Committee of Supply 2023 debate, Day 6: Sun Xueling on giving every child a good start in life

Children from lower-income households will be given priority enrolment in anchor operator preschools so that they can be enrolled as soon as possible, ideally by the age of three. Announcing this in Parliament on Friday (Mar 3), Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling said lower-income families face complex challenges including searching for stable employment, housing or managing medical issues, so getting their young children into preschool may not be a priority. The ministry will also look at ways to encourage regular attendance. It hopes these efforts will lay a strong foundation for these children to improve their education and life outcomes and sustain social mobility across generations. Ms Sun also spoke about enhancing support for families of children with developmental needs, by expanding the capacity of early intervention programmes and making them more affordable. Meanwhile, overall preschool and infant care capacity is being ramped up. Ms Sun also shared that there has been an 18 per cent increase in the number of educators joining the preschool sector since the Government announced salary increases last year.