How is preschool in Singapore being made more affordable and accessible?

Singapore believes strongly in ensuring every child has a good start in life. This is why the Government has invested significantly in the early childhood sector in the last decade to enhance access to affordable and quality preschool services. 

More places

Over the last decade, the Government has more than doubled the number of full-day preschool places, from about 100,000 in 2013 to over 200,000 today. There are enough places to accommodate every resident child aged 3 and above. 

We will continue to increase places in government-supported preschools through Anchor and Partner Operators (AOPs and POPs), as well as MOE kindergartens.  

Currently, over 65% of preschoolers are in government-supported preschools. We will increase the number of places so that 80% of preschoolers can have a place in a government-supported preschool by around 2025. This will allow more parents to benefit from affordable and quality preschools.  

Greater affordability

The Government has been enhancing the affordability of preschool through multiple ways over the years. 

All families with Singapore Citizen children attending childcare and infant care programmes receive a Basic Subsidy. Dual-income families with a gross monthly household income of $12,000 are also eligible for the means-tested Additional Subsidy. Lower-income families receive higher subsidies. Visit the ECDA website for more information on preschool subsidies. 

In addition, we keep fees at Government-supported preschools affordable by imposing fee caps on AOPs and POPs. In January 2023, monthly fee caps for full-day childcare at AOP and POP centres were lowered by $40 to $680 and $720 respectively (before GST). 

We will further lower fee caps in government-supported preschools in 2025 and 2026, so that dual-income families with a child in full-day childcare in an AOP centre will eventually pay around the equivalent of primary school and student care fees, before means-tested subsidies.