Rebecca is an early childhood expert and mixed media artist with many years of experience in teaching, leadership and research.

She lectures on early childhood education at SEED and the psychology of art at NIE, and is passionate about guiding parents and teachers to interpret children’s art and understand the underlying principles of how children think and learn.

A presenter at the NAEYC annual conference in the US in 2014 and 2015, Rebecca is also an advocate of integrated learning through physical education for young children, and enjoys writing to The Straits Times forum on education-related matters. She has a Master of Arts in Education from Goldsmiths College, University of London, and a Doctorate from Durham University in the UK. Rebecca’s art have been exhibited at the Singapore Science Centre and Gardens by the Bay. Outside of work, Rebecca is a certified inline skate instructor.

Jacqueline, who holds a PhD in early childhood education and has 19 years of experience in the sector, leads SJCK with its 1,400 children spread across 3 campuses. She received the ECDA Outstanding Early Childhood Leader Award in 2014 and is listed by the Exchange Leadership Initiative (USA) in its 2016 Directory of Exceptional Master Leaders.

She conducts talks and workshops for parents and teachers on a wide variety of topics such as the visual arts, music, language & literacy, learning environments, mentoring and leadership. She is a consultant to preschools in Singapore and overseas, balancing that with weekly mentoring sessions for leaders within her centre. She is a certified trainer of ‘Key to Learning’, a Vygotskyian approach to early childhood education.

Fred has held various academic positions, such as Professor of Education at RMIT and Associate Professor at the University of Florida. He was previously the CEO of the Kindergarten Union of South Australia which oversaw 300 centres and 1,000 teaching staff, and senior adviser to the Minister of Education in the South Australian Government. The introduction of integrated services for children and families in remote areas of South Australia was among his projects.

Fred has also worked with the National Child Care Accreditation Council and contributed to the University of South Australia’s programs in Singapore and Hong Kong. He has supervised hundreds of Honours and Masters’ research projects, written for early childhood journals, and penned text books which are used internationally. He has also served as consultant to UNICEF and the World Bank.

Connie has 20 years of experience in early childhood education, with expertise in curriculum development and leadership. She graduated with a Doctorate in Philosophy in Early Childhood Education and Teaching from the University of South Australia, and is an adjunct professor with Wheelock College.

Shaireen has 20 years of local and international field experience as a teacher, principal, curriculum specialist, teacher-trainer and research consultant. Beyond the copious hours she spends ‘coffee coaching’ and designing online inspirational posters, she is pursuing a full-time PhD at the University of Warwick, researching leadership and policy in the early years.

Coming from a family of educators, Shaireen – who holds a Forest School level 2 certification among her qualifications – defines her life work as ‘a joyous mission to enable educators to design their best self’. She blogs at http://www.shailosophy.com and http://www.printcutcraft.com.

Iris has been in the early childhood education sector for 15 years as a learner, teacher, leader and trainer. She began her career as a primary school teacher at CHIJ Bukit Timah, before joining Chiltern House as a Kindergarten 2 teacher.  She went on to work at other preschools and moved into management roles. She now oversees the running of all Chiltern House centres in Singapore.

Outside of Chiltern House, Iris is a associate lecturer and practicum supervisor with SEED Institute. She has written a preschool English Language curriculum and two series of assessment books on mental mathematics and English grammar. She is a jazz-lover, DIY jeweller, and avid traveller. As a mentor in Principal Matters, she hopes to help others embrace the unexpected and learn to take risks in whatever they do.

Wee Mee has been managing and growing early learning centres since 2000, when she started Pre-school By-The-Park. Before that, she worked in management positions in a multi-national company after graduating with a Masters from Melbourne Business School.

She enjoys growing teams of leaders and practitioners who are able to adapt their style and practices in step with developments in the industry.

Geraldine oversees the professional practices and development for all childcare-related business units at NTUC First Campus, namely My First Skool, The Little Skool House, and The Caterpillar’s Cove. She is also the Centre Director of The Caterpillar’s Cove Child Development and Study Centre, a winner at the President’s Design Award 2015, Singapore’s top design accolade. It is the first entry from the early childhood education field to win this prestigious award.