Debated in Parliament on 18 Feb 2019.
Assoc Prof Walter Theseira asked the Minister for Social and Family Development for each of the last three years (a) what is the number of Singaporean children eligible for the Additional Subsidy for (i) full day childcare and (ii) full day infant care, by monthly household income and by per capita income eligibility bands, respectively; and (b) what is the number of Singaporean children actually receiving Additional Subsidy for each respective group.
All parents of Singaporean children who attend childcare or infant care, regardless of their working status, are eligible for a Basic Subsidy. The number of parents eligible for an Additional Subsidy could not be ascertained by income bands until the parents choose to enrol their child in child or infant care and apply for an Additional Subsidy.
The total number of Singaporean children who received Additional Subsidy has increased by over 30% from 2016 to 2018 (see Tables 1 and 2 for breakdown by income tiers for children attending child care and infant care respectively).
Apart from supporting parents through subsidies, we will continue to make quality preschools affordable through kindergartens run by the Ministry of Education, as well as preschools under the Anchor Operator and Partner Operator scheme, which are subject to fee caps. Other forms of support, such as the Baby Bonus Cash Gift and Child Development Account matched savings, are also available to help parents defray the cost of raising children.
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