Infant care subsidies in Singapore provide critical financial support to families, particularly for working mothers who rely on quality infant care services to balance work and parenting. With subsidised childcare, infant care prices can be significantly reduced, allowing you to place your children in safe and nurturing environments without incurring prohibitive expenses.
Navigating these subsidies can be made easier through this guide. Here are the types of infant care subsidies available, eligibility requirements, and a step-by-step application process, ensuring you are well-equipped to make the best decision for your family.
What Is Infant Care Subsidy?
Child care in Singapore can be expensive, even for parents in dual-income households. Luckily, infant care subsidies are provided by the government in Singapore to help defray the burden of preschool fees for Singaporean children. They are available to families of different income backgrounds to help cover the costs of enrollment in infant and child care.
Administered by ECDA, infant care subsidies are particularly beneficial for working parents who rely on full-day or half-day programmes to care for their infants.
There are two main types of subsidies available in Singapore:
1) Basic Subsidy
All Singapore Citizen children are eligible for subsidies, with additional support available for families where mothers are working. This subsidy is available to all Singaporean families with infants aged between 2 and 18 months enrolled in licensed infant care centres.
The basic subsidy amount is a fixed monthly rate and for your convenience, is paid directly to your child’s registered centre, not to the parents’ or guardians’ bank accounts. All you have to do is pay the difference - in other words, the remaining fee due to the child care centre.
2) Additional Subsidy
The Additional Subsidy is a means-tested subsidy to further lighten the burden of child care expenses. Families with lower gross household incomes may qualify for an additional subsidy. This can be up to $467 per month, depending on income levels and the number of dependants.
This tiered subsidy is based on household income and working hours and provides further financial relief to low-and middle-income families.
Who is Eligible for Infant Care Subsidy in Singapore?
As long as your child is a Singapore Citizen enrolled in an ECDA-licensed infant/child care centre, you are eligible to receive infant care subsidies. Eligibility for infant care subsidies in Singapore depends on a few key factors, including household income, working status, your child’s age, and your household size.
1) Income Thresholds
While the basic subsidy has no income restrictions, the additional subsidy is available to families whose gross monthly household income is $12,000 (before CPF deduction and include bonuses, commissions, overtime pay, and allowances) and below. You will also be eligible if your per capita income is $3,000 and below. Higher subsidies are granted to lower-income families.
2) Working Status
To qualify for the infant care subsidy, at least one parent in the household must be working. However, the additional subsidy requires both parents to work or, in the case of single parents, that the sole parent is employed. A working applicant refers to a mother or single father who works at least
56 hours per month, whether full-time, part-time, or freelance.
3) Child’s Age
The infant care subsidy is designed for Singaporean citizen children between 2 and 18 months old.
4) Household Size
Larger families with more dependents may receive higher levels of subsidy through ECDA’s additional subsidy.
5) Special approvals
Non-working applicants may apply for extra subsidy support if they are:
● Not working due to looking for a job, studying, training, on a course (at least 56 hours a month), or pregnant
● Medically unfit for work due to hospitalisation, long-term illness or permanent disability
● Caring for family members who are sick or have special needs
● Full-time caring for younger children aged 24 months and below
● Incarcerated
| Eligibility Criteria | Basic Subsidy | Additional Subsidy |
| Household Income | No cap |
Gross monthly household income of $12,000 and below OR Per capita income of $3,000 and below for larger families (5 or more family members in the same household with at least 3 dependents without income) |
| Household Size | - | Larger families with more dependents may receive higher subsidies |
| Working Status | At least one working parent | Both parents working / working single parent |
| Child's Age | Infants (2 to 18 months old) and children (18 months to 6 years old) | |
Based on programme type (infant care or child care) and service type (full day, half day or flexi care), the amount of infant care subsidies will further vary. Working mothers in particular, who benefit the most from supportive infant care programmes, can benefit from both the basic and additional government subsidies based on ECDA’s criteria when you enrol your children in full-day infant care programmes at licensed preschools with infant care programmes, such as KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse.
How to Apply for Infant Care Subsidy
If you are still confused by the many layers of the subsidies offered by ECDA, the process can be made very simple through these steps:
1) Prepare the required documents
Before applying, make sure you have all the necessary documents prepared. To see the full list of possible documents needed, you can access the ECDA subsidies and financial assistance site and download the checklist. These will include:
● Parent’s NRIC
● Child’s birth certificate
● Proof of income (such as payslips or tax statements)
● Proof of working status (such as employment letter or CPF contributions)
2) Submit application online
Applications can be submitted through the LifeSG app, where you will need to select an approved infant care centre, such as KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse, as your provider. KiddiWinkie is an ECDA-licensed centre which means that all Singaporean citizen children enrolled here are eligible for all subsidies.
You can also submit your application and supporting documents through your chosen preschool or kindergarten centre, which will forward them to ECDA.
When your application has been received, you will be contacted through SMS and/or email.
3) Await approval process
After submission, the ECDA reviews the application, verifying eligibility and supporting documents. Approval typically takes a few weeks, depending on the complexity of the application.
Singapore’s Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) plays a vital role in managing infant care subsidies in Singapore. Their system calculates subsidy amounts based on household income and working status, ensuring that subsidies are allocated equitably. Families enrolled in ECDA-approved programmes, such as KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse infant care services, can rest assured that you are eligible to receive subsidies that directly reduce your monthly fees.
If you are considering KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse, our staff at all centres are available to assist you with the application process, from document submission to follow-ups with ECDA, to make your application as smooth as possible.
Infant Care Fees After Subsidy
The infant care subsidy significantly reduces the cost of infant care. Although the price of infant care can sometimes be prohibitive to many families in Singapore, the subsidies help to ease the financial burden on parents and caregivers, assuring all families of quality infant care regardless of financial position.
After applying for the subsidies, families can better manage fees, depending on the type of subsidy you receive and the specific centre you choose.
To get an accurate estimate of costs after subsidies, the ECDA subsidy calculator is a particularly useful tool which provides tailored fee estimates based on your specific family and income details. Simply input your desired programme type, service type, household income, and the fee of your chosen infant care centre to generate the total subsidy you are eligible for, as well as your projected payable amount.
This will make your process more transparent and simplify your financial planning for infant care.
Best Infant Care Centres Near Me That Accepts Subsidies
In order to find the best infant care centres near you where ECDA subsidies apply, you can use the LifeSG preschool search service. The government-run LifeSG has a handy preschool search service both on the web and on an app. If you have downloaded the app, click on the “Services” tab at the bottom of the app screen and proceed to search for “preschool” in the search bar. Select the e-service option “Search for a preschool”.
This new search tool makes it much easier for you to locate and identify premium preschools near your home, workplace, or even your child’s caregivers' homes. Logging in with your Singpass on the LifeSG website and/or app allows you to curate your selections by bookmarking your preferred centres. Your preferences can be accessed as long as you are logged in whether on the website or on the app.
KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse has 7 campuses which offer infant care services: Cactus (Yio Chu Kang), Harbourfront, East Coast, Mountbatten, Upper Bukit Timah, Orchard, and our flagship campus, Jurong Gateway. These campuses are conveniently and strategically located at key points in Singapore, making them accessible to parents all over the island. As KiddiWinkie is an ECDA-licensed provider, ECDA subsidies do apply for Singaporean citizen children. For further information on KiddiWinkie’s fees and services, visit KiddiWinkie’s admissions page.
Conclusion
Infant care subsidies offer valuable support to families in Singapore. With these subsidies, quality infant care can be made available to all Singaporean citizen children, while helping families to manage costs effectively.
With useful tools like the ECDA subsidy calculator to determine your eligibility, your child’s path to the best infant care in Singapore can be an easy one.
Ready to learn more? Explore KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse’s infant care services to see how subsidies can make quality care affordable for you and your little one.
FAQ
● Can I use CDA for infant care?
Yes, you can use the funds in your child’s Child Development Account (CDA) to help cover the cost of infant care. CDA funds can be used to pay for infant care fees at approved childcare centres in Singapore, making it a helpful resource to offset monthly expenses.
● Can non-working parents still get subsidies for infant care?
Yes, non-working parents will receive a Basic Subsidy of $150 per month for infant care if their child is a Singapore Citizen enrolled in a licensed infant care centre. Additionally, non-working parents may qualify for higher subsidies under Special Approval if they meet specific criteria, such as actively seeking employment, pursuing studies, pregnancy, medical conditions, or caregiving for a young child.
● How to apply for childcare subsidy for Singapore PR?
In Singapore, childcare subsidies are mainly available for Singapore Citizen children, so PR children are not eligible for the Basic and Additional Subsidies provided by the government. However, PR families can consider other financial options to help with childcare expenses.
One possibility is preschool financial assistance, as some preschools offer their own aid programmes for families in need. For this, it’s best to check directly with your chosen preschool about available support and application steps.
Such alternatives can provide some support in managing childcare costs for PR families.
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