Private Operators of Afterschool Care

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what are the Ministry’s expectations for private operators of afterschool care; and (b) whether there is an effort to better integrate after-school care, especially by private providers, with the overall day-to-day educational experience.

Student Care Centres (SCCs) that wish to administer the Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA) scheme are required to register with the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). There are more than 400 SCCs registered with MSF, including school-based SCCs in all 185 primary schools. Together, these registered SCCs located in schools and the community have enrolled around 32,000 students, with sufficient capacity to meet demand.

MSF requires all registered SCCs, including centres operated by private entities, to meet stipulated standards. These include standards on a clean and safe physical environment with appropriately sized activity areas, good safety, health and hygiene practices, proper supervision of students, and a structured daily programme that supports learning and development. For example, SCC premises should have at least three square metres of space per student, and at least one SCC staff who is trained in first aid should be present at all times during opening hours.

MSF conducts audits on registered SCCs, which may include surprise checks, at least once every two years to ensure compliance with stipulated standards. More frequent checks may be conducted as needed, for example to look into feedback and complaints received, and where the SCC has weaknesses identified in previous audits.

In addition to these stipulated standards for registered SCCs, MSF provides operational guidelines to all SCCs which span domains such as programme planning, physical infrastructure and centre administration. We encourage centres to work closely with schools to develop programmes that would better meet students' needs. In particular for school-based SCCs, schools also exercise close oversight of SCC operations to ensure that quality is maintained, and work closely with the SCC operators to ensure alignment between the programmes in the SCC and the students’ educational experience in school. For example, the SCC staff work closely with the school to plan and deliver programmes that promote the holistic development of students, reinforce values taught by the school, and promote positive social interaction. For students with greater needs enrolled in school-based SCCs, schools also work with community partners and the SCC operators to further strengthen motivational support and resilience through meaningful programmes.