Kindergarten teacher fired for alleged mishandling of 2-year-old boy, Latest Singapore News

A teacher has been fired from a My First Skool preschool center in Tampines following a report of alleged inappropriate child management.

The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) received a report from the kindergarten on September 26 and told The Straits Times that it is separately investigating feedback from two other parents at the same centre.

The center dismissed the teacher from her care and teaching duties on September 24 and her employment was terminated on September 27.

The exact school location and parents cannot be named as this could lead to the identification of the affected child, which is not permitted under the Children and Young People Act.

Police have confirmed that the investigation is ongoing.

A spokesperson for NTUC First Campus, which runs My First Skool, said the teacher’s approach to dealing with children was “not in line with education and care standards”.

In response to questions from ST, she said the center received feedback from a parent about a teacher on September 21, and the teacher was assigned non-teaching duties during the investigation. NTUC First Campus is fully cooperating with authorities in ongoing investigations, she added.

The mother of the child involved in the incident told ST that a teacher said her two-year-old son had fallen on September 16, leaving a mark on his face.

Over the next few days, she and her husband noticed other spots on their son’s back, as well as a major change in behavior. He started sleeping less at night and whined and repeated the words “I don’t want to” when he saw his school uniform, the mother said.

She reported it to the center and asked to view CCTV footage of the fall, but they were refused access. The center director reviewed the footage and told the boy’s father that there was no fall and that he was given the points after seeing a teacher “forcefully rocking and rocking” him.

The boy’s parents filed a police report on September 26 and requested his immediate withdrawal from the center the next day.

“Two weeks since the incident, both my husband and I have not slept well,” the mother said.

She said she began to wonder about past incidents in which her son came back with other scars, such as a scratch under his eye and swollen bumps on his head. In August, her son returned from school with a bleeding lip.

The fact that they could not see CCTV footage exacerbated their anxiety.

“When we asked for the footage of the incident, we just wanted to know how bad the ‘abuse’ of our son was. If it was something we could accept, we could have let it slide. But the way the director dealt with our concerns did not reassure us,” the mother said.

According to ECDA guidelines, parents will only be given access to CCTV footage for the purpose of “providing an objective reference point to clarify feedback or to support the investigation of serious incidents within the preschool”.

The agency’s Code of Practice for Early Childhood Development Centers states that CCTV cameras must be able to record and store a minimum of 30 days’ worth of footage.

The mother said she hopes ECDA will require kindergartens to store more than a month’s worth of footage.

“These are children we are talking about. They are young and, like my son, they still have to speak for themselves,” she said.

“Our hearts will not rest until the investigations are completed and we hear the verdict. We will see this through to the end.”

The NTUC First Campus spokesperson said: “We take all matters relating to staff conduct very seriously and are committed to maintaining a fair and transparent process while ensuring that all necessary steps are taken to address the concerns suits in accordance with our policies and procedures.

“The safety and well-being of our children remains our top priority, and all concerns regarding their care are important to us.”