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04-11-13, 11:58
http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/saturday/premium/singapore/story/first-pre-school-sentosa-now-open-20131102
First pre-school on Sentosa now open
Another kindergarten may open as number of homes there hits 2,000 next year
Published on Nov 02, 2013
http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/saturday/sites/straitstimes.com/files/imagecache/story-gallery-featured/20131102/ST_20131102_JTPRESCHOOL02_3906555e.jpg
Quayside Isle Preparatory School teachers (from left) Maureen Birdsell, Prethu Ann Joshua and Helen Pretorius, with the school’s current batch of three students – all of whom come from families living at Sentosa Cove. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
By Janice Tai And Toh Yong Chuan
A CLEAR view of a private marina lined with million-dollar yachts, corridors decorated with Australian aboriginal artwork and an art studio complete with a professional kiln.
But this is no exclusive club or an upscale art gallery. Instead it is Sentosa's first pre-school.
Quayside Isle Preparatory School, which opened last week, sits snugly among swanky restaurants at Sentosa Cove's food and beverage enclave Quayside Isle, next door to the upmarket W Hotel.
The school caters primarily to the 5,000 residents of Sentosa Cove, which will have around 2,000 homes when it is fully developed next year.
With demand for pre-school services expected to go up, at least another operator is planning to set up shop on the island.
A spokesman for EtonHouse, one of the bigger private operators in Singapore, said it is looking for suitable premises near Sentosa Cove, but it has not set a deadline for opening a centre there.
But parents can expect to fork out more for pre-schools in the ritzy neighbourhood.
Quayside Isle Preparatory School, which started classes last week, charges $3,800 per term for a three-hour, five-days-a-week programme for three- to four-year-olds. That works out to about $1,500 a month.
The fees soar to $6,800 per term for a five-hour kindergarten programme for five- to six year-olds, which works out to be over $2,700 a month.
Then there is the one-time registration fee of $2,000.
The school also intends to start enrichment classes such zumba and puppetry sessions. These classes cost extra. For example, six to eight sessions of pottery can cost about $300.
The double-storey centre, about the size of three five-room Housing Board flats, can take up to 80 or 90 children. For now, it has an enrolment of three children - all foreigners. Two more will join next week.
All come from families who reside in the gated community of Sentosa Cove.
Its Singaporean founder, Ms Sharon Solomon, is confident that demand will pick up once the new year begins. Classes for the other age groups, apart from the ongoing class for three-year-olds, will start in January.
"It's the second term now and parents usually enrol or transfer their kids in January," said the 43-year-old.
"More families are moving onto the island and we have even been getting enquiries from parents in the mainland, even as far as Tampines."
She has signed a three-year lease with an option to extend for another three years, but declined to disclose how much rent she pays to landlord City Developments.
When asked about the steep fees, Ms Solomon pointed to the small class sizes of six children.
She added: "Look at the quality of the expertise, the curriculum we deliver and the access to nature on an island. It's value for money."
She explained that of her five current teachers, two have master's degrees and another two have bachelor's degrees. The fifth, the only Singaporean, has a diploma.
EtonHouse, which charges between $800 and $2,000 a month for its other centres, said it may charge more for a school on Sentosa. Said its spokesman: "The fees will be similar to what we are charging in our other campuses with a slight premium in alignment with the rentals in that location."
But some parents do not mind paying more.
Ms Hannah Trousifova from the Czech Republic said she enrolled her three-year-old girl at Quayside Isle as she liked the curriculum, which is centred on nature, and its nearness to her home.
"It's right at our doorstep and their classmates are our neighbours," said the 36-year-old, whose husband is a manager in a Japanese firm.
Singaporean Margaret Bickham, 48, director of a consulting firm, said: "I think the demand for pre-school services is definitely there, especially for the young couples. I am surprised that the first has only just set up here; there should be more than one.
"My teenagers are grown up, so we won't need it but my neighbours are putting their kids there as it is so convenient."
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First pre-school on Sentosa now open
Another kindergarten may open as number of homes there hits 2,000 next year
Published on Nov 02, 2013
http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/saturday/sites/straitstimes.com/files/imagecache/story-gallery-featured/20131102/ST_20131102_JTPRESCHOOL02_3906555e.jpg
Quayside Isle Preparatory School teachers (from left) Maureen Birdsell, Prethu Ann Joshua and Helen Pretorius, with the school’s current batch of three students – all of whom come from families living at Sentosa Cove. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
By Janice Tai And Toh Yong Chuan
A CLEAR view of a private marina lined with million-dollar yachts, corridors decorated with Australian aboriginal artwork and an art studio complete with a professional kiln.
But this is no exclusive club or an upscale art gallery. Instead it is Sentosa's first pre-school.
Quayside Isle Preparatory School, which opened last week, sits snugly among swanky restaurants at Sentosa Cove's food and beverage enclave Quayside Isle, next door to the upmarket W Hotel.
The school caters primarily to the 5,000 residents of Sentosa Cove, which will have around 2,000 homes when it is fully developed next year.
With demand for pre-school services expected to go up, at least another operator is planning to set up shop on the island.
A spokesman for EtonHouse, one of the bigger private operators in Singapore, said it is looking for suitable premises near Sentosa Cove, but it has not set a deadline for opening a centre there.
But parents can expect to fork out more for pre-schools in the ritzy neighbourhood.
Quayside Isle Preparatory School, which started classes last week, charges $3,800 per term for a three-hour, five-days-a-week programme for three- to four-year-olds. That works out to about $1,500 a month.
The fees soar to $6,800 per term for a five-hour kindergarten programme for five- to six year-olds, which works out to be over $2,700 a month.
Then there is the one-time registration fee of $2,000.
The school also intends to start enrichment classes such zumba and puppetry sessions. These classes cost extra. For example, six to eight sessions of pottery can cost about $300.
The double-storey centre, about the size of three five-room Housing Board flats, can take up to 80 or 90 children. For now, it has an enrolment of three children - all foreigners. Two more will join next week.
All come from families who reside in the gated community of Sentosa Cove.
Its Singaporean founder, Ms Sharon Solomon, is confident that demand will pick up once the new year begins. Classes for the other age groups, apart from the ongoing class for three-year-olds, will start in January.
"It's the second term now and parents usually enrol or transfer their kids in January," said the 43-year-old.
"More families are moving onto the island and we have even been getting enquiries from parents in the mainland, even as far as Tampines."
She has signed a three-year lease with an option to extend for another three years, but declined to disclose how much rent she pays to landlord City Developments.
When asked about the steep fees, Ms Solomon pointed to the small class sizes of six children.
She added: "Look at the quality of the expertise, the curriculum we deliver and the access to nature on an island. It's value for money."
She explained that of her five current teachers, two have master's degrees and another two have bachelor's degrees. The fifth, the only Singaporean, has a diploma.
EtonHouse, which charges between $800 and $2,000 a month for its other centres, said it may charge more for a school on Sentosa. Said its spokesman: "The fees will be similar to what we are charging in our other campuses with a slight premium in alignment with the rentals in that location."
But some parents do not mind paying more.
Ms Hannah Trousifova from the Czech Republic said she enrolled her three-year-old girl at Quayside Isle as she liked the curriculum, which is centred on nature, and its nearness to her home.
"It's right at our doorstep and their classmates are our neighbours," said the 36-year-old, whose husband is a manager in a Japanese firm.
Singaporean Margaret Bickham, 48, director of a consulting firm, said: "I think the demand for pre-school services is definitely there, especially for the young couples. I am surprised that the first has only just set up here; there should be more than one.
"My teenagers are grown up, so we won't need it but my neighbours are putting their kids there as it is so convenient."
[email protected]
[email protected]