Director's Message

Welcome to The Caterpillar’s Cove Child Development and Study Centre! We are pleased to be able to share with you more about the philosophy and mission of The Cove.

MISSION STATEMENT
The Caterpillar’s Cove Child Development and Study Centre focuses on growing children’s potential and connecting a learning community through research and teacher education and strives to exemplify educational practice at its best.

The Caterpillar’s Cove is a child study centre that aims to set new boundaries through quality and innovative curriculum and programmes to meet the developmental needs of children from 18 months to 6 years.

The Cove was conceptualized and designed by a team of early childhood specialists of NTUC First Campus, led by SEED Institute and was constructed with a grant from the Ngee Ann Polytechnic at a cost of nearly $1 million. The Cove is managed by SEED Institute which also funds and supervises the curriculum development, staffing and operational costs of The Cove. SEED Institute is a key partner with Ngee Ann Polytechnic which jointly conducts the Diploma in ECE programme since 1999.

The Caterpillar’s Cove is a dynamic setting. It brings together teachers of young children, researchers, and students who are training to work with children. Being a child study centre means providing an outstanding preschool where parents, teachers, students and researchers alike strive to discover and apply the best ways to promote children’s learning and development. The importance of teaching and integration of teaching and research is emphasized and are at the heart of the mission.

The Cove provides a site for faculty research and teacher training in early childhood education and also serves as a model and demonstration facility. It serves as a training and observation site for students in the early childhood education programmes offered jointly by Ngee Ann Polytechnic and SEED Institute, as well as for experienced early childhood educators who are interested to work in collaboration with The Cove to promote Best Teaching Practices in early childhood care and education.

The programme at the Child Study Centre is designed to demonstrate and disseminate information about quality childcare and innovative practices related to the early learning and development of young children. It encompasses an approach to curriculum that is open and innovative. Teachers think about how children learn and how to make sure children are thinking and solving problems as they are playing and exploring. It is exciting to be involved in a child study setting as there are many opportunities for discussions, inquiry and piloting models of teaching and learning to promote best practices in early childhood education.

Once again, we thank you for your interest in The Caterpillar’s Cove.

Sincerely,

Geraldine Zuzarte