Getting Started

Raising the quality of preschool education in Singapore has been one of the top priorities of the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA). We want all children to have access to quality education and care.

SPARK accreditation aims to promote greater preschools’ ownership in quality improvement, places a greater emphasis on reflective practices through preschools’ self-appraisal so as to provide the best child-centred quality.

Why should preschools apply for SPARK certification?
• It is an endorsement of the quality of a preschool and its programmes.
• It adopts a strengths-based approach which recognises preschools’ unique practices, provides an objective validation of a preschool's strengths and areas for improvement.
• It provides quality benchmarks to guide preschools in their improvement efforts to support children’s holistic development and well-being.
• It provides parents with information to guide them in their selection of preschools.​

Eligibility Criteria for SPARK Validation

Preschools need to meet the stipulated requirements before they are eligible to apply for SPARK accreditation which includes: 
• The preschool must have a license tenure of at least 24 months.
• Preschools must meet the required minimum enrolment.
• The Centre Leader has been appointed in the preschool for at least 3 months.
• Preschools have ECDA-registered educators with valid Letter of Notification (LON) to facilitate learning at the all levels.
• The preschool’s curriculum must meet the criteria specified by ECDA.

Please refer to the “SPARK 2.0 Application Guide” in the Resources section in the Centre Management System (CMS) for the details on the eligibility criteria and SPARK accreditation application. It also covers details of curriculum check and application procedure.