LIKE all parents, heartlanders Ng Soon Wang and wife Angela want the best for their two young children.

But for them, this does not come cheap.

The Ngs, who live in a five-room HDB flat in Punggol, are paying a total of $1,600 a month just to send Maximus, five, and Aricia, four, to a private pre-school five days a week.

For Mr Ng, a self-employed loan broker, and his administrative manager wife, these fees eat up nearly a quarter of their combined income of about $7,000.

In comparison, a typical PAP Community Foundation (PCF) kindergarten charges about $100 a month for a half-day programme covering five mornings.

The Ngs, whose two children have been attending Pat's Schoolhouse in Serangoon for the past two years, do not mind a more frugal lifestyle to afford the fees.

'I worked out the sums. If we sacrificed in other areas, we could just get by every month,' said Mr Ng, 35. So out went regular restaurant meals and holidays to Thailand, Malaysia and China, and a switch was made to cheaper groceries.

So much for saving for university fees. Amid higher consumer expectations, not to mention the kiasu (fear of losing out) factor, the pressure on parents' pockets for an exclusive education kicks in when Junior is barely out of his diapers, with couples paying four-figure sums a month for the perceived privilege.

At Pat's Schoolhouse, for example, the fees are $800 to $900 a month for its half-day programme and $1,340 for its full-day programme. Meals are included.

At $1,340 a month, this adds up to around $64,000 over four years, well over twice the fees which a Singaporean would have to pay for a four-year arts and social sciences degree course at a local university (see box).

Parents are paying a lot for their tots despite experts like Mr Nah Yong Hwee, a senior psychologist at the National University Hospital's child development unit, saying that a child enrolled in a less pricy centre does not necessarily have a less effective education.

'The gauge is whether the child is nurtured and challenged intellectually, emotionally, physically and socially,' he said.

The Ngs certainly liked what they saw when they first checked out Pat's Schoolhouse: spontaneous children guided by cheery teachers.

But their jaws dropped when they were told the fees. Said Mr Ng: 'We didn't know it was that expensive. I should have guessed from the luxury cars there. Ours was the only Toyota.'

The couple initially decided against enrolling their children there, especially as Mr Ng's mother had just been diagnosed with cancer and they had to help with her medical bills.

But they re-did their sums and decided to go for it. And given that Mr Ng's income as a broker is 'erratic', they have to dip into their savings in lean months.

The pay-off is that Maximus and Aricia are more vocal and creative, and able to engage adults in conversation easily.

Still, 'I fight the temptation to withdraw them from the school every day', Mr Ng said. 'It's stressful for me but I just want to give my children the best.'

Indeed, the high fees that many private pre-schools charge are not deterring some parents, and this area in childhood education is growing.

Three pre-schools The Sunday Times spoke to have long waiting lists: Chiltern House's is 670, Pat's Schoolhouse's is 180 and EtonHouse's is 100.

The three schools take in children ranging from 18 months to six years and they are taught subjects like mathematics, cooking and creative art. They are among a total of about 490 private pre-schools here.

Former teacher Patricia Koh founded Pat's Schoolhouse in 1988 with seven teachers and seven pupils and now has 10 branches and more than 1,200 pupils.

EtonHouse was started in 1995 by former auditor Ng Gim Choo and has eight branches and about 1,200 pupils. It charges up to $1,500 for its full-day programme.

Chiltern House was started in 1994 by former fashion buyer Julia Gabriel and has four branches with 700 pupils. It charges up to $860 for its half-day programme.

For Pat's Schoolhouse and EtonHouse, fees have not always been this high. Both schools said monthly fees have increased by about $400 since they started because of higher teacher salaries and better facilities. Chiltern House has kept its fees constant.

Parents cite smaller class sizes, better-trained teachers and a creative atmosphere as the reasons for choosing these posh pre-schools.

The drawbacks? The Ngs said that because Maximus and Aricia mix with better-off children, they tend to compare and demand more things, such as holidays and expensive toys.

Indeed, the pre-schools The Sunday Times spoke to said that most of their parents are at least middle-income and above. For Pat's Schoolhouse, expatriates make up 50 per cent of the parents there although it has seen a slight increase in heartlander parents over the past 20 years.

Chiltern House's PR manager Shawn Galistan said the majority of its parents are Singaporeans who are quite well-off.

Apart from being in prime locations, the schools have features like fortnightly newsletters charting each child's progress. All said they have roughly one teacher for every eight pupils, far lower than the ratio recommended by the Ministry of Education which varies from 1:15 (at nursery level) to 1:25 (at Kindergarten 2 level).

They also said their teachers have qualifications above the MOE's minimum requirement for education. Chiltern House principal Fiona Walker said all its teachers have early childhood education diplomas and about 30 per cent have university degrees.

However, pre-schools that charge less said they provide good education as well.

Although the typical PCF kindergarten charges around 10 per cent of the most expensive pre-schools' fees, its chief executive Ruth Low said they 'certainly have quality kindergartens and very satisfied parents as well'.

Ms Michelle Sim, principal of PCF's Tampines North kindergarten, said that although her school charges $140 a month, it provides speech and drama courses once a week. And like upmarket pre-schools, it keeps a portfolio of the children. 'We give parents value and the teachers give their best,' she said.

Process control adviser Jacinth Ning, 44, agrees. Her six-year-old son is attending a PCF kindergarten although she can afford to send him to an expensive pre-school.

'I don't think PCF is any less creative or stimulating compared to the more expensive pre-schools,' she said. 'I don't think my children will lose out at all.'

chengwee@sph.com.sg

sameng@sph.com.sg

Are expensive pre-schools a smart investment or silly choice? Send your comments to suntimes@sph.com.sg

Child's development

'The gauge is whether the child is nurtured and challenged intellectually, emotionally, physically and socially.'
MR NAH YONG HWEE, a senior psychologist at NUH

Making sacrifices

'I worked out the sums. If we sacrificed in other areas, we could just get by every month.'
MR NG SOON WANG, on paying a total of $1,600 a month to send his two children to a private pre-school