SINGAPORE : Childcare operators are already making plans following Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's announcement on Monday to create 20,000 new childcare places over the next five years.
They said currently, waiting lists are longest for toddler day care. Demand is particularly acute in the new towns such as Punggol and Sengkang, which have many young families.
The People's Action Party Community Foundation (PCF), which runs more than 250 kindergartens and 30 childcare centres, said it intends to tap the new funding measures to meet the growing demand.
A quarter of children aged six years and below attend full-day childcare. But getting a toddler into a childcare centre in Tampines in eastern Singapore can mean a wait of up to six months.
To meet demand, the government is planning to create 200 new childcare centres or 20,000 new places over the next five years.
"Five to 10 years ago, there were just about 400 childcare centres. Now there's almost double that amount... 20,000 may sound like a lot, but it's over five years and so incrementally, that's another 4,000 places a year," said Ruth Low, CEO of PAP Community Foundation.
Improving the quality of care at kindergartens is also on the cards, with the prime minister promising more financial support at his National Day Rally speech.
All staff at the PCF Tampines East centre have at least a teaching certificate in early childhood care and education, and more than half have diplomas. So, further upgrading qualifications to diplomas and degrees will be a priority with the additional funding that has been announced.
"At the end of the day, you can have the best resources, the best teaching aids in the classrooms, but the application is the most important and that's why the teachers are the most critical part," said Benny Yeo, general manager of PCF Tampines East.
Fees at PCF childcare centres are S$455 (US$320) a month. But almost all parents claim the Working Mother's Subsidy of S$150, so they end up paying S$305 a month.
PCF childcare centres are among the most affordable in Singapore. Yet the fees of S$305 a month per child is still too much for about 10 per cent of parents. They seek additional financial help and need only to pay as little as S$86 a month per child. - CNA /ls