Only 26% of families on Com Link-I- scheme send children to pre-school regularly

The majority of children from families on a new scheme to give low-income households a leg-up did not attend pre-school regularly.

- Theresa Tan

Only 26 per cent of families on the Com Linkw L scheme that enrolled their children in centres run by anchor operators, such as PCF Sparkletots Preschool and My First Skool, sent all their children to preschool regularly in 2023.

An average attendance rate of 75 per cent or higher a month is considered regular.

However, most of these families, or 85 per cent, with children aged between three and six have enrolled their children in pre-school, according to a report released by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on Nov 19.

The Supporting Lower-Income Households Trends Report highlighted key trends in social support and progress made by lower-income households.

The report captured the baseline data of families on the Com Linkw L scheme, a push by the Government to motivate low-income families to take steps to improve their lives through financial incentives and other forms of support.

The initiative, unveiled in 2023, consists of four key areas of support - early education, home ownership, employment and debt clearance. A key feature is that a family coach will be assigned to each family to help them work towards their goals.

A total of 9,153 families, out of 13,871 families living in highly subsidised Housing Board rental flats that were approached, have joined the Com Link Jr scheme as at December 2023.