49 more preschools to offer lower fee caps starting Jan 1, 2026
More than 34,000 children are expected to benefit from the 380 preschools offering lower fee caps under the partner operator scheme.
A view of a classroom in a Little Footprints Preschool, one of the preschools offering lower monthly preschool fees under the Early Childhood Development Agency's Partner-Operator Scheme. (Photo: Little Footprints website)
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SINGAPORE: A total of 49 preschools will be added to a scheme offering lower fees from next year, taking the total number of centres under the scheme to 380, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) announced on Friday (Oct 31).
These centres have been appointed under the new five-year term of the Partner Operator Scheme, which will start on Jan 1, 2026 and end on Dec 31, 2030. The current term ends in December.
The scheme supports appointed centres to “improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of childcare and infant care services” for Singaporean families, ECDA said.
Full-day childcare in these preschools will have a monthly fee cap of S$650 for Singaporean children from January, down from S$680, as announced during Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's Budget speech in February.
The 380 centres are operated by 33 commercial and not-for-profit preschool operators, including five new operators - Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation (Singapore), Eshkol Valley, Global EduHub Singapore, Little Dolphins & Greenery and Little Kinder Montessori.
“ECDA evaluated operators and centres based on a holistic set of factors such as track record, financial sustainability, accessibility of centres, and local preschool area of demand, among other factors,” the agency said.
More than 34,000 children are expected to benefit from the expanded scheme, a 25 per cent increase from the number of beneficiaries in the current term.
“With lower fees and more choices, families can be assured of affordable and quality preschool education,” said Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming.
“This expansion reflects our strong commitment to support parents and give every child a good start in life.”
