Criteria for a Good Student Care Service (BASC)

[eyeozz]

Hi, my boy is currently attending those 3 hrs daily school in K1. If come pri 1, I put him in BASC, will he have prob adapting? Will he reject school due to long hours?

[childrenaffairs]

Hi,

I have a friend (a former teacher from a reputable school) who is operating a student care in the Katong area. Her current centre in Roxy is full and is expanding her centre to Katong. You may like to check it out coz in my opinion, it's hard to find a centre with a \"real\" teacher running it. I know her centre will be ready only in Sept. If u interested, drop me an email. Good Luck!

[childrenaffairs]

Hi,

I have a friend (a former teacher from a reputable school) who is operating a student care in the Katong area. Her current centre in Roxy is full and is expanding her centre to Katong. You may like to check it out coz in my opinion, it's hard to find a centre with a \"real\" teacher running it. I know her centre will be ready only in Sept. If u interested, drop me an email. Good Luck!

[dewdrops student care]

Ran1977:

Hi, Any good student care to recommend around Marine Parade area?

Does any parent know and can provide feedback on the BASC at the Marine parade Town Council? How about Kinderland at Marine Parade Central?

Which is a better one for guiding children to do homework and give them assessments?

Hi, just to let you know that we are Dewdrops Student Care Center situated at Haig Road near Tanjong Katong. Do visit our website http://www.dewdrops.com.sg to see how we can help. Thanks.

[Working_Mummy]

Can any parent share their experience of BASC at Ananias Centre or Little Professor Clementi?

[floppy9119]

Sorry…hijack this thread. I’ve 2 kids in BASC. Do I have to pay for the full BASC fee for the month of Dec if my children didn’t go to the student care centre the whole month?

[patlsy79]

any student care recommendation for area like bouna vista/holland/queenstown?? thanks …

[wenwen120280]

Hi,


Are there any good student care centre at telok blangah/ buona vista/ pasir panjang area?

Thank you.

[Twinsmum]

Hi,


Anyone can advise any good Student Care or BASC near to Kong Hwa Primary?

TIA.

[jetsetter]

wcc:

I visited one BASC, with intention to place my kid there. My kid is in afternoon session. I noticed that the BASC settings is quite like a classroom, with students doing work at the desks. I was wondering if a kid goes there in the morning, sit at a desk in BASC (doing some work, most probably) till noon time, then proceed to school, continue to sit at a desk...will the kid be too exhausted by late afternoon, affecting her concentration in school? Any one has any comments to share?

My exact sentiments...though you wrote this post 3 years ago.

MSF (& MOE for those school-based BASC) should really sit up and take a closer look at this \"cowboy\" sector, instead of always brushing it aside, maintaining they'd only adopt a \"light touch\" approach on BASCs.

First and foremost, BASCs should not be in HDB underground bomb shelters. I wonder if MSF (the former MCYS) officers have ever gotten out of their cushy offices and visited/raided any of those underground \"chicken coops\" where many 6-12yos juveniles spend at least 5 hours revising their schoolwork? I was appalled by the deplorable state of affairs (of BASCs) when I went in cognito to some underground BASCs a few wks ago. I felt like I'd just stumbled into some concentration camp or refugee zone or Dickensian children's home (no offence to those whose kids are in underground BASCs). :yikes:

Although all BASC operators were told they must ensure each child has 3 sqm space, excl ancillary areas, I notice they all confined the children to their unergonomic chairs within a cramped aircon classroom, from 2-3.30pm and 4-6pm. The only time the students could get out of their \"chicken coop\" was when they took their afternoon snacks. No nap for BASC kids, meaning they must rest their heads on the desks.

I also observed that many kids didn't even wanna shower; they did their homework and attended tuition in their grubby uniforms for 5 hours! I dunno if it's cos most BASCs' toilets and bathrooms are in worser conditions than those smaller cc operators or ground level kopitiams. Underground BASC toilets, obviously, have no windows or proper ventilation. One can imagine how musty the kids' towels would smell had all 100 of them showered there.

During their in-between lesson breaks, i.e. after afternoon tea, some children just sat on the floor along fire escape routes or next to the pantry area where pails and detergents stood, to watch telly or play card games during the hols...In some BASCs, the eating area was so small that the children just faced the wall with their backs to a narrow corridor to consume their food.

Talking about food, some BASCs just wanna cut costs by cooking simple meals using electric hotplates or cookers. Not sure if that's hazardous or not but being located underground, the whole area is sure to stink the high heavens after each cooking session. I find that BASC meals are so much worse than that prepared for preschoolers in the cheapest of all cc operators. The more practical centres would cater food from halal-certified caterers.

In 1 BASC, all the students' 4kg school bags were strewn on the floor, blocking the exit /fire escape path. The centre doesn't have space for personal lockers.

Was not impressed by some of the more established ones. The so called \"supervisors\" they hired looked like back-to-work women with O-level or A-level degrees. I asked 1 aunty who'd give my child HYPY tingxie. She looked at me and said, \"me lor\". I was like, \"aunty you know HYPY or not?!\" Problem is MSF doesn't require BASC supervisors and tutors to be minimally certified, unlike early childhood teachers in preschools who must possess certain specialised diplomas. The centre manager or franchisee is usually the ones with tertiary qualifications and possibly the only one in the whole centre who has the compulsory first aid certification.

The shophouse-type of BASCs were quite interesting--HDB-type of kitchen on level 2 with an aunty cooking at a kitchen stove while students sat in the kitchen to take their lunch. 1 BASC built its windowless unisex bathrooms & toilets in the centre of the shophouse at level 1, when WC were originally built near the backdoor (like HDB clinic WCs are always located at the back with a small window).

Most void-deck BASCs are quite airy and bright, compared to underground and shophouse-type of premises. But 1 BASIC located at a void deck had the messiest bathroom I've ever seen. Dozens of shampoos parked near the faucets; common flipflops on very wet bathroom tiles (I think it's cos I went after 50 of them showered in there!)...Next to the bathroom was Hell's Kitchen with dozens of pots and pans stacked up on the kitchen cabinets next to pails of soiled utensils. I wonder why NEA isn't grading and certifying BASC kitchens? That BASC looked like a 大杂院 located in some developing country in Asia.

Enuff said... :siam: We need to build some premium BASCs in Singapore, please!