There is no allied teacher provided in MKs. Perhaps you’re referring to the FLAIR teacher? Some parents do pay extra to have a therapist assess their child and send their child to Early Intervention Programme for Infants & Children centres outside MK hours. The teachers themselves in MK however are not trained to teach children with special needs. The curriculum standard is basically to meet the bare minimum for entry into primary school. Most private preschools do teach more. For example, operations (+,-,etc) are not taught in MK but are covered in private preschools. MK introduces basic high frequency words to children while private preschools may go beyond and teach spelling. This means that academically, the MK child will have a steeper hill to climb when they enter primary school.

I am currently an MOE Kindergarten teacher. Here’s my take for parents considering MK.


Pros:
1. Subsidized school fees
2. Priority entry into primary school

Cons:
1. Parents need to put their child in enrichment centres outside MK to prepare for primary school (because phonics, spelling and maths are not in the curriculum)
2. Large percentage of teachers are fresh diploma grads who are learning on the job
3. High turnover rate of teachers prevalent in most MKs tend to affect children’s learning and development
4. Children lack opportunities to develop their sense of curiosity, creativity and problem-solving skills as curriculum is teacher directed and not child directed
5. Curriculum is not actually play-based. The children only get to play at learning centres for about 10-15 mins or not at all due to time constraints
6. Snacks are pre-bought processed food and not freshly made
7. No toilet training provided for children
8. High teacher-child ratio of 1:25 means less attention given to each child
9. No assistance given to children with mild special education needs despite accepting them into MK