Enlightened Education

Singaporean schools are touted for offering some of the best education worldwide and yet a lot of kids today are unable to think logically, strategise effectively and communicate confidently. Enter The Little Executive, an innovative research-based center that teaches kids 4-8 years the skills necessary to take them “from classroom to boardroom”.

Founder/Owner Michelle Choy is an Occupational Therapist by profession but her role as a mom of 6 kids ranging from 4-18 years is what pushed her to find a successful learning system. Michelle was stumped by the lack of learning methods in the local schools and troubled by the fact that her kids were merely being force-fed numbers and facts without internalising anything. She then partnered with Michelle Tham, the owner of a kid’s therapy center called Leap Frogs. Over the past 10 years, Michelle has used her skills as a Speech Therapist to establish a learning development curriculum for special needs children thereby enabling them to find their innate drive to succeed. “She had the curriculum and I had the know how. We clicked” says Michelle Choy.

This is not a regular “enrichment centre”. Upon entering, kids will undergo “The Executive Assessment” where they are observed on the following factors: Attention, Impulse Control, Cognitive Processes, Working Memory, Self-Monitoring, Social-Emotional and Growth Mindset. Once the term ends, students will take the same assessment again and, parents, get ready to be wowed when you see the ‘Needs Work’ (Score 1) decreasing and ‘Competent’ (Score 3) increasing.

Things work a little differently here, mainly an absence of stacks of workbooks in the classrooms, or times table and facts posters on the walls. There are no computer labs or iPads displayed anywhere. What there is plenty of though are educational toys, brain training objects, arts and crafts material and intuitive and enthusiastic educators. Classes are small, with a 1:6 student ratio for now. Realising that kids are not robots and that they need more than rigour, lessons at The Executive Studio are tailored keeping kids’ needs and interests in mind. Out of the box thinking is encouraged. Making mistakes is allowed. Speaking freely is promoted. Teachers focus on teaching kids the all-important tool of self-regulation, disguising “serious learning” as play and concentrating on the building blocks of school. “First step is awareness, then they can take on the world,” says Michelle very matter of factly. Over the past several months, parents have observed their kids undergo a positive transformation in terms of focus, confidence, willingness to take on challenges, time management, impulse control and working memory.

This has enabled The Little Executive’s student numbers to climb steadily, solely with word of mouth promotion and without any paid advertisement.

So come April 22, visit the centre’s Open House where parents can take their children (N2-P2) to attend one of the Trial Classes, and the kids are given a TEA score (The Executive Assessment) based on their performance in a series of sensory and cognitive activities. This helps them identify any learning gaps they might have, and offer personalised strategies and tips to implement at home. The trial class is for $48 but upon enrolment, the registration fee ($40) will be waived.

Also look forward to their holiday camps coming up in June where kids can choose from exciting themes such as Astronaut Training, Dino Discovery and Little Chefs Camp. For students getting ready to enter Primary 1, be sure to enrol them in the P1 Preparation camp which will give them the tools to stride into primary school with a healthy combination of both curiosity and confidence. So let’s recap all we’ve covered. The Little Executive wants to turn your bundles of joy into sharp minds, creative thinkers, skilled negotiators and mind-blowing communicators. In other words, top of the line executives in any field they enter.

Classroom today. Boardroom tomorrow.