Do you know that if your child is a Singaporean, you are entitled to an infant care subsidy from the government?
When you’re ready to look for a childcare centre to care for your infant as you return to work, many great options are available in Singapore.
As a parent, you want to make sure your child is in good hands. That’s why it’s so important to find a childcare centre to give your little one the best care possible while you’re away at work. And an infant care subsidy can be a great help to you.
But do you know what that means? And how it affects your childcare options. Read along and learn more about it.
Table of Contents
What Is Infant Care Subsidy
An infant care subsidy is a government-funded incentive offered to eligible Singaporean parents and guardians. The subsidy is meant to help ease the financial burden of caring for an infant, and it can be used for various services.
This program aims to help working families who don’t have access to quality, affordable childcare or can’t afford it. It also allows parents who want to go back to school or work but need extra support while they do so.
Infant Care Subsidy Singapore
As Singaporean parents, we know how hard it can be to find a place that takes good care of our children and lets them have fun while keeping them safe. We want our kids to be happy, so we need our childcare centres to be high quality as well!
The government understands this too, which is why they provide subsidies for childcare centres that meet certain requirements: they must provide healthy meals; they must have qualified teachers who have undergone training in early childhood education, and they must allow parents access during working hours so they can see what their children are doing there.
The Early Childhood and Development Agency (ECDA) is a regulatory and developmental authority in Singapore for the early childhood sector. It oversees all aspects of children’s development below the age of 7, across both kindergartens and child care centres.
The ECDA works to ensure that every child has access to quality early learning experiences, so they can grow up to be confident and capable adults.
You can find out more about the Infant Care Subsidy on the Early Childhood and Development Agency website.
ECDA Infant Care and Childcare Subsidy
Are you a Singapore Citizen with a child enrolled in an ECDA-licensed infant/child care centre?
If so, you may be eligible for the ECDA Infant Care and Child Care subsidies!
The ECDA Infant Care and Child Care subsidies are provided by the government to help meet the costs of infant care and child care for Singapore Citizens. This is to encourage parents to go back to work or earn more income.
From ECDA Website
What subsidies are available for families with children enrolled in infant/child care centres?
As shown in the infographics above, there are two components in the ECDA subsidy: Basic Subsidy and Additional Subsidy.
Basic Subsidy
This is available for all children who are Singapore Citizens and currently enrolled in an ECDA-licensed childcare centre. The amount of subsidy a family receives depends on the mother’s working status and the type of programme the child is enrolled in.
Additional Subsidy
This applies to families with mothers who work at least 56 hours or more per month, and the gross monthly household income (HHI) does not exceed $12,000 or $3,000 on per capita income (PCI) basis.
If your household is comprised of 5 people or more, you may choose to have your income assessed via per capita income (PCI). These are the qualifications to meet:
- PCI = (Total gross monthly household income of family members) / (Number of family members living in the same household)
- All family members included in the application must be related by blood, marriage and/or legal adoption and living in the same residential address as reflected in the NRIC of the main applicant*.
- Dependants refer to persons living in the same household who are not earning an income.
* For married couples, the parents and child are considered as a family nucleus by default. Both parents’ income will be considered in the total income computation, even if the parents’ registered residential addresses differ.
What is the eligibility criteria to receive ECDA Basic Subsidy and Additional Subsidy?
If you have a child enrolled in an ECDA-licensed child care centre, you can receive the Basic Subsidy. The amount depends on your working status and the programme type that your child is enrolled in.
You can qualify for an Additional Subsidy if you meet the following criteria:
- The main applicant must work at least 56 hours per month.
- Your total household income (HHI) should not exceed $12,000 per month or $3,000 per capita income (PCI) basis.
Can I apply for preschool subsidies as a single father?
Are you a single father?
If so, you may be eligible for Basic and Additional Subsidy. You can apply as a “single father” and submit Form 1 along with the necessary supporting documents:
- If the father’s name is in the child’s birth certificate (BC)
- Child BC
- Marriage search record from Registry of Marriages / Muslim Marriages
- Not in child’s BC
-
- Court Order
- Police Report on the whereabouts of the mother
- Marriage search record from Registry of Marriages / Muslim Marriages
After verification of the declared marital status and relationship with the child, the monthly household income will be determined based on the single income of the father.
Will non-working mothers benefit from preschool subsidies?
Yes. The Government gives non-working mothers a monthly benefit of $150 in the form of a Basic Subsidy.
The Additional Subsidy, however, is only given to working mothers.
Non-working mothers may also be eligible for other benefits such as Baby Bonus and the Government’s matching contribution to the Child Development Account, which can be used to defray preschool expenses.
Can I receive further financial assistance, even after the Basic Subsidy and Additional Subsidy?
Yes. If you’re a low-income family with difficult family circumstances, or if your child faces difficulties paying preschool fees (even after receiving Basic and Additional Subsidy), you can apply for Child Care Financial Assistance.
ECDA also offer the one-time Start-up Grant to help pay for the initial costs of enrolling your child into an infant or child care centre.
Eligible families may apply for assistance through the childcare centre. For more information, please approach your child care centre.
ECDA Subsidy Calculator
From ECDA website
How will ECDA determine families’ household income? What if household incomes become higher/lower next year?
You’re probably wondering how to calculate your income when you’re a salaried employee.
In computing the monthly gross income, it’s based on your average income over the preceding 12-month period (before CPF deduction and including bonuses, commissions, overtime pay, and allowances).
Meanwhile, if you’re self-employed, the computation of your gross monthly income has the annual trade income from the latest IRAS Notice of Assessment as the basis, divided by 12.
To give parents greater certainty over the number of subsidies they can receive, ECDA has introduced fixed points of assessment.
From ECDA website
In assessing the applicants’ working status and household income,
(1) the child enrols in the new centre,
(2) the child moves from infant care to child care, and
(3) the child moves from Nursery 2 (N2) to Kindergarten 1 (K1), i.e. at the end of N2.
Suppose you are currently receiving subsidies from the government and there are changes in household income between these points of assessment. In that case, it will not affect the subsidies you receive unless you wish to update ECDA and reapply for new rates of subsidies due to changes in their circumstances.
From ECDA website
Click here to access the ECDA Calculator.
How to Apply for the ECDA Subsidy
From ECDA website
Check the infographic below from ECDA and approach your child care centre personnel who will assist you with the application for preschool subsidies.
From ECDA website
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