It’s finally time for you to decide on a childcare or preschool in Singapore for your children. Once you have selected which childcare centre to put your child in, next you will be looking at the cost of childcare in Singapore.
Fees for preschool can range from a few hundred dollars to over a thousand dollars monthly, depending on the preschool operator and the scope of the services provided.
With a rise in household expenses and higher standards of living in Singapore, the cost of bringing up children can get rather expensive.
Thankfully, the Singapore government has implemented several schemes to help parents of Singaporean children better afford childcare services. This also allows more families to be able to afford preschool education in Singapore for their children without taking away too much of their monthly disposable income.
These schemes are essentially subsidies available to families which provide every child access to quality preschool education. After all, there are many benefits that children can reap from a good preschool programme, and with skilled and trained educators there on nurture and develop their minds.
Here’s a quick look at some of the subsidies that you can have access to, as a parent of Singaporean children.
Enhanced Preschool Subsidies for Childcare in Singapore
With enhanced preschool subsidies introduced in recent years, more families now enjoy higher subsidies on their children’s preschool fees. Currently, all Singapore citizen children will receive a basic subsidy of $300.
To be eligible for this, they must be enrolled in a preschool centre licensed by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA). The amount of basic subsidy is dependent on the income and employment type of the working applicant.
As outlined by ECDA, a working applicant refers to a mother or a single father who works at least 56 hours per month, and this covers both freelance and full/part-time work.
On top of the basic subsidies, some parents may enjoy additional subsidies so long as their gross monthly household income does not exceed $12,000.
Families with 5 or more people living in the same household with at least 3 non-working dependants, they will receive the additional subsidy if the capita income does not exceed $3,000.
Childcare Subsidies from ECDA
Infographic from ECDA website
According to the table above from ECDA, a working applicant is entitled to a basic subsidy of $300 when enrolling children 18 months and above to a preschool.
Above that, you may be entitled to an extra subsidy of up to $467 (depending on your family’s income) – which helps greatly to reduce the cost of preschool every month.
For a non-working applicant, a basic subsidy of $150 is extended for childcare enrolment, with no additional subsidy.
Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS)
For parents who opt to put their children in a kindergarten programme instead of childcare, there are subsidies to avail as well.
The subsidy that eligible families can receive from KiFAS ranges from $21 to $170 monthly and this is determined through means-testing, with disadvantaged families receiving more to support their children’s education.
To be eligible for KiFAS, your children must be enrolled in a kindergarten run by an Anchor Operator or the Ministry of Education (MOE).
Special Approval
What options do you have if you require more support, but do not meet the requirements set out by ECDA?
There is a special approval grant that you can apply for, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis. You would need to support your application with relevant documents as proof of your circumstances.
Some areas considered under special approvals include parents who are not working due to the following:
- Looking for a job
- Studying/Training/On course for at least 56 hours a month
- Pregnancy
- Medically unfit for work
- Taking care of sick or special needs family members
- Caring full-time for a child under 24 months
- Incarcerated
Do note that alternative caregivers such as grandparents, legal guardians and foster parents may also apply for the special approval grant.
Cost of Childcare Fees at Little Footprints Preschool
At Little Footprints Preschool, we provide quality preschool education at an affordable price and all nationalities are welcome to join us.
The costs of our full-day and half-day programmes are listed on our website.
Book a Tour with Us!
Now that you have a clearer picture of the types of subsidies that you are entitled to, let’s take the next step and book a tour of your preferred preschool!
Little Footprints Preschool welcome all parents to get in touch with us and enquire about our programmes and availability for your children.
Come and have a look at our centres located island-wide, before you enrol your children with our caring and passionate education team!
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