Welcome to Metta Welfare Association

Metta School

Background
Developmental research has proven that the first five years of a child’s life are the most important as the rate of learning and growth is at its most rapid. The same applies to children with disabilities, rendering them highly adaptive to acquire beneficial life skills.

Early diagnosis of the child’s disability coupled with appropriate intervention programmes at this stage, can therefore, help the child cope with the disability, prevent it from deteriorating and maximise his/her development and capabilities.

Also known as early intervention programmes for infants and children (EIPIC), these programmes involve specialised education and therapy services that are tailored to address the intellectual, social, therapeutic and medical needs unique to each child.

They also entail critical support services for the child’s family by means of information, advocacy and emotional assistance.

Programmes & Services
Supported by the MCYS and NCSS, the Metta PreSchool is a non-profit EIPIC institution that specialises in early intervention programmes for children aged 2 to 6 from various races and religions, who are diagnosed with mild to moderate autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and/or intellectual disability.

Currently, we are the only EIPIC centre that operates five days a week for 3.5 hours each day and all refreshments prepared for our pupils are planned and monitored in terms of their nutritional value by our therapists.

Curriculum
Formulated with the children’s holistic development in mind, our curriculum encompasses academic subjects and performing/visual arts that encourage self-expression and social interaction in them, which in turn enhance their self-esteem and independence level.

The curriculum covers these programmes that equip them with the skills and abilities necessary for primary education:

	Preschool Academic Skills comprising Language and Literacy, Mother Tongue, Numeracy and Discovery & Exploration
	Performing and Visual Arts
	Physical Development (motor skills)
	Personal Development (self-help skills)
	Social and Emotional Development
	Computer-based Learning Programmes

In addition, Individualised Education Plans (IEP) are drawn up for them by our teachers in consultation with parents and our paramedical team to identify their unique learning styles, from which customised programmes are devised to suit their abilities and needs.

To ensure that their learning needs and goals are met, these IEPs are reviewed regularly to assess the outcomes.

Support Services
Tending to the children’s physiological and emotional development is a multi-disciplinary team of paramedical professionals comprising a speech therapist, a psychologist and an occupational therapist.

In addition, a social worker is present to offer social support services. Each child’s developmental progress will be monitored and assessed by them.

Facilities
The twinning of intelligent space-planning skills and a thorough understanding of early childhood needs has enabled us to integrate home features and interesting learning corners into our premises.

Constituting a warm and comfortable haven, such quality infrastructure ensures that early intervention can effectively take place for the pupils.

Admission
Admission is open to children from various racial and religious backgrounds aged 2 to 6 who are:

	Diagnosed with mild to moderate ASD and/or intellectual disabilities
	Not diagnosed with any physical disability
	Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents
	Referred by the Disability Information & Referral Centre (DIRC), hospitals or paediatricians
	Assessed by our in-house multi-disciplinary team of paramedical professionals

Fee Structure
To ensure that children from low-income families can benefit from our programmes, school fees are determined base on their families’ per capita monthly income.

Per Capita Monthly Income*	Monthly School Fee
$300 or less	$85
$301 to $500	$150
$501 to $700	$250
$701 to $1,000	$400
$1,001 or more	$600

* The per capita monthly income is derived by dividing the total gross income of immediate family members by the number of such members and their eligible dependants.

We are appealing for donations to defray our purchase of learning materials, computers, test kits and meal costs. Sponsorships of our classrooms and facility rooms can help us create a nurturing environment for the children.

Sponsorship fee for each classroom is $10,000, whereas our paramedical room that comes equipped with assistive and adaptive equipment is available at $50,000. The cost for sponsoring our administration office is $25,000.