ECDA’s CEO Joins Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart for the “Start Small Dream Big” event

24 August, 2015 – Mr Eugene Leong, Chief Executive Officer for The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) visited the children at Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart.  This centre had participated in the ECDA initiated project, “Start Small Dream Big”, to celebrate “Singapore’s 50^th Birthday” and “President’s Challenge’s 15^th Anniversary”.

The “Start Small Dream Big” project was started with the belief that one is never too young to contribute to the community and help the less fortunate. With this belief, Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart raised funds through our Little Entrepreneur Day and workshops for ST Pocket Money Fund, a beneficiary of the President’s Challenge 2015 who strives to help children from low-income families.

Mr Eugene Leong visited the Little Entrepreneurs’ programme booths managed by the children. The booths provided a variety of games, food as well as face painting. The Little Entrepreneurs’ programme is an annual initiative held to encourage the children to cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship whilst helping them to develop compassion as they do their part to give back to the community. Keeping with the spirit of experiential learning, the Little Entrepreneurs’ Programme was incorporated as part of the “Start Small Dream Big” project.

Mr Eugene Leong observed how the parent-child science workshops were presented by the children. The ‘Ding! Ding! Ding! Here comes the Ice-cream Man’ workshop involved of making the homemade ice-creams. In the ‘Volcano’ workshop, the children and their parents made a sculpture of the volcano using flour and water. They then poured baking soda and vinegar into the volcano to induce a chemical ‘eruption’. In collaboration with the “STEMnovation: Kitchen Science”, which was part of the ECDA “Innovation Guidance Project”, the children shared their learning with the parents by being the little presenters of the workshops.  At the same time, allowing them to take ownership of their learning and develop entrepreneurial skills through facilitating of the workshops as part of the “Start Small Dream Big” project.

Our children representatives presented a SG50 artwork done by a group of 18 Kindergarten Two children to Mr Eugene Leong. The artwork signified the unity of children doing their part to contribute back to the community.

Through this “Start Small Dream Big” project, these participating children develop independence and responsibility, as well as the ability to work together as a team. In addition, these activities empower children to do their part to help the less fortunate, allowing them to develop compassion for those who are in need.