point for Reggio Children in Singapore and China. Our educators receive high-quality professional training on the highly acclaimed Reggio Emilia approach and have the opportunity to travel to Reggio Emilia for study groups every year and gain first-hand experience from its infant-toddler centres and pre-schools. We are also the Gold Winner for ‘Best Reggio Emilia-inspired School’ at the HoneyKids Education Awards 2022. 

Our Broadrick, Newton and Nature Pre-School campuses are also authorised by the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization to offer their Primary Years Programme (PYP) from Nursery 2. 

Inquire.Think.Learn (ITL)

To promote children’s holistic development in Pre-School, there are six Learning Domains in the Inquire.Think.Learn Curriculum Framework. Each Learning Domain has a set of Learning Goals that together articulate the desired learning outcomes. The Learning Domains are:

  • The Social Child

In a nurturing and collaborative environment comprising children from diverse backgrounds, children develop essential social communication skills such as taking turns to speak and listen, maintaining eye contact, and using gestures, body language, and facial expressions. Such an environment fosters not only effective communication skills but also enhances negotiation abilities and instils self-confidence.

  • The Child as a Communicator

This domain covers all four components of language and literacy, which are listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Children learn effective self-expression on top of gaining literacy, speech, comprehension and listening skills.

  • The Thinking Child
    The child gains an understanding of the world, and learns about concepts of logic, problem-solving and lateral thinking through Math, Science and Technology.
  • The Physical Child
    The child about physical safety and nutrition, and develops fine motor control.
  • Creative Expression and the Enjoyment Through the Arts

This domain extends beyond using the arts as a means of expression to incorporate enjoyment of, and through, the arts. Engagement with the arts may be through performing or creating art, or it may be through enjoying the works or performances of others.

  • The Child as Agent of Change

Sustainability lies at the core of EtonHouse’s philosophy, fostering a deep and meaningful connection between children and the natural world where they understand from a young age the environmental impact an individual can make. This commitment extends beyond environmental sustainability to encompass social responsibility. Recognising that a genuine agent of change embodies a sense of responsibility and understanding why a change is needed is a prerequisite of being an agent of change, our learning goals focus on increasing knowledge and developing understanding. 

As an international education group whose mission is to develop confident and capable global citizens, EtonHouse places great importance on developing knowledge and understanding of, as well as respect for different cultures. Culture is therefore integrated into all Learning Domains rather than constituting a separate learning domain.

Infant (9 to 17 months)

Our curriculum for infants aged 9 to 17 months consists of Developmental Milestones that are research-based and aligned with the Singapore Early Years Development Framework (EYDF) 2023. In addition, they incorporate elements from Developmental Milestone Checklists (CDC, 2021) and Te Whāriki Early Childhood Curriculum (Ministry of Education, New Zealand, 2017). 

The infant development milestones are organised into four domains which focus on the key developmental areas for infants. A strong foundation in these areas promotes future learning and development of more complex knowledge and skills.

The domains are:

  • The Thinking Child
  • The Social Child
  • The Physical Child
  • The Child as a Communicator

For infants, arts experiences are a key part of all four learning domains. Therefore, unlike the Pre-School curriculum where there is a “Creative Expression and Enjoyment through the Arts” domain, visual and performing art experiences do not constitute a separate learning domain in the infant curriculum.

Here are some of the broad outcomes of early education at EtonHouse:

  •  Child as communicator
    He or she learns effective self-expression on top of gaining literacy, speech, comprehension and listening skills.
  • Child as agent of change
    With sustainability being one of the pillars of education at EtonHouse, he or she gains a respect for the natural world and understands from a young age the environmental impact an individual can make.
  • The thinking child
    He or she gains an understanding of the world, and learns about concepts of logic, problem-solving and lateral thinking through Math, Science and Technology.
  • The physical child
    He or she learns about physical safety and nutrition, and develops fine and gross motor control.
  • The child in a social context
    A nurturing and collaborative environment made of children from diverse backgrounds inculcates communication, negotiation and self-confidence.

Why you should enrol your child in EtonHouse Pre-School

  • Almost three decades of success in inquiry-based learning
    Our ITL approach is based on a foundation of collaboration where every child is a capable, curious and confident individual. Our image of child and research-based curriculum defines responsive, engaging, and effective learning that has been successful since our inception in 1995.

  • Immersive bilingual environment
    As one of the first pre-schools in Singapore to introduce a bilingual curriculum, our dual language programme continues to be fundamental to the EtonHouse education. All our Pre-Schools offer Mandarin as a second language, and some also offer Japanese, Hindi, Malay and Tamil.

  • Unique learning environments
    Apart from inviting classroom environments that seamlessly integrate with the common areas, our schools have beautifully designed studios and specialist teachers to facilitate everything from storytelling to performance and visual art. Outdoor and nature education is integral to an EtonHouse education, and our innovative programmes are designed to nurture a respect for the environment.

  • Dedicated and professional teaching staff
    You can rest assured that all our educators including specialist teachers are highly-skilled professionals who are committed to forming a successful partnership with all children and families.
    We constantly challenge ourselves to deliver higher standards of leadership and excellence. In fact, we are one of the few education groups in Singapore with a dedicated in-house training and research arm where curriculum specialists and child psychology experts offer ongoing training to staff. Throughout the year, teachers also actively engage in research in education innovations, specialised training programmes as well as overseas study trips.

  • Global classrooms
    Apart from interacting with students of many different nationalities within their school environments, EtonHouse families also connect with students in our other campuses elsewhere in the world. Through exchange programmes, study trips, summer camps, and shared projects, EtonHouse children benefit from the global classroom environment offered by our network of schools. 

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