Nominations are now open!
The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) invites nominations for
the 2017 Outstanding Centre for Teaching and Learning Award.
This Award recognises child care centres and kindergartens which have excellent programmes,
processes and learning environments that drive outstanding teaching and learning practices in
the centre. These practices support and sustain young children’s learning, development and
well-being. These are centres which are committed to delivering high quality early childhood
care and education that benefits young children and their families.
Centre leaders and HQ personnel are invited to nominate outstanding centres for this Award.
Parents interested in supporting the nominations may liaise with your child’s kindergarten or
child care centre. Please refer to the attached guidelines on submitting the awards nomination
package.
Closing Date: Wednesday, 3 May 2017 (5pm)
Outstanding Centre for Teaching and Learning Award (For Centre Use Only)
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ECDA Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Development 2017
Outstanding Centre for Teaching and Learning Award
Guidelines
Eligibility
 Centres must be ECDA-registered kindergartens or ECDA-licensed child care centres.

Centres have at least one infant educarer trained in Certificate in Infant/Toddler Care Development (CITC)
at all times.

Teachers teaching PG to N2 (18 months - 4 year olds) are certified at minimally L1 or Certificate in
Preschool Teaching (CPT).

Teachers teaching K1 and K2 (5 to 6 year olds) are certified at L2.

Child care centres should have excellent track record (e.g. 24-month tenure for child care licence) at the
point of application.

Centre leaders must be certified with ECDA and obtained Diploma in Early Childhood Care and EducationLeadership (DECCE-L) or equivalent early childhood leadership qualifications.
Past winners are to note that there is a time bar of five (5) years for Centre Awards (with the exception of the
Innovation Awards which are project based) before your centre may be nominated for the Award again. You
may, however, be nominated for the Awards in other categories (subject to meeting the eligibility criteria).
How to Apply
 Prepare the nomination package which will include:
o Completed Sections A to D of the nomination form
o Supporting documents listed in Section E of the nomination form (e.g. portfolios, videos,
photographs, parents’ testimonials, etc.)
 Ensure that the nomination text illustrates the outstanding teaching and learning practices and provides
clear evidence to support your nomination text.
 The nomination package should be submitted in 4 sets of hard copy in individual folders (CDs, DVDs or
thumb drives, if applicable, should be appended to the nomination package).
 Incomplete or late submissions will not be accepted.
 All information and materials submitted will not be returned.
Format
 All text should be typewritten and double-spaced using Arial font, size 11.
 Please adhere to the maximum page count.
The soft copy of nomination form can be accessed at bit.ly/ECDA_Awards.
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Award Quantum
 Centres that win the award will each receive $3,000 for professional development and $2,000 for teaching
and learning resources, a trophy and a certificate.
 The winning centre leaders are required to submit a proposal on how the grant will be used for the
professional development of his/her staff.
 Winners will be notified in September 2017 and the Awards will be presented at the ECDA Early Childhood
Conference on 6 October 2017 (Fri). Winners may be invited to share their award-winning practices at the
conference and other early childhood sharing platforms (e.g. Grow@Beanstalk Portal, Beanstalk
Magazine).
 Please note that the judging panel’s decision is final and correspondence with regard to the panel’s
decision will not be entertained. ECDA may, on a case by case basis, consider good candidates for a
commendation award.
Code of Conduct
The Centre for Teaching and Learning Award winner is to adhere to the following Code of Conduct.
Staff of centre that wins the award shall:
 manage media inquiries with respect to the ECDA Awards in a fair, polite and non-partisan manner;
 be expected to work with their centre to ensure, to the best of their ability, the proper, effective and
efficient use of public funds; and
 conduct themselves in a professional manner in accordance with the standards set by their centre. Failure
to do so will be seen as undermining the credibility, integrity or relevance of the ECDA Awards, or to
detract from the original conditions upon which the Award was given.
Staff of centre that wins the award shall not:
 exploit their status as award winners for commercial gain;
 use the ECDA Awards title without the explicit permission of ECDA;
 endorse or market products for commercial purposes other than for the centre that they are currently
employed in; and
 abuse their status to advance or promote political views.
Staff of centre that wins the award must not have been convicted of a criminal offence in which they have not
received a pardon for.
The above Code of Conduct is fundamental to being selected as an award winner. If an award winner fails to
abide by this code, ECDA reserves the right to:
 remove the centre’s name from its website and from any other publication that is used to promote
outstanding centres in early childhood education in Singapore, and / or
 revoke the ECDA Award. This will immediately apply to cases where a teaching or early childhood
education certification of any staff in winning centre has been withdrawn for reasons of professional
misconduct and instances in which any staff member has been convicted of a criminal offence.
Enquiries
For enquiries, please email [email protected] with the subject “ECDA Awards 2017 (Teaching and
Learning)”.
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ECDA Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Development 2017
Outstanding Centre for Teaching and Learning Award
NOMINATION FORM
Please complete Sections A–E. Incomplete submissions will not be accepted.
Section A : Particulars of Centre
Name of Centre
(as registered on One
@ ECDA)
Address
Contact No. (Office)
Email
Centre Code (For CCC)
Please indicate as NA if you do not have a vendor account
Vendor ID (For KNs)
Section B : Particulars of Kindergarten Principal / Child Care Centre Supervisor
Name of Principal/
Supervisor
NRIC / FIN
* Mr / Mrs / Mdm / Ms / Dr
Contact No. (Mobile)
Email
* ‘O’ Levels / ‘A’ Levels / Diploma / Degree / Others :
Highest Academic
Qualifications
Highest Professional
Qualifications
Years of trained service
in early childhood
sector
Years of service as a
centre leader in early
childhood Sector
Years of service as a
centre leader in the
current centre
Section C : Particulars of Nominator
Please print “As Above” if the nominator is the same as the Principal / Supervisor.
Name of Nominator
Relationship with
Centre
Contact
* HQ Personnel / Staff of the centre / Others :
(O)
(M)
Email
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Declaration
I, _________________________________, the Nominator, declare that all information contained in this
nomination form is, to the best of my knowledge, accurate. I authorise ECDA to conduct a verification of the
information provided in this nomination. I understand and agree that all documents submitted for this award
are non-returnable. I also understand that photographs, videos and information submitted for this award
may be published and used as promotional and informational materials by ECDA in relation to the early
childhood care and education.
Signature of Nominator / Date: _______________________________________
* Delete accordingly
Section D : Nomination Text (to be completed by nominator)
Please adhere to a maximum of 4 pages for Section D.
Centre Leader to provide a detailed write-up of the following areas, giving concrete evidence and specific
examples. You may include any other relevant information, if applicable.
A. Centre’s Philosophy
Describe the centre’s philosophy of early childhood care and education and the ways in which this
philosophy is translated into practice.
B. Curriculum Planning
Provide specific examples and evidence of how the centre adopts an integrated approach to teaching
and learning, plans and delivers a curriculum that develops and supports children’s holistic development
holistically and ensures that teaching and learning practices are relevant and current.
C.
Programme Structure and Planning
Provide specific examples and evidence of how the centre plans and structures a programme and an
authentic learning environment that supports the successful implementation of the curriculum to
enhance children’s learning, development and well-being.
D. Teaching and Learning Practices
Provide specific examples and evidence of how educators facilitate and extend children’s learning
through purposeful play, quality interactions and the use of appropriate resources and materials.
E. Assessment of Children’s Learning and Development
Provide specific examples and evidence of the approaches and methods that educators use to ascertain
children learning and development in order to plan for and build on their learning, as well as how they
involve parents.
F. Professionalism
Provide specific examples and evidence of how educators engage in continuing professional
development to deepen knowledge and enhance their pedagogical content knowledge, understanding
and competencies.
G. Award Nomination
Tell us why your centre’s teaching and learning practices are deserving of the Outstanding Centre for
Teaching and Learning Award. Highlight key contributions and achievements these teaching and
learning practices have made to your centre, children, families and/or the early childhood sector.
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Section E : Checklist
Please use the list below to check that the required items (and supporting documents, if applicable) have
been attached to your submission.

Calendar of events for the year

Timetable for N2, K1 and K2

Curriculum plans for Term 1 2016 for N2, K1 and K2

Sample lesson plans for N2, K1 and K2 (at least 1 for each level)

Lesson observation records (2 samples)

Teachers’ individual learning plans (2 samples)

Children’s portfolio (samples from a typical portfolio)

Photographs of the learning environment

Documentation of sample lesson activities (photographs / video clips)

(Optional) Other supporting documents : parents’ testimonials must not be older than 12 months
upon the nomination deadline and must include contact information i.e. email address and
telephone number of the writer

(Optional) Other supporting documents
Please list
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Please check that that sections A to E have been accurately completed and supporting documents are
attached. You are required to submit 4 sets of hard copy submissions (including CDs / thumb drives of
videos, if any) by Wednesday, 3 May 2017, 5 pm to the following address:
The ECDA Awards 2017 Secretariat
(Outstanding Centre for Teaching and Learning Award)
Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA)
51 Cuppage Road
#08-01
Singapore 229469
Thank You
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