Wearing of Masks in Early Childhood Settings – Lessons in social responsibility

There are lots of concerns and questions on whether young children should wear masks or not during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the queries are rife again now that 1 Aug we all need to mask up.

In line with the mask ruling of 1 August, Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS shared his research on the use of masks in general, and this morning he further shared with us (the team prepping for our webinar this Friday on safety and psycho-social wellbeing in EC settings) these tips on mask usage in Early Childhood (EC) settings. For children in centres, wearing of masks is dependent on age:

1. Children under 2 years should not wear masks
2. 3-5 years could wear a face shield (hat type)
3. After that age, children should wear a good cloth mask

Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com

For adults working in EC centres, Dato Dr Amar recommends the following:

1. They should preferably wear a good cloth mask – check out WHO guidelines
2. If this is not possible or impairs teaching, then they should wear a good face shield.
3. Teachers with chronic health problems or those older than 60 years, they should wear a 3 ply surgical mask, which should not be re-cycled

Photo by Ian Panelo on Pexels.com

The wearing of masks and physical distancing through social bubbles in EC centres, for example, when viewed positively, can be excellent opportunities for us to instill the critical skills of social responsibility and respect for others. Activities for social learning are often sadly set aside in many centres in the interest of academic learning.

The Covid 19 pandemic has perhaps pushed the agenda in EC settings to give due focus to social learning. We have tangible tools now – masks and face shields, plus physical boundaries – to remind the children that what they do can have the impact on themselves and on others. There is so much that the children will observe, talk about and learn. The importance of their individual actions and the need for collective responsibility during these times can be neatly embedded into a range of EC activities – measurement (1 metre lessons), show and tell, story time, art and craft, exploration on cultural differences, to name a few. And most effectively, these skills are practised in their daily routines.

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While the Covid 19 SoPs may seem like an inconvenience to many, even challenged by some, and blatantly flouted by others, we need to remember that our response to the pandemic will have a lasting impact on our young. The children growing up with these SoPs will be the adults in the coming decades. If we use the opportunities presented to us today, they will learn to trust others, respect boundaries, be more civic and social minded, & live healthier lifestyles. Let’s give them these critical lessons as we nurture citizens of the world.

So, the question is – what lessons are we sharing in our EC settings?

 

Unmasking the Masks – Facts and Fallacies by Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah recently announced the mandatory use of face masks effective today. This will be for crowded public places where social distancing cannot be practised. Those who flout the rule could be fined up to RM1,000, face 6 month imprisonment, or both.

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Such a rule was already implemented for public transport. When I had to travel the Sri Petaling line down to KL last week, I had the experience of being with the crowd and I was grateful for all who had their masks on. During the ride, there were regular announcements in Bahasa and English, between each station, for passengers to wear masks at all times.

Since the news of the mandatory use of masks, social media was hit with a whatsapp circular on the mask SOP for travelling in cars and dining at eateries. The message was today declared “fake” by the Communications and Multimedia Ministry.

In these times, we need responsible information shared, and not fake material that confuse and distress. I am pleased that Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS was featured last night (1 August) in a timely session by the Malaysian Medical Resources – “Unmasking the Masks – facts and fallacies”. For those who did not catch the live session, replay is available on youtube.

Dato Dr Amar generously shared the current research that he put together. Explanation on the transmission of Covid-19 was clear, and within this context, viewers could appreciate the need for all of us to don face masks, as one of the important prevention measures during the pandemic. He emphasized that all masks would work, but at different degrees of effectiveness.

Dato Dr Amar also put in a convincing case for cloth masks, as long as these are correctly made (multiple layers with correct combination of fabrics in terms of thread count and water resistance) and well-fitted to ensure filtration effectiveness. He cited the WHO (June 2020) cloth mask guidelines that include:

• A minimum of three layers, depending on the fabric used. (With more tightly woven materials, as number of layers increases, the breathing ability may be reduced.
• The ideal combination of material should include an innermost layer of a hydrophilic material (e.g. cotton or cotton blends); an outermost layer made of hydrophobic material (e.g., polypropylene, polyester, or their blends) and a middle hydrophobic layer of synthetic non-woven material such as polyproplylene or a cotton layer which may enhance filtration or retain droplets.
• Material should not be elastic
• Mask shapes include flat-fold or duckbill and are designed to fit closely over the nose, cheeks and chin of the wearer.
• Nose piece to be added to possible

Photo by Julia M Cameron on Pexels.com

Citing WHO again, Dato Dr Amar stated that cloth masks would not be suitable for Healthcare professionals, those above 60 years, those with illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and those with symptoms suggestive of Covid 19. I particularly appreciated how Dato’ Dr Amar shared the types of masks he has personally used.

Dato Dr Amar also warned against the recycling of 3-ply masks and reiterated that masks must be worn correctly to be effective. He also covered the use of face shields, and masks for the future including the gill mask and the leaf mask.

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS will be speaking at the SEGi College Subang Jaya webinar on 7 August at 730pm. We can be sure of a comprehensive, fact-based session, comprehensible with loads of practical ideas. Join us and stay informed so that we can all be safe.

 

Social Distancing and Young Children

This morning the google news feed on my phone featured a World of Buzz article on young children’s inability to fully understand social distancing.

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The article provoked this blog where I question the extent and effectiveness of preparation made for the return of our children to primary schools. Our country is not the only one with schools re-opening, and debates on “to open or not” have taken place and continue to do so as experts weigh the impact of children being away from school and of the reopening of schools. Studies of schools that have reopened from different countries suggest that small student groups together with the wearing of masks are workable and social distancing has also been advocated. UNICEF and other members of the internet community has been generous with resources and strategies on social distancing and other practices to ensure safety in schools. I even came across a delightful book written by Benjamin Lindquist, MD, a Stanford clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine for his two year old toddler to help her understand social distancing.

Photo by Julia M Cameron on Pexels.com

Yes, the new normal is not easy but staying informed and making a collective effort will go a long way to keep our children safe in schools. Practices outside school are equally important to reinforce the need for adherence to strict SoPs. There have been practices that I have seen in malls and eateries that are worrying. How many of us have witnessed parents who allow their children to behave as though Covid-19 never hit the country? Conversely, it was reassuring when I finally got a place to attend mass last weekend at St Francis Xavier church, Jalan Gasing, to see strict SoPs enforced.

social distancing, wearing of masks, strict contact tracing were emphasized

The World of Buzz article was also most timely as it paved the way to promote our upcoming SEGi College Subang Jaya ECCE webinar on Friday 7 August at 7.30pm. This is the fourth in our ECCE Insights series and the session will focus on safety and psychosocial wellbeing in the early years settings. We can never have too many reminders on keeping our children safe, and more importantly on practical steps that we can all take to ensure that this happens.

Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com

Stay tuned for upcoming writeups on the well respected experts who will be joining us!

 

Dr Amar-Singh speaks at the ECCE Council AGM, 11 July 2020

The ECCE Council had its 10th AGM on 11 July. This year it was a virtual AGM held via Zoom, with around 50 members in attendance. The pre-AGM talk was also most apt, covering health concerns in the SOP for ECCE settings. The speaker was Datuk Dr Amar-Singh HSS, a senior consultant paediatrician who is an authority on this topic. He has spoken and written extensively on this topic.

Dr Amar at the ECCE Coucil 10th AGM

Dr Amar took the participants through a range of issues, emphasizing what we really need to do to keep our centres safe for everyone. His presentation was clear and well received.

Here are some slides that Dr Amar shared at the session, covering key issues for children and teachers.

Dr Amar reminded us of the need to stay safe using the data from China

Dr Amar also shared further resources on the SoPs he had written for centres in the country.

 

Re-opening of Tadikas – the critical roles of the ECCE Practitioners

ECCE Insights is the monthly webinar hosted by the SEGi Group of Colleges to inspire the community through the insights shared by industry experts.

Our third ECCE Insights is happening on Friday 3 July at 830pm, Malaysian time. This webinar is different as it will be in Mandarin, hosted by Michelle Huan, ECE lecturer from SEGi College Subang Jaya, who spoke at our first ECCE Insights in May.

Our earlier webinars looked at the ECCE services in our Covid 19 world. The June webinar looked specifically at sustainability in the ECCE industry, and it coincided with Taskas re-opening starting 2 June. We thank LittleLives for the summary of key points raised at the session. Arjuna Raj, the Chief Strategy Officer of LittleLives was one of our speakers at the session.

Our third ECCE Insights coincides with Tadikas resuming operations on 1 July. There have been lots of briefings on the Guidelines on the reopening among the tadika communities. One webinar that was well attended was that hosted by the ECCE Council on 27 June 2020, featuring En Mohd Suffian bin Mahmud, from the Policy and Governance Unit, Panning and Research Sector, Private Education Division, Ministry of Education.

ECCE Insights 3 looks at how ECCE centres have reopened, focusing on the staff who have made it happen and the support systems that allow them to move towards the new normal.

Our three speakers include Mdm Ng Lee Boon, the Principal of Taska Cahaya Horizons, Kuching, Sarawak, which was awarded in 2017 “The Best Benchmark TASKA Environment Setting in Sarawak” by the Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development in the Cabinet of Sarawak. Mdm Ng has almost 30 years experience in ECCE operations and has worked actively with Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, Sarawak. She is currently the President of Persatuan Pengasuh Kanak-kanak Berdaftar Sarawak and a council member of the Sarawak Early Childhood Education Council, under the Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development in the Cabinet of Sarawak.

Secondly, we have Ms Tracy Ong who has more than 30 years of experience in Early Childhood Education. She is the founder of Tadika Pandan Indah and Pusat Jagaan Indah. Ms Ong is active in ECCE leadership. She is currently the Chairman of Persatuan Guru-guru Tadika Wilayah Persekutuan and Negeri Selangor and she also serves as the Deputy Chairman for Persatuan Guru Tadika Malaysia.

Thirdly, we also feature Ms Joey Teo Chai Ling who has almost 20 years of Montessori experience. She is currently the Principal of 3 Montessori schools in  Johor, and is busy providing consultation services to Montessori centres. She is a graduate of SEGi College Subang Jaya who holds the  International Montessori Diploma from Montessori Centre International, UK.  She is a member of the Montessori Association Malaysia and  Persatuan Taska Johor.

If you are unable to register for the webinar, or forget to do so, join us on FB live – SEGi College Subang Jaya. Come with questions you want answered, with stories of your centres that you want to share. Together we learn and grow.

 

Re-opening of Tadikas – Guidelines and SoPs

On 27 June 2020, the ECCE Council organised a well attended webinar with 300 plus participants, focusing on the re-opening of Tadikas. Tadikas were finally to re-open on 1 July and there many briefings organised by the Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah to take the Tadika community through the guidelines on the re-opening.

The ECCE Council webinar featured En Mohd Suffian bin Mahmud, from the Policy and Governance Unit, Panning and Research Sector, Private Education Division, Ministry of Education. En Suffian’s clear presentation helped the participants understand the guidelines from the Ministry.

There were also excellent sharing sessions by practitioners who inspired the participants with their preparation for the re-opening. One of the presenters was Datin Ang Chin Fan from Tadika Xaris, Johor Bahru. Datin Ang gave due emphasis to communication with parents.

Another presenter was Ms Annabelle Thomas from the Little Tree House, Atria. Annabelle’s photos of her physical set up were much appreciated.

The full recording of the webinar, moderated by ECCE Council President, Datuk Dr Chiam Heng Keng, has been made available to ECCE Council members.

Here’s wishing all Tadikas every success as they move forwards in the new normal.

 

ECCE Insights 2: Featuring Ms Heather Munn, University of Greenwich

Tonight at 8.30pm, we go live with another ECCE Insights : evening talks on early childhood care & education by the SEGi Group of Colleges. Tonight’s session will be exciting as we focus on sustainability – a concern of many sectors in our Covid 19 world. We have Arjuna Raj of LittleLives covering the topic based on his observations of the 1,000 plus preschools and 20,000 educators in the region using the LMS system developed by LittleLives. Ms Patricia Teh of Peter Jane will share what her centres are doing to move forward in the new normal. And our session will also feature Ms Heather Munn, senior lecturer for Early Years in the School of Education at the University of Greenwich, UK.

SEGi’s relationship with the University of Greenwich (UoG) in terms of early childhood started back in 2012 when we took in our first cohort of students for the UoG BA (Hons) Early Years Education. Since then, we have had graduates on this course making a difference in the industry, some in LittleLives and some in Peter & Jane as well.

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Heather has had a long career in managing nurseries, before moving into Early Years consultancy  for a London borough, gaining a wealth of experience supporting practitioners in private, voluntary and independent settings, from nursery to Year 1 primary education.

In 2015, Heather joined the University of Greenwich, and is now part of the Early Years team, supporting students on the undergraduate and postgraduate Early Years courses. She has a degree in child development, a masters in Education as well as a postgraduate certificate in consultancy for education leadership. Her interest are children under 3 and supporting effective teams.

Heather has been in Malaysia on several occasions, meeting up with staff and students on the early years degree. In 2017, for example, she visited Rise N Shine Childcare, a centre set up by one of the Early Years graduates, Sim Mei Ling.

In tonight’s webinar, Heather will share best practices from Europe so that participants are informed on alternative practices and can make better decisions on how to move forward.

 

ECCE Insights 2: Featuring Arjuna Raj, CSO of LittleLives Inc

Following on our well received SEGi May ECCE Insights, our 5 June ECCE Insights will explore a topic that is very much of concern to the industry – sustainability! Now that taskas are allowed to re-open, and tadikas will soon follow, children will return to centres that are less familiar with a range of different routines and procedures. Can ECCE services remain sustainable in the new normal? One of our three speakers at our webinar is Arjuna Raj, who is well versed with the ECCE industry in the region, and can speak with authority on what is happening and going to happen in the region.

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Arjuna became the Chief Strategy Officer of LittleLives Inc in 2018, after having served as the Chief Operating Officer since 2014. LittleLives Inc has been making an impact in the ECCE sector through its student Management system – used by over 1000 preschools in 9 countries, serving around 20,000 educators. LittleLives Inc also hosts a conference every 2 years – the International Conference for Early Childhood (ICE) which seeks to expose preschool educators and operators to best practices of different countries. The first ICE was in 2017 in Malaysia and in 2019, ICE was in Vietnam with LittleLives working together with UNICEF. Arjuna’s background is in Business and Marketing and he also holds a Masters in Early childhood from Monash. 

Arjuna’s ultimate goal is to improve work environment within schools and advocate lifelong learning for educators. In his current capacity, he has led training sessions for ECCE practitioners and has helped schools with merger and acquisition. He is passionate about working with children and has strong social leanings that drive him to create a robust early childhood curriculum that is more inclusive of parent involvement. He has visited over 1500 preschools around the world and has always been asked this one very important question. “What makes a preschool good?”. His answer – a preschool that works with the community, a preschool that works with the parents and the various stat boards that govern early childhood education.

Arjuna has spoken as a guest lecturer at the National Institute of Early Childhood Development, Singapore and SEGi College Subang Jaya. In October 2018, Arjuna spoke to our Early Childhood students on managing communications with parents, and in November 2019, he shared with our Aspiring Entrepreneurs Club members on the topic Thinking outside the Box.

For ECCE Insights 2, we are delighted to have Arjuna kick off the session, sharing his keen observations of the industry. His presentation will show the current problems and will give some possible solutions.

 

ECCE Insights 2: Featuring Ms Patricia Teh of Peter & Jane

On 5 June 2020, the SEGi ECCE Insights will feature another 3 experts who will share on the topic of ECCE sustainability – getting ready for the new normal. One of our speakers is Ms Patricia Teh, who is much respected in the industry.

Ms Patricia Teh has long been involved in the Malaysian ECCE scene. Montessori training was her finishing school course at the tender age of 19. Within two years upon graduation from St. Nicholas Montessori College and London Montessori College, in 1982, she started the first Peter and Jane centre in Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya. From 1983 – 1991, Peter & Jane represented the London Montessori Center (LMC) in Malaysia while Patricia was appointed the external examiner for LMC. In September 2018, Peter & Jane became part of Busy Bees Asia.

Patricia was invited by the Curriculum Development Centre, Ministry of Education in 2000 to contribute towards the design of the National Preschool Curriculum which was enforced in 2002. She was also invited by the Prime Minister’s Department to participate at the National Key Economic Area (NKEA) Lab on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in 2010. She has been on the Executive Committee of the ECCE Council since its inception in 2011.

One of Pat’s contributions to the ECCE Council was the China Study Tour in 2019

On 30 May 2020, Pat also served as moderator for an ECCE Council webinar on Sustainability and Staying Afloat. Some of the key take aways from the session include:

• to look beyond financial sustainability to include academic sustainability – how do we sustain children’s learning, without cutting corners? If centres are closing down, or running at 50% capacity, supply may be eventually limited and ECCE services will be expensive in the future (Mr Jery Yeoh, Whytehouse)
• once you choose ECCE as your career, you are bound for life! Giving may get more in return. Focus on parents who are paying you and do not worry about those who have left. Passion, grit plus an open mind and heart are critical (Mr Cheah Eng Khoon, Talento)
• You may not be able to control the income, but you can control your expenses. Consider bulk purchasing, sharing of resources and even mergers and acquisitions (Tuan Hj Azmil Khuzaid, Emkay)
• MoE’s challenge to meet its KPI on preschool enrolment, it’s therefore in the Government’s interest to re-open tadika. Focus on parents who are ready to send the children back. The SoP is ready but needs to be endorsed. It covers handwashing, class size to maintain social distancing, transportation, to name a few. (Dr Sarifah Norazah Syed Annuar, MoE)

In our upcoming webinar, Pat will share her insights on the industry based on her extensive Peter & Jane experience, and she will also speak out on what it takes for us to be sustainable. Pat has been a long time supporter of SEGi ECCE activities and it is an honour to have Pat on our panel to discuss sustainability issues in ECCE for the country. We appreciate her bold outlook on the current situation.

 

ECCE Insights 1 : Thank you for inspiring the community!

On 8 May 2020, we launched our ECCE Insights – a webinar featuring key speakers who would take us into the world of ECCE with the aim of inspiring all of us, especially during the Covid 19 pandemic. Our deepest appreciation to our first team of speakers – Mr Cheah Eng Khoon from Talento, Mr Jery Yeoh from Whytehouse and Ms Michelle Huan from SEGi College Subang Jaya – for their heartfelt and honest sharing on the ECCE industry today and in the days to come. Our viewers were most appreciative of the session which has reached to date 2,005 views on youtube and 7,000 over views through FB.

Mr Cheah, whose Parklands kindergarten has been set by the Ministry of Education as the benchmark for tadikas in Malaysia, spoke on how his teachers successfully engaged with the children and parents so that they could continue with their kindergarten project work at home during MCO and CMCO. In the process, parents learnt to observe their children, to have conversations with them and to learn together with them.

Jery’s Whytehouse offers the children a global classroom which gathers teachers from the world over to support their classroom practices. Strong emphasis is placed on interaction, and maintaining what they did with the children before MCO as well, using zoom merely as a tool of communication.

When a centre has an effective and quality curriculum, when efforts are made to truly deliver the curriculum, when relationships are strong with parents, it has been easier to make ECCE services relevant to children and parents during these days and beyond. Looking at the situation from an academic angle, Michelle said, “If we have a choice, children should learn concretely, with real materials, real experiences, but we don’t have a choice yet, we have to make the best out of the situation.” To make the best out of a situation requires creativity, boldness and the knowledge and competencies to always place the child at the centre of all that we do. The next challenge is what happens in the new normal?

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

There is uncertainty over the future of ECCE in Malaysia, as we are in an ECCE tsunami which will change the ECCE ecosystem in the country (to quote Mr Cheah). Some of the driving factors that will allow the industry to press on include passion in staff to care and educate the young, having the right attitude – to take on new challenges and to bring the multiple skills they have developed during these times to the new normal for ECCE. Professionalism, consistency in quality delivery, and openness to learning are cited as critical factors that will make or break an ECCE centre. Training is emphasized of course. And SEGi has been training early childhood practitioners since 1999.

Building upon the first Insights, the June Insights will focus on sustainability. The session is on Friday 5 June, at 8.30pm. Our esteemed speakers are Ms Patricia Teh of Peter & Jane, Mr Arjuna Raj of Littlelives and Ms Heather Munn of the University of Greenwich. Check out the upcoming posts for hints on what our experts will cover on 5 June.