Some parents are struggling to cope after a string of Star Tots playgroup closures disrupted their children’s routines, leaving them scrambling for alternatives, according to one father.
Stomper N alleged that several Star Tots playgroup centres in the area have shut over a short period, including those at Blocks 387, 285, 245 and 345 in Tampines East, as well as Block 133 in Simei.
“These repeated closures have caused significant disruption for parents and children who rely on these centres for childcare and early education,” said N, who has a two-year-old child.
The Stomper, whose child has been enrolled since 2025, said he has been personally affected by multiple closures.
He told Stomp he had secured a place at the Block 387 Tampines Street 32 centre last August, but was informed via WhatsApp in December — soon before classes started — that it would be shutting for “operational reasons”.
He then found another spot at the Block 133 Simei Street 1 centre, only to be notified in Dec 2025 that classes would begin this February, instead of January, due to low enrollment.
However, the low enrollment apparently continued.
According to WhatsApp messages seen by Stomp, the centre told N on March 6 that the Block 133 Simei Street 1 centre was facing closure due to insufficient enrollment. However, should there be 10 registered students, classes could begin in April 2026.
The centre advised him to consider Block 155 Simei Road (Class B) as an alternative. Though the Stomper agreed to this “in good faith”, he learned that this class also had not hit the minimum of 10 registrations and hence a spot could not be confirmed.
