Sng Yee Kia did not set out to work in early childhood education. 

She began her career in banking, a world where performance is measured carefully and success is often defined by numbers. Yet over time, she began to sense that the most important things in life cannot be measured so easily. 

One significant moment came during a Sunday School workshop. A speaker shared about rising teenage suicide rates and the “4–14 window” — the formative years when children are most open to the Gospel. 

As Yee Kia listened, a burden quietly took root in her heart. 

Many young people grow up believing that their worth depends on their performance. When they fail to meet expectations, some begin to believe their lives no longer have value. 

She wondered if there was another way. 

What if children grew up knowing that their worth was not defined by achievement, but by the fact that they are deeply loved by God? 

That conviction would quietly shape the next chapter of her life. 

Today, Yee Kia serves as CEO of Anglican Preschool Services (APS), overseeing 17 preschools under the Little Seeds Preschool (LSP) brand. 

But the journey there began in a very unexpected way. 

A surrender to a calling 

Shortly after that workshop, Yee Kia’s banking job was made redundant. 

In a toilet cubicle, she cried out to God, unsure of what she should do next. Should she accept redeployment within the bank or step into the uncertainty of leaving? 

In that moment, Philippians 4:4 surfaced quietly in her heart: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” 

It seemed like a surprising word in a moment of uncertainty. Yet the verse reminded her of something deeper: Even when circumstances change suddenly, God remains sovereign. 

Her future was not ultimately defined by her plans, but by the One who was guiding her life. 

The words brought an unexpected peace. 

As she shared the experience with her husband, she sensed it was time to step away from banking and explore a new direction. 

Having served faithfully in her church’s children ministry for many years, she initially thought of becoming a preschool teacher. But God’s leading took an unexpected turn. 

After conversations with Pastor Richard Chung, then Director of Schools at St James’ Church Kindergarten (now Little Seeds Preschool (St James’ Church)), she sensed she was being called to serve as Campus Manager at their Gilstead campus. 

Faithfulness in the small things 

It was not the role she had imagined.  

“At the Gilstead campus, we had 800 children and morning traffic was always chaotic,” she recalled. 

“In banking, I used to wear suits and heels and work with numbers all day. Suddenly I was in a raincoat and sneakers, standing outside the school gate directing cars with a traffic baton.”

While success in her banking career was measured by numbers and outcomes, Yee Kia has learnt that true success is measured in faithfulness – even in the little things.

Burst sewage pipes, messy accidents and organising meals for hundreds of children became part of her everyday work. 

It was not what she had imagined for herself. But it was the place in which God had called her to be faithful. 

In banking, performance measured value. In this new calling, faithfulness did. 

Leading well with love  

Over time, Yee Kia moved into Group Operations for St James’ Preschool Services (now Anglican Preschool Services), served in the CEO’s Office, and later became its HR Director.

Each transition brought greater responsibility – and with it, more difficult decisions.  

One particularly painful season came when the organisation was unable to extend the leases for two schools and had to downsize. “It is especially hard when good people are asked to leave,” she said.

“Performance evaluates work. But it must never define a person’s worth,” said Yee Kia.

Leadership, she realised, often requires navigating a delicate tension between conviction and compassion.

“On the one hand, our value does not come from our performance, but from being created in the image of God. Yet organisations still require accountability, and the performance of one person inevitably affects the well-being of others,” said Yee Kia.

“How do we extend grace to someone who is struggling,” she reflected, “while recognising the real impact their performance has on their team?”  

For her, the answer lies in remembering a simple but profound distinction: Performance evaluates work. But it must never define a person’s worth. 

Yee Kia (second from left) with leaders from Little Seeds Preschool (Church of the Ascension). 

Christian leadership, she believes, calls leaders to hold both truths faithfully – to maintain clear expectations while treating people with dignity and compassion. 

“Everyone has a ‘superpower’ and a place where they can thrive,” she said. “Sometimes helping someone find that place looks, through a worldly lens, like a step backwards.”  

Yet, even difficult transitions can become acts of care when handled with honesty, respect and hope.

Forming identity in the early years

Last October, Yee Kia stepped into the CEO role, one in which she gets to live out daily the conviction that first drove her into the early childhood education sector.

In all 17 LSP schools, children are reminded through daily devotions that they are loved and known by God, and that their worth comes from Who they belong to, rather than what they do.

The team at LSP firmly believe that each child has a God-given identity. Here are children and teachers from Little Seeds Preschool (Church of the Ascension) at 2025’s year-end concert.

Educators are also encouraged to see each child as God’s original design and to observe each child carefully – noticing their strengths, personalities and unique ways of learning, shared Yee Kia.

Staff themselves go through CliftonStrengths profiling and training to help them recognise their own strengths and appreciate those of their colleagues.

“When teachers feel valued, they are better able to nurture the individuality of every child in their care,” she said.

The shared work of faith formation

Recognising that spiritual formation cannot happen in silos, each preschool partners with a local church through a pastoral care pillar. Chaplains visit regularly to share devotions, support educators and build relationships with families. 

Partners in faith formation: Yee Kia (first row, fourth from left) alongside staff from Anglican Preschool Services HQ and Little Seeds Preschool (St Andrew’s), former CEO Andrew Tay (fifth from left), Rev Kelvin Koo (first row, right) and chaplaincy staff of Westside Anglican Church.

Sometimes the fruit of these partnerships appears in unexpected ways, shared Yee Kia.

A preschool child and his family once attended a Christmas programme organised by a partner church. The child later began attending Sunday School. 

Some time later, when the boy’s grandfather was hospitalised near the end of his life, the family asked if a pastor could visit him. In time, the grandfather chose to be baptised. 

For those who witnessed it, the moment was a quiet reminder that God often works through the smallest beginnings, said Yee Kia.

Preparing children for life 

Apart from nurturing a firm sense of identity in children, LSP also emphasises preparing children for life.

Learning environments are intentionally designed to support development. For example, some preschools include reading nooks where children can slow down with books, imagination spaces for creativity, art ateliers to explore artistic expression, and indoor playgrounds that encourage physical development and risk-taking.

Learning environments at LSP are created to support different aspects of the children’s development.

Beyond the environment, educators also nurture life skills using the framework of the 7 Essential Life Skills developed by Ellen Galinsky. These include focus, communication, collaboration and perspective-taking. 

“These moments may look ordinary,” Yee Kia explained, “but they are powerful opportunities where character and confidence are quietly formed.”

Taking the long view 

During a recent personal devotion, Yee Kia read about how Joshua had reaffirmed the covenant of the people and placed a stone under a terebinth tree (Joshua 24).

The image of the terebinth tree – a tree that grows slowly and stands for generations – stuck with her.

For Yee Kia, this image has become a quiet prayer for wisdom to make decisions not only for today, but for lives that will unfold far beyond the present moment. 

Nurturing young lives together is (from left to right) Yee Kia (CEO of APS), Fann Kang (Executive Director of Methodist Preschool Services), Ivy Chin (Executive Director of New Life Preschool Services), Dr Jacqueline Chung, Pastor Richard Chung, and Lim Eetuo (Executive Director of Presbyterian Preschool Services).

Because the work of LSP is not merely about running schools. 

It is about forming people — children, educators and families — who grow into the identity God has given them. 

And that kind of formation cannot be rushed. 

Seeds are sown quietly. 

Roots grow unseen. 

And in time, God brings the growth. 

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