Singapore to boost early childhood care with 40,000 new facilities by 2029

SINGAPORE: The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has announced plans to establish 40,000 new infant and childcare facilities by 2029.

Among these new centres, 6,000 will be dedicated specifically to infant care, a significant expansion to meet the growing demand for early childhood services.

During the Early Childhood Celebrations 2024, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli unveiled several new initiatives focused on improving the quality and affordability of early childhood care.

Starting 1 Jan 2025, fee caps at anchor and partner childcare operators will be lowered by $40, with full-day childcare fees capped at $640 and $680 per month, respectively.

This fee reduction aims to make childcare more affordable and accessible for Singaporean families.

In addition to the fee reductions, new subsidies will be available starting 9 December 2024. Families with a gross monthly household income of $6,000 or less will qualify for these childcare subsidies.

This initiative intends to ease the financial burden on lower-income families, giving them greater access to quality childcare.

To streamline the process of accessing subsidies, ECDA will introduce a digital application system on the LifeSG app.

Rolling out in phases beginning in December 2027, this system will allow parents to apply directly for subsidies online, offering a more convenient, paperless option for families seeking financial assistance.

As part of ECDA’s commitment to raising professionalism in the sector, a revised Code of Ethics will soon be implemented.

This updated code will explicitly outline professional responsibilities and feature case studies to guide educators in making informed, ethical decisions in their daily work.

Additionally, ECDA will introduce the Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework (SPARK) 2.0.

Under this new framework, preschools will gain more independence to develop child-centred programmes and conduct self-assessments instead of the previous six-year mandatory certification renewal.

ECDA will work with preschools to oversee self-appraisals and ensure that improvement plans are in place, promoting quality and innovation within the sector.