Childcare centres not required to operate on Saturdays from 2025

SINGAPORE: Childcare centres will no longer be required to operate on Saturdays from 2025, allowing early childhood educators to have a five-day work week.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) announced the move on Wednesday (Jul 12) as part of efforts to improve working conditions for the sector.

Ahead of the official start date, the centres will have the option of phasing out Saturday operations beginning next year if they see no demand for the service.

Operators with multiple centres can also choose to run designated centres on Saturdays, so they can deploy a smaller pool of teachers to these locations.

Saturday childcare will not be available for new enrolments starting from 2024.

Speaking at the Professional Development Programme appointment ceremony organised by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said a survey found that 98 per cent of families using preschool services do not need them on Saturdays.

There was general consensus among more than 8,000 parents surveyed that closing childcare centres on Saturdays would enable educators to have better work-life balance and improve their well-being, he added.

“The expectation to work on Saturdays weighs down on educators, who want to spend more time with their families on weekends and recharge,” he said.

MINORITY REQUIRE SATURDAY SERVICES

There were a small number of families who require care arrangements on Saturdays as both parents may be working, Mr Masagos noted.

With the changes taking place in phases, preschools, parents, and employers have sufficient time to work out the arrangements, he said.

“This timeline allows the small number of families affected by this change to work out arrangements with their employers or to make alternative caregiving arrangements,” he said.

He urged employers to support affected employees and suggested that families can consider tapping on paid or community-based options, such as engaging informal babysitting services.

“We will continue to explore ways to improve the caregiving options available to families who really need it,” he said.

TRANSFORMING THE SECTOR

The proposed change is part of the government's plan to transform the sector through digitalisation, to better address evolving preschool needs, and make early childhood education a more attractive career choice.

The goal is to add at least 2,500 employees to the over 24,000-strong workforce in the sector. There are also plans to make teachers' pay more competitive, build bigger childcare centres, and provide more resources to improve teaching and preschool programmes.

Speaking to CNA’s Singapore Tonight, ECDA CEO Tan Chee Wee said the demand for services, especially for younger children, has grown over the years.

“Part of the reason we have to put in place the skills framework is to let the potential educators know (that) even for the younger years, there's a certain skills progression, career progression for them,” he said.

“That is the growth area that we're focusing on. And we hope that improvements in the working conditions really help more Singaporeans to join the sector and help us to grow the sector.”

He added that in the years to come, following the establishment of large centres with ample outdoor learning spaces, ECDA will be looking for similar opportunities to make preschools more inclusive so that children with more diverse learning needs can be better supported.

MOVE WELCOMED BY SECTOR, PARENTS

Some childcare centres and parents told CNA that removing the requirement for Saturday childcare is a step in the right direction, as proper rest for the educators will translate into better care for the children.

Ms Yasmin Balik, principal of Morning Glory Childcare Centre, where eight full-time teachers take turns to work on Saturdays, said the move would give teachers the time and space to recharge and refresh.

"Sometimes they do have the passion, but they don't have the energy. So, it will affect how they interact with the children, how they teach. That's affecting the children's development and what they are learning in school,” she said.

However, more can be done to support early childhood educators and improve their well-being at school, she noted.

"One way is to have non-contact time, which means time away from children. They can have their own time to prepare materials, to set up their classrooms, prepare teaching aids, or they can just re-energise themselves before they get back to the classroom,” she said.

Mr Gary Shen, who has three children including a preschooler, also welcomed the move.

He said that in the long run, it is the children who will benefit.

"I always think that if you have happy teachers, you will have happy children. If the teacher can take time off during the weekends, that will help them with their well-being, so they can better take care of the children,” he said.