PROXIMITY TO PRESCHOOL “CRUCIAL” TO KEEP ATTENDANCE UP
For many lower income families, experts said sending a child to preschool also involves juggling multiple stressors: irregular work hours, caring for multiple children with differing needs, managing physical health or mental-health challenges and coping with financial strains.
For one, the distance between a child’s home and school is a major contributor to irregular attendance as it often determines whether a parent has the capacity to send them to school.
“When the preschool is far, any obstacle can make it harder for them to cope. For some families, distance is not just an inconvenience, it is the trigger point that makes regular attendance unsustainable,” said Ms Ang from Touch Community Services.
Mr Clivon Heng, a family coach at MSF, said the home’s proximity to the preschool is “crucial” for maintaining regular attendance.
This is what he has experienced with a number of his clients, such as Ms Maznah, who has to send one child to an early intervention for infants and children (EIPIC) centre, and her other children to another pre-school.
While the EIPIC centre is a 15-minute bus ride away, the preschool is less than a five-minute walk from home.
With it being so close by, she is able to send her children to school regularly and meet the monthly attendance requirements.
“For some families in rental flats, the location of the school nearby has a long waiting list. Even if they are able to find an alternative, it can be quite a distance away and this increases their transportation costs,” said Mr Mohamed Noh Adam, manager of programmes and community outreach at Pertapis.
