Aunty May and Ms Nicole nurture children from aged 1.5 to 7 years old (and sometimes older!); making reading easy, while instilling skills and a growth mindset that will serve them well beyond school.
LONDON, UK
The Beginning
1971
SINGAPORE
Life Education
2001 -
Getting Started began with Aunty May’s interest in a better method for nurturing and educating children. Trained by a direct protégé of Maria Montessori herself, in 1971, UK, Aunty May continued teaching through the late 70s, and formally established Getting Started in 1996.
The Getting Started method is an amalgamation of various carefully curated methods of child education and raising. While teaching styles are influenced by training methods such as Montessori, Shichida and Soul Learning, Aunty May had developed her own method of child education. This has evolved to include Ms Nicole’s passion in understanding how belief systems, emotional wounds, and attachment styles shape human behaviour.
No two children are alike, therefore, keeping class sizes cozy, Aunty May ensures that each child receives their own bespoke version of Aunty May’s programme, according to their needs.
While we provide academic education, our highest priority and emphasis is life education and encouraging resilience. Rest assured that by completing our basic program, each child will easily be proficient in the 3 Rs.
However, understanding each child and equipping them with skills to aid them in developing to their highest potential is our priority and goal. Understanding each child’s psyche is an important step in customising their education as the child always shows us the best way to guide them.
We believe that a child is born with an innate guiding system. Part of our goal is to encourage the continual development and trust of this skill. The home environment is very much an important influencing factor in a child’s success, so we aim to work in partnership with the child’s caretakers to ensure a child receives and is proficient in life education.
With life education a child receives the tools and understanding to achieve anything they set their mind to, and not just deal with, but enjoy the rollercoaster of emotions and stresses that life throws at us. Life education can be taught from a very young age and not only when you are an adult.
PHILOSOPHY
-
CLASSES
-
Each class is small with a high teacher ratio. Each child is encouraged to develop at their own pace. With a small class and high teacher-student ratio, personal attention is therefore given to develop the child to their highest potential.
We train children in and with (not exhaustive list);
dot cards
flash cards
3 Rs, i.e., (r)eading, w(r)iting and a(r)ithmetic
Self love and personal empowerment through understanding how the brain and our subconscious works
Understanding our upstairs (executive function) and downstairs (fight/flight/emotional) brain
Bridging of Left brain and Right brain training
Energy work, sensitivity to subtle vibrations, and feelings
In addition, they are taught to:
Have a growth mindset
Be self reliant
Have empathy for and kindness towards others (and self!)
TEACHERS
May Ng (Aunty May)
. Trained in the Montessori Method of teaching in London with a diploma in early childhood education and childcare in 1971, May’s trainers were personally trained by Maria Montessori herself.
Training & Internship - London, UK, 1971
. Teaching young children since the late 70s. Formally established Getting Started children’s classes from 1996, and parenting classes shortly after, around the turn of the century.
. Attended 4 of Dr. Shichida Makoto's seminars when he came down to Singapore. Was persuaded by Dr Shichida to speak at one of his seminars in 2001.
. Davis Dyslexia Correction course – 4 Days Fundamentals of Davis Dyslexia Correction Workshop - 2002
. Soul Learning Company in Right Brain Training, Trained by Pamela Hickein Bozeman Montana USA
Certificate of Completion – Teacher Training Course Level 2 – 2002.
Certificate of Completion – Master Instructor Level 3 – 2004
. University of Metaphysics and University of Sedona
Bachelor of Metaphysical Science B.M.Sc - 2007
Nicole Wong (Ms Nicole!)
. Graduate Diploma in Counselling (Flinders Uni, Adelaide) - in progress
. Graduate Certificate in Counselling (Flinders University, Adelaide) - March, 2025
. Certified Hypnotherapist (RTT Training School, Sydney) - Nov, 2018
. Certified Rapid Transformational Therapist (RTT Training School, Sydney) - Nov, 2018
. Bachelor of Psychological Science (La Trobe University, Melbourne)
. Diploma in Mass Communication (Ngee Ann Polytechnic)
. Full time teaching since 2012
. 10 years apprenticeship with Getting Started under close guidance and supervision of Aunty May.
Nicole has always had a love for children; and a passion for understanding the human psyche to encourage growth and flourishing. A combination of these traits have led to discovering and being greatly influenced by the principles from
Person-Centred Therapy,
Positive Discipline,
Gentle Parenting,
Emotion Coaching,
Attachment Theory, and
A Growth Mindset.
Wholly convinced of the power of connection through empathic attunement, Nicole strives to create a nurturing and supportive environment where children feel valued, heard, and respected.
“I think we all do far too much talking at each other, and not enough actual listening. So much connection can be made just with employing a mindset of open curiosity and assuming best intentions when interacting with each other.”
With a commitment to these principles, and a mantra of “they’re not giving you a hard time, they’re having a hard time”, & “what skills are they missing right now?” Nicole helps children develop valuable social and emotional skills, such as understanding and navigating their emotions, self-regulation, empathy, problem-solving, and healthy coping methods. She uses gentle guidance and natural consequences to teach important life lessons and encourages open communication and collaboration to resolve conflicts.
Through this holistic approach, Nicole empowers her young charges to become self-assured and compassionate individuals, setting a solid foundation for their emotional and academic growth.
Nicole also recognises that a child’s development is deeply shaped by the emotional world of the adults they depend on. This has led her to an equally strong interest in understanding and supporting parents—not just as caregivers, but as individuals with their own inner landscapes.
Nicole believes that a child’s emotional wellbeing is often a reflection of the unspoken emotional patterns passed down through generations. A parent’s pain, coping mechanisms, and unconscious beliefs can profoundly influence how they respond to their child. That’s why she is deeply committed to helping parents gain insight into their own emotional responses—where they come from, how they were shaped, and how they influence everyday interactions. With this awareness, parents can move from reactive patterns to intentional, compassionate connection.
She sees this self-understanding not as a luxury, but as a necessity. When adults bring more compassion and consciousness into their parenting, they create psychologically safe environments—ones that don’t produce weakness, but rather build strength, resilience, and the capacity for lifelong healthy relationships. (This is strongly supported by research in developmental psychology and attachment theory—studies show that emotionally attuned parenting is associated with better outcomes in self-regulation, academic performance, social competence, and mental health.)
Realising deeply that supporting children means supporting the adults who raise them, Nicole is currently pursuing a Master’s in Counselling to deepen her ability to support parents and caregivers as individuals—and to strengthen the way adults relate not just to their children, but also to themselves.