GO WILD AT TAMPINES 1

Boasting lush greenery and sheltered pavilions, the new rooftop 10,000-square-foot wet-and-dry wildlife-themed playground at Tampines 1 shopping mall provides a multi-sensory experience for children aged 2 to 12, as well as an ideal rest stop for parents. Tampines 1 collaborated with the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) to bring children on an educational journey across the continents – frolic with a polar bear and sea lion in Antarctica and a hippopotamus in shallow pools of water in Africa, and admire giant misting flora and fauna of the South American rainforest. Child-sized shower facilities are available to rinse off after a splashing good time! Families can access the playground daily from 10am to 9:30pm via the 5th floor escalator beside Amore Living.

BREASTFEEDING FOR BABY’S HEALTH
There are many benefits of breastfeeding your infant for at least six months, and the Health Promotion Board (HPB) seeks to implement the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) by the World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure that mothers do so. Giving support to new mothers before birth, during their hospital stay and after they are discharged, is the first step to ensuring that working mothers continue breastfeeding after their 16-week maternity leave.

The HPB currently aims to have NUH BFHI-certified – meaning 80 per cent of maternity patients following WHO’s baby-friendly guidelines, up from below 50 per cent - by the end of 2012 with the remaining maternity hospitals to follow by 2014.


Assistive Technology Resources Available Online
Assistive Technology (AT) resources is now available on the Dyslexia Association of Singapore’s (DAS) International website today. This initiative will provide more support for people with specific learning differences to cope better in school or at work.

Although dyslexics are unable to eliminate their learning differences, the availability of AT resources at DAS allows them to work around the challenges that they face and maximise their learning potential. With AT, people with specific learning differences can be more independent and less reliant on others for completing certain tasks.

There are seven different kinds of AT resources available for online purchase on DAS International website. This comprehensive list of software covers mind mapping, numeracy, spelling, text to speech, typing tutors and writing. For the complete list of AT resources and online purchase of AT resources, please visit the website at http://www.dasint.org.sg/services/at-resources.html

• Government Incentives

When couples desire to start a family or consider expanding their family, many of them start worrying about the other aspects of parenthood – whether this will affect their lifestyle or if they are able to afford raising a/ another child.

For a start, your lifestyle will definitely change. And as for costs, it will increase – be it a necessity or a luxury – it will all add up when you decide on having a child… But the good news is that the government has provided several incentives to help couples who are trying for a child, are expecting their first child or their subsequent children. Here are some of these incentives:

For Pregnancy and Beyond

For Raising a Child