- What is the Integrated Child Care Programme?
- What are the admission criteria?
- What does ICCP consist of?
- Where are the ICCP centres located?
- What are the fees for ICCP?
- How do I enrol my child for ICCP?
- Can I apply for enrolment by walking into or calling the centre?
- How soon can my child be enrolled with an ICCP centre?
- Is my child placed in a class according to his/her age?
- Are the teachers trained?
- What is the capacity of each ICCP centre?
- What if my child is almost 6 or older than 6? Should he go for or remain under ICCP, or proceed to Primary 1?
- Besides ICCP, are there any other alternatives I can consider?
1. What is the Integrated Child Care Programme?The
Integrated Child Care Programme (ICCP) is an inclusive programme offered by existing mainstream childcare centres which enables children with special needs who are aged 2 to 6 to learn alongside regular peers. The programme provides a natural environment for the child to learn, play, socialise and grow up in. This prepares the child for entry into mainstream primary education later. The Centre for Enabled Living (CEL) provides information and referrals to these centres.
2. What are the admission criteria?
To qualify for ICCP, your child should be aged 2 to 6. He should be diagnosed with physical, hearing, visual, speech, or developmental disabilities. Some examples of developmental disabilities are Autism, Dyslexia, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In general, ICCP is meant for children who have been diagnosed by a medical doctor as having mild to moderate disabilities, and is suitable for ICCP.
3. What does ICCP consist of?
ICCP provides full-day, half-day or flexi-care programmes, depending on individual centres. The programme engages children with special needs in group activities with other children in the centre; caters to the child’s learning needs by modifying the curriculum; develops an Individual Education Plan for each child by working together with the parents and healthcare professionals; monitors the progress of each child on a regular basis; and conducts regular parent-teacher feedback sessions. Parents should note that ICCP is not specially designed for children with special needs.
4. Where are the ICCP centres located?
5. What are the fees for ICCP?
Fees vary from centre to centre and depend on the type of programme administered. If you need a subsidy, you may apply for assistance through the centre upon your child’s enrolment. You can either apply for a government childcare subsidy, which is only applicable to Singaporeans, and differs for working and non-working mothers; or the
Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Child Care (CFAC).
Additionally, you may approach your nearest Family Service Centre for assistance to apply for financial schemes for children, such as the
Healthy Start Programme for low-income families.
6. How do I enrol my child for ICCP?
You may approach CEL for more information on the enrolment procedure. If your child is known to a hospital, you can request for the doctor or medical social worker to make a referral to CEL using the
CEL e-referral system; or for private clinics, the
ICCP referral form, medical report, and psychological report if available (for Autistic children).
7. Can I apply for enrolment by walking into or calling the centre?
ICCP centres are not allowed to accept walk-in applicants. Parents are required to submit their applications through CEL. This is because centres need to assess the child and determine which class would be suitable, especially if/when they have current or upcoming vacancies.
8. How soon can my child be enrolled with an ICCP centre?
A centre will take in your child as and when they have a vacancy in the class that is appropriate to his/her age and functioning level. If there are no vacancies, your child will be placed on the waiting list. There is no exact timeframe within which children on the waiting list will be enrolled. If a centre is full, there will only be a vacancy if there is a withdrawal from the centre.
Besides ICCP, a similar programme parents can consider is the Intervention Cum Educational (ICE) Programme by
Presbyterian Community Services (PCS), which runs 6 ICCP centres. PCS may recommend to parents to consider their ICE Programme (which is available in their Hougang, Jurong West and Tampines centres) if child is found to be suitable to benefit from it.
9. Is my child placed in a class according to age?
Your child will be placed in a class that is appropriate to his age and functional level, as assessed by the centre. He will join in all or most of the class activities. Integration and socialisation activities are usually held in the morning.
10. Are the teachers trained?
The teachers are trained in special needs and are around to provide extra guidance and help. They are not Special Education teachers.
11. What is the capacity of each ICCP centre?
According to the ICCP Service Model, each centre should have up to 10 special needs children enrolled. However, the centre’s capacity depends on its resources, since there is a required teacher-student ratio of 1:3, as well as the severity of the children’s disabilities in each class.
12. What if my child is almost 6 or older than 6? Should he go for or remain under ICCP, or proceed to Primary 1?
This depends on your child’s doctor’s recommendation. If the doctor recommends that your child’s primary school education should be deferred by 1 or 2 years, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will be notified and will send you a confirmation letter. With this letter, you can approach the ICCP centres directly to enrol your child for ICCP, or extend his stay under the programme. Parents should note that the younger the child, the higher the chance that ICCP can facilitate his successful integration into mainstream education.
13. Besides ICCP, are there any other alternatives I can consider?
If you are unwilling to wait for a vacancy at a particular ICCP centre, you can explore non-ICCP-designated childcare centres. You can visit the Baby Bonus
website by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports to get started.