“How can we help vulnerable families earlier?”: Her answer was preschool education

“You are the worst mistake I’ve ever made in my life.”

Elaine Chong was working late one evening at Boys’ Town, a residential shelter for boys from disadvantaged backgrounds, when she overheard a mother make this searing remark to the child she had come to visit.

The painful exchange made her think not only about the pain carried by children in fractured families, but by parents too. “We forget that caregivers also feel tremendous pressure raising children,” she said.

It made her think: How can we help these families earlier?

By the time a child enters residential care, much hurt has often already taken place. What would it look like to support children and families before things reached that point?

The answer would lead Elaine somewhere she did not expect – into early childhood education.

A different calling

Since 2015, Elaine has been serving with SuperPower Kids, the children’s ministry of St James’ Church.

Through Dr Jacqueline Chung, who then oversaw the ministry as well as St James’ Church Kindergarten (now Little Seeds Preschool), Elaine discovered a one-year professional training course into the preschool sector.

The kindergarten sponsored her training and provided her with a nurturing environment that supported her personal growth and shaped her development as an educator.

“God literally paved the way,” said Elaine, who had been working in communication roles prior to her career switch.

At the school, she was struck by the culture she encountered. She remembers seeing leaders mop up the wet floor after a heavy downpour instead of calling for a cleaner. When she was struggling with punctuality, the principal asked if she could step in to support her class while Elaine took some time to settle herself in before starting the day.

There was excellence, Elaine said, but compassion too. It shaped the educator she wanted to become – one who held up standards without losing sight of the person in front of her.

“The image of the child shapes the image of the educator,” Elaine said. How we see children – what we believe they are capable of, and what we choose to notice in them – influences how we teach and respond to them.

Moving closer to families who need support

When St James’ Church Kindergarten was rebranded as Little Seeds Preschool (LSP), Elaine asked to move to an LSP centre in Bukit Batok, which was close to a cluster of rental flats.

For Elaine, that mattered.

Many children she had previously taught came from middle- to upper-income families. Here was an opportunity to serve families carrying greater financial, relational and caregiving pressures.

Some children came from families affected by divorce or complicated caregiving arrangements. Others craved adult attention because relationships around them were unstable.

The more she learnt about the families of her students, the more convinced she became that preschool ministry is not just about caring for the child, but for their whole family too.

So, Elaine and her colleagues often find practical ways to support parents who lack a strong support network.

Recently, a mother going through a divorce confided in Elaine that she was struggling emotionally and was hesitant to seek formal help after prior bad experience.

What she needed from Elaine in that moment was simple: A hug.

For Elaine, these encounters are not interruptions to the “real” work of preschool. They are the work.

“It fits into the mission of being there for the parent and the child,” she said.

She knows one teacher cannot meet every need. But what gives her hope is a team that notices children, supports families and looks out for one another.

“There’s just one me,” she said. “But when there’s a team, we can help children become who God created them to be, and help families feel loved, safe and seen.”

Why Christian preschools still matter

Next year will mark Elaine’s 10th year in early childhood education across St James’ Church Kindergarten and Anglican Preschool Services, which runs the LSP brand of preschools.

Despite the challenges, what has kept her going has been the opportunity to build relationships with children and their families – and to speak openly about Christ.

“When there’s a team, we can help children become who God created them to be, and help families feel loved, safe and seen.”

For Elaine, Christian preschools must not lose sight of their calling even as the preschool landscape evolves, competition grows and administrative demands increase.

“If we lose the vision – the relationships with the children and the families in front of us – if we miss the connection, we have lost the plot,” she said.

What is at stake, she firmly believes, is more than whether children are ready for Primary 1 when they leave preschool.

A Christian preschool can offer children a place where they know they are seen, loved and created by God, and where their worth is not determined by achievement, behaviour or circumstance.

For children facing instability, that message can be transformative. And for Elaine, that’s worth staying for.

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