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“I hope to be that positive influence to the children who come under my care.”
Ms Tiffany Lim Yan Ting Centre Principal - NTUC My First Skool
The Sky's the Limit
Ms Tiffany Lim Yan Ting is an ECDA Scholarship recipient currently pursuing her Master of Education (Early Childhood) at the National Institue of Education. Tiffany started out as a trainee teacher in 2005 and is now a Centre Principal at NTUC My First Skool.
"The sky is my limit."
It is with this conviction that spurred me to further my professional knowledge and pursue my Masters in early childhood (EC) about a year ago. Along with the learning process came struggles and challenges as my childcare centre was newly set-up and I had to manage work demands and family responsibilities. Fortunately for me, I had strong support from my employer and my family.
To me, being an outstanding early childhood educator means going over and above the call of duty to make a positive difference to the lives of young children. I have always felt a strong sense of responsibility towards serving children from disadvantaged and low-income families. For them, having quality early childhood education is significant in making that difference. I remember having good teachers who guided my values and behaviours during my growing years, and I hope to be that positive influence to the children who come under my care.
I believe that building a culture of learning among teachers will lead to active collaboration and innovation. I readily share what I have learnt from my Masters Programme with my teachers. At my centre, I drive a culture of regular dialogue sessions with my teachers where we discuss a range of issues from managing children's behaviours to teaching and learning practices. These sharing sessions have broadened my perspective as a leader and I am able to better understand and guide my teachers. Apart from these, I empower my teachers to lead in projects and nurture them towards being reflective practitioners. Through my leadership, I hope to inspire them to play an active role to contribute to the sector.
As a Centre Principal, I also collaborate closely with other principals when implementing shared strategies such as introducing technology-enabled toys to the centres. We exchange notes on the practices at our centres and this has helped me to implement the best practices at my centre and improve the quality of our curriculum.
Parent engagement is a key strategy in my centre's holistic development of our children. I intentionally engage in regular conversations with parents to build a strong rapport with them. Through these efforts, I hope to forge better partnerships with them and the community so as to foster a better learning environment for our children.
My journey in the sector has been fulfilling thus far, and I am thankful to my family for being my greatest cheerleaders! Juggling family, work and studies has been tough, but my family has been the pillar of support. Looking ahead, I aspire to become a Curriculum Specialist in the near future and eventually a lecturer to inspire the next generation of early childhood educators.
Inspired to join the Early Childhood Sector? Click here for more information on ECDA Scholarships & Training Awards.
