Lengkok Bahru

Definitions and Scope| | 

Target Population: Residents of Lengkok Bahru's Public Rental Housing| |

• Families under the Public Rental Housing Scheme are highly likely to be financially needy, a factor that impacts all areas of life- especially childcare and child development
• Poverty is linked to many life outcomes including academic performance, employability, physical and mental health 
• Lengkok Bahru has 6 blocks of residential flats under the public rental housing scheme
• The neighbourhood as a context has its own unique set of strengths and assets to serve the complex needs of the residents and vice versa, the residents have their own unique set of strengths for the community 

Client Segments| | 

• Low income families 
• Children and youth from low income families
• Low income elderly  

Size of Target Population| | 

• To be assessed 

Desired Outcomes| | 

• To be discussed 

Needs of Children Residing in Public Rental Blocks | | 

---

Need for Academic Support | | 

• Children and youth from low-income families tend to struggle more at school. Correlations have been reported between financial backgrounds of family and academic performance. This is consistent throughout all OECD countries. 
• Likewise in Singapore, the challenge with schooling for children from low-income families in Singapore begin from early childhood. Children from low-income families have high rates of pre-school absenteeism. 
• Socio-economic strata is also shown to be correlated with English literacy- a key necessity for schooling achievement in Singapore.
• Low-income parents are less equipped to provide their children with schooling assistance either with tuition or in person, given their financial struggles and high propensity to be in shift work. 

STATISTICS

EXISTING RESOURCES	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Weekly tuition program by self-help group Mendaki Curriculum is designed by Mendaki and offered to children from families in the area MENDAKI Tuition Scheme (MTS) Programs offered for primary to secondary school levels  For Muslim Singaporean or Singapore Permanent Residents who obtained 75 marks and below in at least one of the tuition subject for SA2 in the application year. Fees apply  Collaborative Tuition Programme (CTP) For Singaporean and Singapore Permanent Residents (All races), who obtained between 35 and 65 marks for each tuition subject for SA2 in the application year;  For Chinese students, gross monthly total household income must be of $3300 and below, or gross monthly household’s per capita income of $900 and below. For Eurasian students, gross monthly total household income must be less than $3000, or gross monthly household’s per capita income less than $800. For Malay and Indian students, there is no income criteria. Fees apply	Based on a survey done in 2015, most students from low income families residing in the area were failing at least 1 subject, with 42.4% failing 2 subjects in primary school.  English literacy was hypothesised to be a determinant in school performance for the children.	More research can be done to look into the efficacy of the tuition program offered and how to improve on existing gaps if any
Weekly Homework Club by Volunteering Group Saturdays @ Lengkok Offered to all students living in the public rental housing scheme blocks  No fees  Homework assistance and extra tuition  Befriending	As above, student grades might not have improved despite academic coaching	As above, more research can be done to look into the efficacy of the homework program offered and how to improve on existing gaps if any

---

Need for conducive spaces for child activities| | 

• Children residing in public rental housing might not always have access to spaces conducive for all of their needs, most especially homework and academic activities. The public rental flat is small and also at times could be shared between one other family. Finding a quiet and conducive space to concentrate in is not easy. 
• The Lengkok Bahru neighbourhood has a few well designed community spaces but children might not always be able to access them when needed because they are shared 
• A conducive environment is one of the essentials to maintain focus in academic learning

STATISTICS

EXISTING RESOURCES	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Leng Kee Park "A multigenerational space, fitted with a new futsal court, amphitheatre, fitness corner and playground." Lit at night and generally safe for children to play	Predominantly a space for free play and relatively little else Might not always accommodate all children and their needs at all times (negotiation for space required) Google Reviews reflect the child-friendliness of the park especially the play-stations but also highlighted the presence of smokers as a con
Leng Kee Community Centre Newly renovated, it is "now 5,594 sq m, compared with the previous floor size of 3,966 sq m, and comes with a new culinary studio, sheltered basketball court, sky garden, and more classrooms." There's also a "300-book Leng Kee Mobile Library - called "mobile" because the shelves can be moved around the CC - will be permanently stationed at the CC to encourage reading among the young." An open concept not 'where the boundaries are marked by tall plants...not locked and fenced up like it was before.'	Access to use of facilities would mostly be through courses and this require payment which is difficult for the families with financial struggles Use of the open facilities like the basketball court is openly shared with all community residents and might not always accommodate the children's needs at all times  Provides classroom for Saturdays@Lengkok
Void Deck Areas Open space for residents under the HDB blocks with tables and chairs  Free for use	Not conducive for homework or reading but fine for certain games  Not a designated space for children and therefore subjected to negotiation for use  Presence of smoking is also common
The Salvation Army (Tanglin) Salvation Army Headquarters Provides classrooms for Saturdays@Lengkok at a basic charge therefore a space resource in the area	Has no existing features for children activity Access to this space requires the presence of a program
Enabling Village

---

Need for (insert description)| | 

• (Synoptic Statement)

STATISTICS (e.g., there are 1 million children in Singapore - please cite)

EXISTING RESOURCES	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Existing services or programmes both private or public, including relevant policies and legislation, to meet the need. (e.g., Childcare Centres)	Find these out from relevant sources - newspapers, reports, surveys, interviews with key stakeholders etc. Some gaps could be due to: 1) capacity of solution to meet size & projected demand, 2) quality of solution (effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, scalability etc.), 3) accessibility (geographical, cost to client)]	Based on the specific gaps and reasons for those gaps, what might be solutions that can help? Insert existing but untapped resources, or new ideas that have not been considered yet.

---

Resource Directory| | 

[insert organization name]| | 

Insert web link

[insert organization name]| | 

Insert web link

1. Jump up ↑ https://data.gov.sg/dataset/list-of-childcare-centres
2. Jump up ↑ https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/big-read-special-needs-children-pre-school-not-given-0
3. Jump up ↑ https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/more-preschoolers-diagnosed-developmental-issues