Ask the Expert Series: Post 2020 Budget

One of the initial yet substantial cost which parents incur in early years tend to be the cost of child care and pre-school. For most families who have working parents, childcare is often a good solution. To help make infant and childcare services more affordable, parents with Singapore Citizen children enrolled in licensed childcare centres are eligible for a Basic Subsidy of up to $600 for full-day infant care and up to $300 for full-day childcare. Effective January 2020, the Government will raise the gross monthly household income ceiling to $12,000 so that more families will benefit. The Government will also increase the subsidy amounts across all income tiers qualifying for Additional Subsidy. Currently about half the preschools in Singapore are government-supported preschools, but by 2025 the share of government-supported preschools will be about 80%. This means that more preschools are receiving government funding, and parents will then be able to place their childre