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 our perception of the world.
No two children are alike, therefore, keeping class sizes cozy, GettingStarted ensures that each child receives their own bespoke version of GettingStarted’s programme, according to their needs.
A Holistic Education for a Resilient, Fulfilling Life
While we ensure that every child becomes proficient in the foundational skills of reading and writing, our highest priority is holistic education: fostering resilience, connection, and the lifelong skills for well-being.
We view each child as a unique individual with an innate drive to learn, grow, and relate. Our role is to understand their inner world and respond with attuned, developmentally respectful guidance. By observing, with non-judgmental curiosity, how each child learns and engages, we tailor our support to scaffold emotional growth, social competence, and self-trust.
We also believe that every child is born with an inner compass—a natural sense of curiosity, intuition, and wisdom. We aim to strengthen that system by creating a learning environment where children feel safe, seen, and empowered to explore and express themselves.
The home environment deeply influences a child’s growth and sense of well-being. We work closely with families to ensure consistency between home and school, recognising that children thrive when their caregivers are included in their emotional and relational journey.
This is what we call life education: teaching the tools and understandings children need to not only navigate life’s inevitable challenges, but to meet them with courage, connection, and joy. These are not lessons for adulthood alone—they begin in early childhood, when the foundation for a meaningful life is first laid.
PHILOSOPHY
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CLASSES
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Each child is encouraged to develop at their own pace. With a small class, our low student-to-teacher ratio allows for more individualised attention and meaningful connection.
To nurture both cognitive growth and inner awareness, our program includes, but is not limited to:
dot cards and flash cards: to support early numeracy and literacy in an engaging, visual format
The foundational 3Rs: (r)eading, w(r)iting and a(r)ithmetic (optional and developmentally paced)
Understanding how the brain and subconscious work to foster self-love, confidence, and personal empowerment
Learning about our upstairs (executive function) and downstairs (fight/flight/emotional) brain: to build emotional literacy and self-regulation skills
Integrative brain development, including activities that bridge left-brain logic with right-brain creativity and intuition
Energy awareness and sensitivity training, helping children tune into subtle emotional and environmental cues
In addition, we guide children to:
Cultivate a growth mindset and a love for learning
Develop self-reliance and confidence in their own abilities
Practice empathy 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!)
. Masters in Counselling (Flinders Uni, Adelaide) - in progress
. 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 as a necessity, rather than a luxury. When adults bring more compassion and consciousness into their parenting, they create psychologically safe environments which build strength, resilience, and the capacity for lifelong healthy relationships, rather than weakness. (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.