After hearing and reading about the benefits of infant care centres in Singapore, you have decided to send your infant to a reputable centre to embark on their learning journey.
It is also time to think about cost and how to ensure that the fees that you will be paying for your choice of infant care centre is within the budget that you have set aside.
Infant care fees can range from a few hundred to a few thousands in a month, depending on the preschool you have selected. Thankfully, if your child is a Singaporean citizen, you are well-supported in terms of infant care subsidies.
Do you know what are some of the entitlements you may be applicable for? Let’s find out!
Infant Care Subsidies from ECDA
Infographics is taken from ECDA website
The details in the table above are the subsidies that you can receive from the government under the scheme that was launched in January 2020.
ECDA defines a working parent as a mother or a single father who logs at least 56 hours of work per month. This includes both freelance and part-time work, which allows for more flexibility among parents who are not working full-time.
As a working applicant, you are entitled to $600 of basic subsidy per month to offset the high costs of infant care centres in Singapore. On top of that, the government is granting an additional subsidy of up to $710 for applicants who meet the criteria:
• You are a mother working at least 56 hours a month
• Your child is a Singapore Citizen
• Your child is enrolled in an ECDA-licensed infant care/ child care centre in Singapore
• The total gross monthly income (including bonuses, commissions, overtime pay, allowances and before CPF deduction) earned by you and your spouse is $12,000 and below (from Jan 2020).
Additional subsidy provided by the government is means-tested to allow the lower income families to receive a greater amount. This is to encourage them to enrol their infants into a suitable infant care centre while they work to provide for their families.
Non-working applicants are entitled to $150 for your basic subsidy, but do not qualify for any other additional subsidy from the government.
Baby Bonus
To encourage more married couples to have children, the government assists new families with the baby bonus scheme to manage the cost of raising a child in Singapore.
Do you know that you can use your Baby Bonus to offset your school fees for infant care?
Infographics is taken from MadeforFamilies website
Based on the table provided by Made for Families (MoF), all eligible parents to Singaporean children will receive a cash gift starting from $8,000. This cash gift is a separate entity from your Child Development Account (CDA), which is a dollar-to-dollar matching programme designed to help you save for your child’s growing needs.
For the first child, you will receive a total of $14,000, including the amount from CDA. The second child will receive a total of $17,000. A family with five or more children can receive $28,000 for the fifth and subsequent child that you plan to have.
Apart from using the baby bonus for medical visits, this money can also be channelled into paying for their infant care preschools as well.
I think I’ve got it – but I’d like to be sure
Do you need a bit of help to figure out how much subsidies you are eligible for? You can refer to ECDA’s simple-to-use calculator to find out.
What if I have older children who do not qualify for infant care?
If you are currently looking for a preschool in Singapore for your toddler, or you have an infant and a toddler, and you are wondering about the subsidies you are entitled to, do have a look at our earlier article on Childcare Subsidies in Singapore.
What’s next?
Now that you know how useful the subsidies can be in keeping infant care affordable for parents, it’s time to choose the right infant care centre for you and your child. The Kiddiwinkie Schoolhouse infant care programme offers a supportive and respectful environment that puts the development, engagement and overall well-being of your child first.
We offer both full-day and half-day infant care programmes with the costs listed on our website.
Book a tour with us, and speak to our friendly team who are ready to assist you with any questions.
We welcome both local and international children from 2 months to 6 years old to join us at our centres island-wide.
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