Preschool Teacher & Early Childhood Educator Recruitment in Singapore: The Complete 2026 Guide

Singapore’s early childhood sector covers everyone who cares for and teaches children from birth to six years old, across infant care, childcare centres and kindergartens. It’s one of the industries Wecruit recruits for, and it’s also one of the most tightly regulated when it comes to who can actually be hired into a teaching role. This guide walks through how the sector is structured, what qualifications the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) requires of educators, and how Wecruit fits in if you’re a centre looking to hire or an educator looking for your next role.

How the sector is regulated

ECDA is the government agency that oversees early childhood education and care in Singapore. It sets the qualification and registration requirements for anyone teaching in a licensed preschool or childcare centre, and it certifies educators against specific categories tied to the age group they work with. Wecruit is not the certifying body and doesn’t issue these qualifications ourselves – our role is understanding what ECDA requires for each role and factoring that into who we put forward when a centre asks us to fill a position.

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions below cover what we’re asked most often by educators and hiring centres.

What qualifications do I need to become a preschool teacher in Singapore?

The basic qualification ECDA recognises for someone to be certified to teach children between 18 months and 6 years old is the Diploma in Early Childhood Care & Education – Teaching (DECCE-T), or its WSQ equivalent, the WSQ Professional Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education – Teaching (WSQ PDECCE-T). Most educators build up to this through an entry-level Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education (CECCE), followed by an Advanced Certificate (ACECCE/WSQ ACECCE), before completing the diploma.

Is working with infants and toddlers a separate qualification?

It’s a separate specialisation rather than a separate entry qualification. ECDA runs a Professional Development Programme (PDP) for Infant and Early Years Educators – a structured, 180-hour programme completed over up to 3 years – for educators who are already ECDA-certified and currently employed at an ECDA-registered preschool. The PDP itself doesn’t award a certification, but completing specific top-up modules within it leads to a Statement of Attainment that qualifies an educator to work with children aged 2 months to 3 years.

Where can educators get these qualifications?

Local Early Childhood qualifications are offered through the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC), local polytechnics, ITE, and ECDA-approved Private Training Agencies (PTAs). Since 2019, a number of these local qualifications – including ITE diplomas, polytechnic qualifications and specific WSQ certifications – can be verified digitally through OpenCerts.

Do foreign qualifications count?

Yes. ECDA certifies educators through two main pathways – a local Early Childhood Qualification route and a foreign Early Childhood Qualification route – and applicants need to meet the professional, academic and language requirements set for their specific certification category either way.

Is there anything new educators need to know for 2025 onwards?

From January 2025, ECDA has made a course called “Cultural Compass: Guiding EC Educators Through Singapore’s Diversity” a requirement for certain applicants going through certification. If you’re planning your certification pathway, it’s worth checking directly with ECDA whether this applies to you before you apply.

How Wecruit helps

Whether you’re a preschool or infant care operator trying to fill an educator or centre leadership role, or an ECDA-certified educator looking for your next position, Wecruit’s recruitment team works specifically within Singapore’s early childhood sector. We factor in ECDA’s certification categories and registration requirements from the start, so employers see candidates who are actually eligible for the role, and educators get matched to centres that fit their certification level and experience.

If you are an employer, see our guide on how to hire the right preschool or infant care educator in Singapore.

Get in touch with our team, or if you are looking for your next role in early childhood education, submit your resume and we will be in touch.