Long gone are the days where you’ve to flip through the Classified Ads section of your newspaper for a list of preschools or tuition centres around your area.
More preschools, tuition and enrichment centres are progressively turning to the Internet as a platform to reach out to these parents.
At least 10 new enrichment and preschool booking websites have launched in the last few years, but how do they differ from each other? Here, we try out the different portals to see what hits the spot.
Founded by two mums with the aim of simplifying parenthood, Today Got Class has over 1,000 classes and 120 centres that have been screened for quality before being listed.
The search process is simple: Indicate your child’s age, topic of interest (there are 10 to choose from, and you can select more than one), preferred location, start date, schedule and price range, and you’re good to go.
However, when we searched for Chinese literacy classes for a five-year-old, there were none that matched our preferences. Only when we left the start date, day and time slots blank did we get results.
Despite the minor glitch, the overall experience was fuss free as we were able to book directly through the portal.
Today Got Class also has a school holiday enrichment programme guide for parents who are looking for short-term courses.
Its rewards system earns you a point for every dollar spent. Chalk up 100 points to enjoy discounts on your next booking.
How much Free
Visit www.todaygotclass.com
Related: Singapore tutors launch association to improve teaching standards
Pitched as the world’s first fully automated learner-trainer matching platform, Tueetor is an online marketplace that leverages on location-based technology to connect learners and trainers instantly.
Whether it is painting, acting, geography or music classes, there are close to 300 subjects and skills on its platform.
Parents can look for tuition classes for children from preschool to junior college levels in just three steps, and in under two minutes, it claims.
Registering for an account is free and, from there, you will be prompted to indicate the subject and your kid’s level. Personal preferences such as the tutor’s minimum qualification, your budget, preferred location and time can also be included at this stage.
Tueetor will then recommend tutor profiles that closely match the information you have provided – you will also be notified via e-mail.
Once you have compared the profiles, you can choose to message the tutor through the website, or wait for the tutor to message you.
It is certainly efficient – all three steps were straightforward and we received the profiles within minutes after indicating our preferences.
The website also offers a Find Now feature that lets you search for a wider range of tutors based on the information provided. This works like a map, where there is a radius tool that creates a circle around your provided location, and you will be able to see pins of tutors near you.
How much Free
Visit www.tueetor.com
Related: Tuition in Singapore: More kids taking advanced tuition two grades higher
It bills itself as a portal that lets you search for and compare enrichment classes and preschools. Despite hosting over 8,000 listings, it’s surprisingly user-friendly.
Enrichment is divided into categories such as whole brain development and cooking, which simplifies the search process.
You can look for preschools based on location, or use an extensive search, which allows you to specify enrichment programmes and school categories, age groups, preferred locations, and minimum/maximum fees.
Can’t decide on a school? It has a handy Top Charts page that collates its top schools based on value, popularity by type and popularity by ratings.
However, you cannot book classes via the portal. Instead, you contact the centre through the link provided, and quote the website (if the centre is a partner) to receive a discount.
It also has a rewards system where you earn points through uploading trial class receipts, writing reviews, referring a friend, and recommending a centre.
Use the points to redeem entrance passes to kid-friendly attractions such as Explorerkid and Pororo Park.
How much Free
Visit www.seriousaboutpreschool.com
Related: Tuition can make kids perform worse: New expert findings
Parents need to identify their child’s natural talents (intelligences) before they can search for the best-fit educators to realise their little one’s potential.
With that philosophy in mind, this portal has classified its enrichment classes according to the theory of multiple intelligences – ranging from art, fashion, and visual spatial skills, to maths, IT and logic.
If you’re not sure about your little one’s talents, take its quiz of 40 questions to identify her strengths and weaknesses first. It also lists preschools, infant care, and special education schools.
The search function has useful filters such as the nature of the course, and the learning and development methods.
This helped narrow our search for Nursery 1-level English enrichment courses from 87 to two.
Its best feature is the detailed rating summary. Instead of the general ratings, schools are reviewed based on five areas – physical learning environment, social-emotional environment, lesson content and delivery, monitoring learning, and school-home connection.
Actualyse’s point system lets you earn points in several ways, including completing a school review or leaving a comment on articles.
The points translate into badges, and the higher your badge status, the more privileges and deals – such as free trial lessons – you will enjoy.
How much Free
Visit www.actualyse.com
Billed as a community marketplace for tuition centre classes, even the enrichment courses for preschoolers are academically oriented.
The search function is straightforward – just indicate your child’s level, subject, preferred location and price point.
Our favourite feature is the meticulous detail provided for each class – this includes the centre’s schedule, fees, testimonials and even a map to help you determine the distance between your home and the centre.
Booking a class is easy. Fill up the reservation form on the centre’s profile page and wait for confirmation or rejection within two calendar days.
The portal will send you a notification via e-mail and text message once the centre has responded.
While it doesn’t have a rewards system, it remits $15 to first-time users after they attend the first lesson they confirmed.
How much Free
Visit www.tuitionary.com.sg
Related: 4 questions to ask when choosing tuition for your child
Its hundreds of tuition and enrichment classes are divided into eight categories, such as character-building, mind and body, tuition and student/ child care.
The website’s search function works using tags, and you can indicate your subject and preferred location in the same field.
But don’t go overboard with more than one subject and location, or chances are you will be staring at your screen for hours while scrolling through hundreds of searches, as we did.
A unique feature is its all-you-can-learn buffet (ALB) class package, which allows your child to sample different classes or programmes before committing to one.
The portal also offers personalised recommendations based on your kid’s specific learning needs. Take its quiz once you have logged in and it will help to identify the areas you can further develop your child in.
A detailed holistic scorecard will be sent to you at the end of each year as well.
Flying Cape’s points system earns you “compasspoints” when you book classes and write reviews. Redeem them for movie tickets, storybooks and trial classes.
It guarantees the best price, and will refund the difference if you find the same class offered at a lower price elsewhere.
How much Free to sign up. ALB class package costs $75 for three classes, and $99 for five classes.
Visit www.flyingcape.com.sg
Related: More Singapore parents attend tuition classes to teach their kids
Think Tripadvisor or Hungrygowhere, but for education and enrichment – Skoolopedia is more of a search engine than a booking portal.
If convenience is your priority, and you are looking for schools and classes based on proximity, this website might just do the trick.
You can search for enrichment programmes or childcare centres based on your indicated location, or if it’s situated near MRT stations (for childcare centres).
Some schools provide additional information such as the programmes offered, fee structure and teacher-student ratio.
The website has two unique features: First, you can set e-mail alerts for open-house events at preschools with vacancies that fit your requirements.
Second, you can pose questions to its panel of experts from the enrichment and preschool industry on a range of topics, from behaviour to health to music.
While it doesn’t have a reward system, Skoolopedia’s perks initiative allows you to claim benefits such as free trials for enrichment classes, vouchers and even fee waivers, when you key in your details for your preferred deal.
How much Free
Visit www.skoolopedia.com
Related: Singapore-style tuition centres popular in Hong Kong
This portal claims to be Singapore’s first marketplace to list and book local classes, and says it has the largest selection of lessons.
Since it’s skewed towards enrichment classes for all ages, don’t expect to find preschools here. Classes are clearly categorised and there’s a section for kids, which lists lessons in everything, from programming to baking and fitness.
The details given for each class are straightforward, and there is also a rating and review system with feedback from past participants.
Like most of the portals we reviewed, Lessons Go Where has a rewards system, where you earn points each time you make a booking through the website. These can be used to offset or redeem your next booking.
How much Free
Visit https://lessonsgowhere.com.sg
Billed as an online community where you can learn skills from your peers, Learnemy seems to be geared towards sports such as tennis, squash and badminton. A plus: its pool of instructors include former national athletes.
It also lists music enrichment courses and Chinese classes, but these are limited – there were only two Chinese classes available and a guitar class when we checked.
Compared to the other booking portals, the search function here is simplified – just select the type of lessons as well as your preferred location.
The results are presented in a neat layout where you are given a list of instructors to choose from. You can view their profile, verified ratings, schedule and rate per hour.
Once you have decided on a class, you can either book an instructor for a private lesson, or opt to join an existing class.
The portal is very user-friendly, but isn’t designed with parents in mind. We found checking each instructor to see if they were open to teaching kids, or scanning through reviews to see if were any by parents. Alternatively, you can use its messaging function to ask the instructor, but this will take time.
How much Free
Visit https://www.learnemy.com
Related: Over 100 more tuition centres set up in Singapore since 2011
Looking for a teacher based on word of mouth recommendation? Yodaa uses this as its cornerstone, but aims to make it simpler.
The portal focuses on tuition providers for primary school to junior college, covering everything from English and maths to computing and visual arts.
The search process is uncomplicated – just indicate how often you want the classes to be held and whether you prefer a person who tutors full time or part time, and your request will be sent to teachers recommended by the community.
Within 24 hours, you will receive quotes from up to five teachers, which includes their personal message, references, fees and contact details. Compare the different profiles and click on the “hire” button to book one.
Yodaa’s plus points: It notifies you via e-mail when you receive quotes, which saves you the hassle of logging in to check regularly. And it promises quality tutors – only those who have been vouched for by previous students or parents of students, are accepted and allowed to quote.
How much Free
Visit https://www.yodaa.co/
Related: Tuition can make kids perform worse: New expert findings
