Strategic Living · Childhood · Education · AI
Growing Up in an AI World: What Should Childhood Still Give Our Children?
As AI changes how we learn and work, childhood still needs to nurture curiosity, confidence, communication and care. Here is what those foundations can mean when choosing a preschool in Singapore.
My connection to these centres: I support marketing and parent communications for MindChamps PreSchool @ JTC Summit and MindChamps Chinese PreSchool @ Thomson. This article combines my perspective with linked official information.
Choosing a preschool for your child?
Start with their stage. Then explore their world.
Use the companion parent guide to check your child’s suggested preschool level and explore JTC Summit and Thomson. Then bring the questions in this article to your centre visit.
Parents are choosing preschools for children who will grow up in a world very different from the one their parents entered. AI can already retrieve information, generate images, translate languages, write code and explain concepts in seconds. By the time today’s preschoolers enter the workforce, many tasks we currently associate with knowledge and productivity may have changed again.
That does not make preschool less important. It changes what we should value in it. Instead of asking only “Which school teaches more?” or “Which preschool costs more or less?”, a more useful question is: What kind of person is this environment helping my child become?
Singapore’s preschool landscape is also changing. Since 1 January 2026, full-day childcare fee caps at Anchor Operator and Partner Operator preschools have been reduced to S$610 and S$650 respectively, before GST and applicable subsidies for Singapore Citizen children; the Government has also reported that 80% of preschoolers can have a place in a government-supported preschool.[1]
That is significant for affordability and access. It also makes the next layer of the conversation more important: once a family has considered what it can responsibly afford, what value should it look for beyond price?
AI changes the value of information, not the value of childhood
Singapore is already preparing older children for an AI-enabled future. IMDA says the Code for Fun programme will be updated so that AI skills become core baseline capabilities for primary and secondary school students, with the updated programme available to all schools in 2027.[2]
But the answer for a four-year-old cannot simply be “more technology, earlier”. Singapore’s own early-childhood frameworks emphasise holistic development. ECDA’s Early Years Development Framework gives greater prominence to cognitive, communication and language, physical, and social-emotional development for infants and toddlers.[3] The Ministry of Education’s Nurturing Early Learners framework for children aged four to six similarly emphasises learning through relationships, exploration, communication, cooperation and social-emotional development.[4]
A child who can retrieve an answer is not necessarily a child who can ask a good question. A child who can generate a picture is not necessarily a child who can imagine. A child who can use an AI assistant is not necessarily a child who can negotiate a disagreement, comfort a friend, persist through frustration or recognise when something feels wrong.
Those capacities are built through lived experience: conversation, play, movement, stories, mistakes, friendships, routines, boundaries, care and contact with adults who know the child well.
Preschool choice is becoming more differentiated
Singapore families do not all travel through the same preschool pathway. Some choose government-supported preschools because of accessibility, affordability, proximity or familiarity. Some choose independent private preschools for a particular pedagogy, language environment, programme or school culture. Some families choose preschool within an international-school system because of curriculum continuity, mobility or other family circumstances.
Government-supported
Public support, fee caps and subsidies can make these centres especially important for accessibility and affordability. Individual centres still differ in culture, educators, environment and programme experience.
Independent private
Families may pay more for a specific philosophy, programme, language model, location, class structure or community. A higher price still needs to be justified by value that parents can actually observe.
International pathway
Some families value continuity with an international curriculum or future schooling route. These environments may serve different family needs and should not be treated as a direct one-for-one substitute for every local preschool pathway.
Diversity of choice is not itself a problem. It can allow families to find an environment suited to their child. But it raises a broader social question: as housing, schooling and enrichment choices become more segmented, are children spending more of their formative years mainly among families whose circumstances resemble their own?
Social mixing is influenced by far more than preschool fees including neighbourhoods, housing, transport, family networks, activities and later schooling. The point is therefore not to label one preschool model as socially better than another. It is to recognise that exposure to difference may need to be created deliberately: across cultures, generations, abilities, neighbourhoods and life experiences.
The question is not “Which preschool wins?”
The useful question is whether a particular environment fits the child, fits the family’s circumstances and helps the child grow into a capable, grounded person who can live well with other people in a technologically powerful world.
What should a preschool fee pay for?
Lower fees do not automatically mean lower quality. Higher fees do not automatically mean better developmental outcomes. Singapore’s Anchor and Partner Operators receive public funding precisely so that they can keep fees affordable while investing in quality.[1]
But this creates an unavoidable question for any premium private preschool: if a parent is paying several times the government-supported fee cap, what is the additional value actually paying for?
MindChamps’ published 2026 full-day fee for Nursery through Kindergarten is S$2,470 per month before GST, while the 2026 full-day childcare fee caps for Singapore Citizen children are S$610 for Anchor Operators and S$650 for Partner Operators, also before GST and subsidies.[8] These are published reference fees, not quotations for either featured centre. Ask for the current fees for your child’s level, programme and chosen centre. On the headline fee alone, the difference is substantial. Subsidies, promotions and individual family circumstances can change the final out-of-pocket amount, but the strategic point remains: a premium preschool cannot justify that gap merely by saying it offers “quality education”.
So what is a MindChamps parent actually paying for?
The strongest answer is not the décor, the brand name or a claim of exclusivity. It is the attempt to deliver a highly integrated, proprietary education system through trained teachers, a defined learning philosophy, and multiple programmes intended to work together rather than as separate enrichment add-ons.
None of these features automatically proves that MindChamps is the right preschool for every child. The relevant question is whether parents can see these elements being delivered consistently in the actual centre. A proprietary curriculum has little value if it remains on a brochure. Teacher training matters only if it is visible in teacher-child interactions. Lower ratios matter only if the additional attention improves the child’s experience.
The people behind the learning approach
The minds behind the MindChamps system
Behind the classroom are people who shape the learning approach. MindChamps describes its work as drawing on education, psychology, neuroscience and theatre. These six profiles introduce part of its wider leadership and programme-development team.[22]
David Chiem
Founder CEO & Executive Chairman
Co-author of The 3-Mind Revolution and a developer of MindChamps’ educational philosophy.
Brian Caswell
Dean of Research & Programme Development
An author and educator whose programme-development work includes S.M.I.L.E.S. and early literacy.
Dean Carey
Dean of Theatre
Founder of Actors Centre Australia, with a background in acting education and performance.
Emeritus Professor Allan Snyder FRS
Chancellor & research chair
Heads the global research, advisory and programme-development team; founder of the Centre for the Mind.
Mrs Carmee Lim
Mentor Principal
Former Raffles Girls’ School principal and Ministry of Education Senior Inspector of Schools.
Mr Steven Andrews
Chief Academic Officer
His previous leadership roles include Group CEO of Tanglin Trust School, Singapore.
Explore the wider team, their backgrounds and published roles on MindChamps’ official website.
Meet the full MindChamps team (opens in a new tab)What this means for your visit: Ask the educators how the learning philosophy shapes the way they support your child’s curiosity, language, confidence and friendships.
Profiles summarise MindChamps’ published information. The centre’s principal and teachers can explain how the programme is delivered locally.
The premium preschool market is not one single category
Different private preschools place emphasis on different approaches. The comparison below is a starting point for questions about your child’s learning experience; individual campuses and programmes can differ.
| Preschool | Documented educational emphasis | What makes the proposition distinct |
|---|---|---|
| MindChamps | 3-Mind model, S.M.I.L.E.S., proprietary programmes, trained delivery system and primary-school readiness. | An integrated system built around how children learn, think, create and respond to challenge, rather than one imported pedagogy alone.[9][10] |
| EtonHouse | Inquiry-led learning inspired by Reggio Emilia, with IB PYP at selected campuses and a broader international education pathway. | Strong fit for families attracted to child-led inquiry, Reggio-inspired environments and international/IB continuity.[15] |
| Brighton Montessori | Montessori principles, hands-on apparatus, individualised pace, practical life, sensorial work and independence. | Clear appeal for families who specifically value a Montessori learning environment and self-directed mastery.[16] |
| MapleBear | Canadian curriculum, English-Mandarin bilingual immersion, play-based learning and defined learning outcomes. | Distinctive for families prioritising bilingual immersion within a Canadian educational model.[17] |
| Mulberry Learning | Reggio-inspired learning combined with the Habits of Mind framework, Multiple Intelligences and project inquiry. | Positions strongly around thinking dispositions, inquiry and problem-solving habits.[18] |
| Holland International School Preschool | International Early Years Curriculum, play, outdoor experiences and learning within an international-school community. | Different proposition for families seeking an international setting, outdoor play and continuity with an international-school environment.[19] |
These are not rankings. They are different educational propositions. A family drawn to Montessori may prefer Brighton. A family prioritising Reggio-inspired inquiry or an IB pathway may prefer EtonHouse. A family focused heavily on bilingual immersion may find MapleBear compelling. An internationally mobile family may value an international-school preschool environment.
For a parent, the MindChamps proposition is the connection between learning skills, creativity, character, bilingual foundations and school readiness. A visit is the opportunity to see how those ideas become everyday teaching.
That positioning is especially relevant in an AI world. Information is becoming cheaper and easier to access. The premium value of education therefore cannot simply be “more content”. The stronger proposition is helping a child learn how to learn, how to think, how to create, how to communicate and how to recover from setbacks.
In other words, the case for paying more is not that a child should know more facts at age five. The case has to be that the preschool offers a sufficiently different developmental system and daily experience to justify the family’s investment.
A preschool community grows through everyday relationships
A child’s preschool years also become part of a family’s life: familiar teachers at drop-off, conversations about small milestones, friendships and shared celebrations. Those experiences can help parents feel involved in their child’s learning.
Ask how the centre welcomes new families, shares progress and responds when a child needs more support. The answers will tell you how its educational philosophy is lived from day to day.
Five things to look for during a preschool visit
Brochures, facilities and social-media posts can help a parent form a first impression. But a centre visit remains valuable because preschool quality is experienced through people and interactions.
Human relationships: How do teachers speak to children? Does a child appear known, heard and emotionally safe?
Language and communication: Are children encouraged to express ideas, listen, converse and make meaning rather than simply repeat answers?
Agency and curiosity: Is there room to explore, create, make choices, ask questions and solve small problems?
Self-regulation and resilience: How are frustration, waiting, mistakes, disagreement and transitions handled?
Community: Does the centre feel like a relationship between children, educators and parents or mainly a transaction?
Digital literacy will matter. AI literacy will matter. But IMDA’s own framing is worth noting: young people should use technology ethically and responsibly, avoid becoming over-reliant on it, and keep humans and humanity central to technology’s development and use.[5] That principle can begin long before a child learns to write a prompt.
Make these questions specific to your child. Start with the preschool age and level guide, then use the parent guide’s visit questions to prepare for a conversation with the centre.
Community may become one of the most valuable things a preschool can build
Parents often think of preschool as something delivered to a child. In practice, a strong early-childhood environment can also shape the family around the child. Teachers know parents. Parents meet other parents. Families share milestones. Children grow up seeing familiar adults and friends.
Over time, that can become a form of community capital: relationships, trust, shared experiences and a sense that the family belongs somewhere.
This is also where authentic centre-level communication matters. A social channel should not exist only to push promotions. It can help parents see how a centre thinks, celebrates, learns, interacts and involves families. Real school-life content does not replace a visit, but it can make the culture more visible before a parent ever walks through the door.
From reflection to real-world exploration
Two MindChamps communities parents can explore
At JTC Summit and Thomson, the next step is to meet the people behind the programme. Explore each centre’s setting and language approach, then use the companion parent guide to relate your options to your child’s stage and your family’s routine.
MindChamps PreSchool @ JTC Summit
8 Jurong Town Hall Road, The JTC Summit, #05-01, Singapore 609434
A preschool community with roots in the West. Opened in 2010, JTC Summit’s official page describes family events, community activities and parent participation, alongside a building with 24-hour surveillance and security officers.[6]
For families around Jurong, the opportunity is to find a preschool that becomes a familiar part of everyday life: people who know your child and a community you can grow with.
- Meet the educators: talk to the principal and teachers about settling in, friendships and how they share progress.
- Explore active play: ask to see the indoor MindScape space and discuss the current balance of movement, play and outdoor experiences.
- Picture your routine: consider the journey from home or work and the practical arrangements for your child.
MindChamps Chinese PreSchool @ Thomson
512A Thomson Road, #02-01, SLF Podium, Singapore 298137
A place to explore language through everyday learning. Thomson offers families the wider MindChamps approach within a Chinese preschool environment.[7]
The published curriculum uses Chinese as the main language of instruction for PG and N1, except for Reading & Writing and Creativity & Theatrical Strategies. From N2, classes are taught by one English and one Chinese teacher.[20]
- Understand the language journey: ask how teachers support a child who is new to Mandarin.
- See learning in context: discuss how stories, conversations, creative activities and play encourage participation.
- Connect school and home: ask what your family can do to support language confidence without pressure.
About the information: Programme descriptions reflect the operator’s published information and are not independent evaluations of outcomes. Confirm current fees, staffing arrangements, programme details and availability with your chosen centre.
Preserve childhood while preparing for the future
We should prepare children for AI. But preparation should not mean turning early childhood into an earlier version of adult competition.
A child still needs time to run, build, argue, reconcile, laugh, get bored, invent games, listen to stories, make something imperfect, ask inconvenient questions and experience the consequences of small choices.
Those are not distractions from future readiness. They are part of future readiness.
Technology will continue to improve. The economic value of some technical skills will change. Education systems will adapt. But a society will still need people capable of judgement, responsibility, cooperation, imagination and care.
From understanding to a confident next step
Turn these ideas into a preschool plan.
You have explored what childhood should offer in an AI world. Now connect those priorities to your child’s stage, a local centre and a conversation with its educators.
For parents considering these two centres
Meet the people who could help your child grow.
Ready to explore? Ask to book your MindChamps Experience at JTC Summit or Thomson. Share your preferred centre, your child’s age and intended start month so the team can guide the conversation.
By appointment during school hours, subject to the centre’s schedule.
WhatsApp for both centres: 8336 6538
References & further reading
- Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), 2026. “A Singapore Made for Families, A Good Start for Every Child.” MSF states that 80% of preschoolers can have a place in a government-supported preschool and that, from 1 January 2026, full-day childcare fee caps at AOP and POP preschools are S$610 and S$650 respectively. Source.
- Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Committee of Supply 2026. IMDA says the Code for Fun programme will be updated to integrate AI skills as core baseline capabilities for primary and secondary school students, with the updated programme available to all schools in 2027. Source.
- Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA). Early Years Development Framework 2023. The framework gives greater prominence to cognitive, communication and language, physical, and social-emotional development for children from birth to three. Source.
- Ministry of Education (MOE). Nurturing Early Learners Framework 2022. The framework provides guidance for preschool education for children aged four to six, including social-emotional learning, relationships, communication, cooperation and meaningful learning experiences. Source.
- Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). Code for Fun Programme. IMDA states that students should learn to use technology ethically and responsibly, avoid becoming over-reliant on it, and keep humans and humanity central to technology’s development and use. Source.
- MindChamps. MindChamps PreSchool @ JTC Summit official centre page. The page lists the centre at 8 Jurong Town Hall Road, #05-01, and describes its history, community events, parent trust and emphasis on safety and active learning. Source.
- MindChamps. MindChamps Chinese PreSchool @ Thomson official centre page. The page lists the centre at 512A Thomson Road, #02-01, SLF Podium, and describes its Chinese-language and bilingual preschool environment. Source.
- MindChamps; Ministry of Social and Family Development, 2026. MindChamps publishes a 2026 full-day Nursery-to-Kindergarten fee of S$2,470 before GST for its standard preschool programme. MSF states that 2026 full-day childcare fee caps are S$610 at Anchor Operators and S$650 at Partner Operators. MindChamps fees · MSF fee caps.
- MindChamps. Philosophy and pedagogy: the 3-Mind model comprises the Champion Mind, Learning Mind and Creative Mind. Source.
- MindChamps. Preschool curriculum: S.M.I.L.E.S. methodology, nine research-backed proprietary programmes and the “100% Respect, Zero Fear” philosophy and attributes. Source.
- MindChamps. Teachers and trainers: MindChamps states that preschool teachers receive up to 200 hours of additional training and accreditation regardless of their previous early-childhood qualifications. Source.
- MindChamps. Published teacher-child ratios include 1:6 for Playgroup, 1:7 for Nursery 1, 1:9 for Nursery 2, 1:11 for Kindergarten 1 and 1:12 for Kindergarten 2, compared on its site with ECDA ratios. Source.
- MindChamps. MindChamps Music is described as an interdisciplinary methodology integrating musical, numerical, language, social and emotional literacies, with patents listed in Singapore, the US, UK and Australia. Source.
- MindChamps. Programme overview: MindChamps describes primary-school readiness, Crafted Play, literacy/creative writing and the K2 “Here I Come, P1!” transition theme as parts of its preschool proposition. Source.
- EtonHouse. EtonHouse describes its preschools as inquiry-led and inspired by Reggio Emilia, with IB PYP at selected campuses and an international education pathway. Source.
- Brighton Montessori. Brighton describes a Montessori approach built around hands-on materials, individualised pace, independence, practical life, sensorial learning, language, mathematics and cultural studies. Source.
- MapleBear Asiawide. MapleBear describes a Canadian-developed curriculum using bilingual English-Mandarin immersion, play-based learning and outcome-based curriculum design. Source.
- Mulberry Learning. Mulberry describes a preschool model combining Reggio Emilia-inspired learning with Habits of Mind, Multiple Intelligences and project inquiry. Source.
- Holland International School. Its preschool uses the International Early Years Curriculum and emphasises play, outdoor learning, confidence, relationships and an international setting. Source.
- MindChamps Chinese PreSchool. MindChamps states that Chinese is the main language of instruction for Playgroup and Nursery 1 except for two named enrichment programmes, while Nursery 2 onward uses one English and one Chinese teacher. Source.
- MindChamps. MindChamps describes its World Research, Advisory and Education Team as drawing on Education, Psychology, Neuroscience and Theatre and identifies Emeritus Professor Allan Snyder as Chair of Research. Source.
- MindChamps. Official team profiles covering the founder, programme-development specialists, research advisers and education leaders featured in this article. Source.
- MindChamps, 2006. Announcement of Mrs Carmee Lim’s appointment as Mentor Principal, describing her role in connecting MindChamps’ learning strategies with Singapore’s educational system and curriculum. Source.