Qlabs runs a short, hands-on AI course for preschool and childcare teams in Singapore. Teachers learn to turn their own quick notes into draft observations and parent updates in your centre's format, and we set the tools up at your centre with your templates, so they work the day after the course. The teacher always checks and signs off. The course is delivered with an SSG-approved training partner, so eligible employers can offset the fees with the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit.
The problem it is built for
In many centres the teaching day ends and the writing starts: developmental observations, portfolio entries, daily updates and notes to parents, often written from memory late in the evening. Teachers trained to teach, not to type. Matthew Lee, who founded Qlabs, has run an education business in Singapore since 2009 and saw the same pattern in his own team. He set up AI tools to take most of the first-draft writing off teachers' plates, then turned what worked into this course.
What the course covers
| Task | What teachers learn to do with AI | What stays with the teacher |
|---|---|---|
| Developmental observations | Turn short notes into a draft observation in your centre's structure and wording | What was observed, the judgement, the final text |
| Parent updates | Draft warm, clear updates from a few bullet points, in your centre's tone | What to share, sensitive conversations, sign-off |
| Notices and newsletters | Draft and tidy routine notices to parents | Facts, dates and approval |
| Data protection | Remove or code names and identifying details before using a general AI tool | Deciding what may be shared at all |
The course is practical: teachers work on their own real tasks, not on slides about AI. We use your centre's existing observation and parent-update templates, and where your observations follow the Nurturing Early Learners (NEL) framework, we build that structure into the prompts. To try it yourself first, use our free AI prompts for preschool observations and parent updates.
Set up at your centre, not just taught
Most AI courses end with staff who understand the idea but go back to the old way on Monday. We set the tools up with your own templates and formats during the engagement, and hand over the prompts, templates and a short guide your team keeps. The aim is that your teachers are using it the day after the course, without needing us.
- A 15-minute call to understand your centre or chain, which writing takes the most time, how many teachers, and whether you are likely to be eligible for the SFEC.
- Hands-on course with your teachers, on their own observations and updates.
- Setup at your centre with your templates, so it is working when the course ends.
- Handover of the templates, prompts and a guide, so your team runs it without us.
Children's data, handled properly
Children's personal data needs extra care. Every setup is designed PDPA-first: we teach staff to remove or code names and identifying details before using a general AI tool, we never put children's photos into public AI tools, and where a centre wants it, we can set up processing on local hardware so data does not leave for a third party. The PDPC's advisory guidelines on children's personal data in the digital environment are the reference we work from. Our free PDPA and AI checklist for preschools and tuition centres sets out the practical steps. Your centre stays responsible for its own data protection policies; we help your team apply them to AI.
Funding: the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit
The course is delivered with an SSG-approved training partner, so eligible employers can offset the fees with the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (SFEC). The original SFEC ends on 30 November 2026. From 1 December 2026, the Enhanced SFEC gives eligible employers a fresh S$10,000, for employers that had at least three Singapore Citizen or PR employees every month in 2025, were not in default on Skills Development Levy and were not inactive on ACRA. The funding rate for the Enhanced SFEC has not been published yet. Our SFEC 2026 explainer covers the details and links to the official sources.
For childcare chains
For groups with several centres, we build one shared template library so observations and parent updates read consistently across centres, and train centre by centre or in groups. If your centres are separate registered companies, each may have its own SFEC eligibility; branches of one company share it.
Who teaches it
Matthew Lee is a WSQ-certified adult educator (ACLP), has run an education business in Singapore since 2009, and is a Claude Certified Architect (Professional), verified on Credly. Qlabs is a trading name of Kew Labs Pte Ltd.
To talk about your centre, email hello@qlabshq.com for a 15-minute call.
Official sources
- Early Childhood Development Agency: ecda.gov.sg
- Ministry of Education: Nurturing Early Learners framework
- PDPC: Advisory guidelines on the PDPA for children's personal data in the digital environment
- OurWorkforce by SWDA: SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (Enhanced)
Frequently asked questions
Is this a software subscription?
No. It is a hands-on course plus setup. Your teachers learn to use AI tools for their own writing, and we configure those tools with your centre's templates. You are not locked into a Qlabs product.
Can we use the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit?
The course is delivered with an SSG-approved training partner, so eligible employers can offset the fees with the SFEC, subject to SWDA's rules. From 1 December 2026 the Enhanced SFEC gives eligible employers a fresh S$10,000. See our SFEC 2026 explainer for who qualifies.
Will AI write observations about children it has never seen?
No. The teacher's own notes are the source. AI turns a teacher's short notes into a draft in your centre's format, and the teacher checks, corrects and signs off every observation and update before it goes anywhere.
What about children's personal data?
Every setup is PDPA-first. We teach staff to remove or code names and identifying details before using a general AI tool, we never put children's photos into public tools, and we can set up processing on local hardware so data does not go to a third party.
Does it work with LittleLives or other preschool apps?
Yes, alongside them. Teachers draft with AI, check the text, then paste it into the app your centre already uses. We don't replace your preschool management system.
We are a chain. Can the setup be the same across centres?
Yes. For chains, we build one shared template library so every centre writes in the same format and quality, and we can train centre by centre or in groups.
Does Qlabs run a preschool?
No. Qlabs is run by Matthew Lee, who has run an education business in Singapore since 2009. That operator experience is why the course focuses on the paperwork that fills teachers' evenings.
How long is the course?
It is short and hands-on. The exact format depends on how many staff and centres are involved; we agree it on the first call.