| Speech at My First Skool Guillemard Centre
It is my pleasure to be with all of you tonight at this important occasion. Graduations are happy and proud moments for parents as it marks an important milestone in the development and education of your children.
My First Skool has played a crucial role in the community for a long time, supporting the needs of the residents with its services. My First Skool Guillemard Centre has been an oasis for many pre-school aged children living in the area, as they benefit from the programmes and closeness to nature. I hope that this will continue for many more years to come, and I would like to encourage you to tell your relatives and friends to discover the My First Skool difference for themselves by enrolling their children at this centre.
With the best interest of every child at heart, My First Skool aims to make its services available to all, regardless of financial circumstances. The Bright Horizons Trust Fund supports this aim by offering assistance to low-income families. Assistance comes in the form of payment of fees as well as supplementary programmes specially designed for less fortunate children in order to level them up with their peers.
Also, the Labour Movement continues to help members lighten their burden of living expenses by increasing the U Stretch vouchers from $50 to $80 this year, and also created targeted programmes such as the U Care Immediate Assitance (UCIA) for affected workers and the Bursary/Scholarship TOP-UP scheme, which empowered NTUC-affiliated unions and associations to reach out to more children of lower-income members despite a difficult year. To conclude 2009's efforts, the Labour Movement distributed $5.4million worth of Back to School vouchers to help children of lower-income union members prepare for the new school term in 2010, especially when the average lower-income member might face a tighter budget for purchasing school-related items this year.
12 children are graduating from Guillemard Centre this year. These 12 children will enter school next year ready to face the challenges of formal schooling. I have every confidence that they will fare wel, and I wish them all the best.
Thank you
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