In the 1970s, post-independent Singapore was a rapidly growing nation eager to transition from third world to first.
Fuelled by a wave of labour-intensive industrialisation from 1966 to 1978, factories producing garments, textiles, and electronics needed workers.
This growth strategy created job opportunities for many people, especially women.
According to A Quiet Revolution: Women and Work in Industrialising Singapore, their smaller hands, nimble fingers, and years of sewing experience, suited the delicate manual tasks required in these industries.
However, once married and with children, many women left the workforce due to family responsibilities.
This labour shortage prompted the Government to entice economically inactive housewives and young single women who stayed home to perform household chores into the workforce.
While housewives were keen to seize these opportunities to support their families, one significant problem remained: With both parents working, who would care for their children?
In the 1970s, the Government focused on expanding public childcare facilities to increase female labour force participation.
At that time, the then Ministry of Social Affairs operated only 10 such facilities, commonly known as crèches. As demand grew, the Government, burdened by other duties, called other organisations to step up and run these crèches to assist working mothers.
By 1973, the NTUC had established a Women’s Committee to advance the interests of the increasing number of women in the workforce.
“In 1977, NTUC leaders posed a challenge to women leaders to solve the problem of working mothers,” recalled former NTUC Deputy Secretary-General and politician Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, who led the NTUC Crèches Management Committee in The NTUC Skool That Could.
Despite having little experience in childcare operations, Mrs Yu-Foo and the committee members rose to the occasion and established NTUC Childcare in 1977, providing basic custodial care.
“We were a group of women who knew next to nothing about running not just one, but 10 childcare centres! We started right from scratch, from ground zero.
“The one thing all of us had in common was our passion. The few of us — Annabella Sim, Chew Choon Geok, Teo Jiok Lin and myself — wholeheartedly believed that in order for mums to have peace of mind to go out to work, we had to reassure them that the quality of childcare was up to mark,” she added.
Interestingly, the first centre NTUC took over was above the first NTUC Welcome supermarket at Toa Payoh. Now known as NTUC FairPrice, NTUC Welcome was established to combat the profiteering of essential items.
Initially facing challenges, NTUC consulted paediatricians and doctors for guidance on managing the centres more effectively.
By 1979, in just two years, NTUC had successfully taken over the management of all 10 centres.
As the 1980s approached, NTUC Childcare began focusing on improving affordability and accessibility for lower-income families.
Between 1981 and 1982, it built centres in HDB void decks, starting with three locations in Ang Mo Kio, Clementi, and Bedok, making it convenient for parents.
NTUC also developed alternative childcare models to enhance affordability and accessibility.
One model sought to work with community partners for manpower, resources and feedback.
This effort culminated in the first NTUC Childcare Community Childcare Centre in Bukit Merah, which opened in 1986 to serve a high concentration of lower-income families. Housewives, grassroots leaders, and secondary school students were roped in to provide activities, such as storytelling and magic shows, creating a supportive network for children. The main highlight, however, was the toy and book library for children who could not afford them.
Mrs Yu-Foo appealed to the Government for childcare subsidies to maintain quality care, which increased from $60 in the 1980s to $300 by 2012.
“I argued that without a more realistic subsidy, NTUC would have no choice but to run its creches at commercial rates in order to make ends meet.
“If not, how were we going to afford teachers, training, renovations, and upgrading of facilities and so many other things needed to turn the childcare centres into high-quality care facilities,” she recounted in The NTUC Skool That Could.
As Singapore entered the 1990s, NTUC Childcare remained committed to affordable fees. In 2003, fees at its standard centres were set at the 21.7 percentile of the market, while upgraded centres were at the 61.2 percentile.
By 2007, median fees were 17 per cent below the national average. Today, lower-income families pay a fraction of the fees with government subsidies.
As an enterprise with a heart, NTUC Childcare has also stepped up during national and economic crises, such as the SARS outbreak in 2003-2004, the 2008-2009 global financial downturn, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
These challenges affected parents’ jobs and incomes, prompting the preschool to offer lower fees and assistance programmes.
One such initiative was the Bright Horizons Fund (BHF), established in 2008 to provide equal opportunities for children from lower-income families. It offers fee and Kindergarten 2 graduation support and enriching programmes, benefiting over 45,000 children and their families over the years.
“BHF will be mission-focused and ensure that every child with us enjoys equal opportunity to quality preschool education, regardless of background. This way, we give every child the best chance for a good future,” said NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Heng Chee How and BHF Chairman at a BHF educational excursion in 2023.
In 2009, NTUC Childcare rebranded as NTUC First Campus (NFC) to reflect its focus on early childhood care and education.
The move led to the emergence of new brands like My First Skool and Little Skool-House.
NTUC First Campus also expanded its services to include outdoor learning programmes through Outdoor School Singapore, and enrichment and after-school services via Changemakers by Seed Campus.
From a humble childcare operator with just 10 facilities in 1977, it now has 180 centres delivering high-quality care and education to 29,000 children annually.
As one of the biggest preschools in the nation, it has evolved beyond void decks to include large, innovative childcare centres featuring outdoor facilities, like rock walls, cycling tracks and water play. It also has office and mall-based centres located islandwide.
“As one of the largest preschool operators, our established research and programme evaluation capabilities enable us to continually refine our curriculum and teaching methods, ensuring our pedagogy not only supports children’s learning but also prepares them for success in primary school and beyond,” said NTUC First Campus Chief Child Development Officer Coreen Soh at the showcase opening of My First Skool at 6 New Punggol Road in 2024.
Over the years, its mission has transformed from providing childminding services for working women to offering quality preschool education for the children of working families, ensuring a brighter future for the nation’s young.
Even as the pioneer early childhood and education provider continues to innovate, its facilities will always remain affordable and convenient to all parents.
Visit NTUC First Campus to learn more about its quality preschools and services.
