Childminding scheme for babies to start in second half of 2024

It targets 500 infants in first year; ECDA will fund operators to keep fees affordable

- Theresa Tan

Parents with babies aged from two months to 18 months will have another infant care option from the second half of 2024, when a new scheme to develop affordable and reliable services to look after babies at a childminder's house or community space is launched.

Announcing the pilot childminding scheme in Parliament on March 6, Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling said the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will fund appointed operators to keep fees affordable.

The aim is to keep childminding fees similar to what a median-income family pays, after subsidies, for infant care at centres run by anchor operators, she said. This sum works out to be around $700 a month.

She said families will be able to use the Child Development Account (CDA) to further defray the cost for the service, adding that more details will be released later in 2024.

The CDA is a special savings account for children that can be used to pay preschool and healthcare fees, while anchor operators receive government grants that help offset costs, such as staff salaries, in return for meeting fee caps and quality criteria.

The pilot scheme, which will run for three years, aims to serve 500 infants in the first year. The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) hopes to increase the number to about 700 babies subsequently.

Under the pilot, ECDA will appoint childminding operators, who will hire the childminders.

Each childminder will be allowed to look after up to three infants at a time at the childminder's house or at a community space, such as a community centre. Parents also have more flexibility to discuss their care preferences and requirements with the childminder, she added.