Handle with Care: Her Secret Sauce to Creating a Positive Preschool Culture

Ms Paye Chia gets energised in seeing parents eagerly volunteering for preschool activities, such as joining the Teachers’ Day event planning committee at her centre. “It demonstrates their appreciation for our early childhood (EC) educators and their support by being proactive,” says the 2024 ECDA Outstanding EC Leader Award winner.

The collaboration exemplifies her leadership philosophy: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” In other words, heartware is essential to effective leadership.

“Before I can expect others to be receptive and follow my guidance, I need to model empathy, build trust and develop genuine relationships,” explains Ms Chia. This thoughtful approach enables the centre principal to establish strong rapport with both educators and parents, setting a positive tone for home-preschool partnership. 

HER FORMULA TO BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Ms Chia’s relationship-building strategy is guided by the ‘ABC’ formula: Availability, Bridging the Gap and Consistency.

She makes it a point to greet parents every morning at drop-off and during evening pick-ups, fostering open communication and trust. “Daily conversations give me valuable insights into parents’ needs, while helping them better understand their children’s learning journeys,” she shares.

Preschool drop-offs and pick-ups are valuable opportunities for Ms Chia to connect with parents.

Parents want reassurance that educators are looking out for their children’s well-being and development or advice on how to support learning at home. Ms Chia believes clear communication and consistent follow-ups are key. She offers practical tips or links families with relevant community services.

Her patience and empathy helped one family manage their child’s developmental challenges. “I shifted our conversations,” she recalls. “Instead of focusing solely on the child’s learning difficulties, I encouraged the parents to share their experiences and gave them time to process their child’s needs.” This approach helped the family feel supported, and they have since enrolled their child in the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) to receive additional support. 

PLAYING TO THEIR STRENGTHS

Ms Chia also applies the ‘ABC’ formula when guiding and mentoring her team of educators. “Listening to their challenges, identifying strengths and areas for growth, and doing regular check-ins builds their confidence,” she says. 

For example, Ms Chia had previously cultivated a close mentoring relationship with two new educators. Through classroom observations and learning needs analysis, she helped them reflect on their areas of interest or improvement. She steered one educator towards pursuing training in working with diverse groups of children, and guided the other in developing effective communication strategies with parents.

Classroom observations are one method Ms Chia uses to provide feedback to educators and develop tailored professional development plans.

“I strive to recognise each educator’s learning style and leverage their strengths to nurture professional growth,” she says. “As leaders, we need to tailor development plans for each educator and work with them to set goals that build on their individual strengths.” 

In February 2025, Ms Chia took on a new appointment as principal of My First Skool at Blk 656C Jurong West. She now leads a larger centre and has more responsibilities, overseeing more than 40 staff and 200 children. One thing remains constant, though: She’ll be practising her ABCs and forging bonds with educators and families.