Ensuring Quality Early Childhood Education and Childcare Services

Ms Low Yen Ling asked the Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports for 2011, (a) what is the amount of Government spending, as a percentage of the GDP, on early childhood education in Singapore in the areas of (i) childcare services; (ii) kindergartens; (iii) provision for Baby Bonus Scheme; and (iv) subsidies, training and scholarships for the early childhood education profession; and (b) what is the amount spent on assistance for disadvantaged pre-schoolers in early childhood education.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports following the announcement to build about 200 more childcare centres by 2018 (a) in which wards will the first batch of these centres be built; (b) whether this addition of 200 childcare centres is sufficient to meet the growing demand; (c) what are the plans to ensure that there will be sufficient qualified childcare teachers in these centres; and (d) what are the steps taken to make these childcare centres more affordable.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports whether the Ministry will consider collaborating with the private sector to set up subsidised childcare centres in the vicinity of organisations with employees exceeding 200 in strength.

Miss Penny Low asked the Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) whether there is a shortage of childcare places especially in new towns; (b) if so, what is the nature of the shortage and what measures are in place to address this shortage in the short term.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) what is the current number of childcare centres and how many qualified early childhood educators are there in Singapore; and (b) whether there is a shortage of these educators and, if so, what measures are in place to address this shortage.

Mr Alex Yam asked the Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) how many childcare centres have been set up in (i) the financial district; and (ii) industrial districts; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider providing further incentives to developers to set aside building space for not-for-profit operators to run childcare centres.

Mr Yee Jenn Jong asked the Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) how many childcare centres are currently operated by for-profit private operators at (i) HDB void decks and places managed by JTC Corporation; and (ii) restructured hospitals and buildings owned by the Government and statutory boards; (b) what are the average monthly rents paid by these operators in these respective areas; and (c) of the 200 new childcare centres to be built by 2018, how many of them will be situated at HDB void decks and places managed by JTC Corporation and what is the planned allocation of these centres between not-for-profit and for-profit organisations.

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Mr Chan Chun Sing: I would like to thank the hon Members for their interest and suggestions on childcare services.

Miss Penny Low and Er Dr Lee Bee Wah have asked whether the Government's effort to expand capacity is sufficient to meet growing demand. Today, we have 987 childcare centres providing close to 90,000 places for infant and childcare. There are also 498 kindergartens that provide another 93,000 places for children between the ages of four to six. The overall utilisation rate of childcare places stands at 84%.

However, in some estates such as Punggol, Jurong West and Woodlands, there is a higher proportion of families with young children. Parents in these estates may encounter difficulties in enrolling their children in their preferred centres. My Ministry has been focusing our efforts on increasing the number of childcare centres in these high demand estates. In Punggol, for example, 20 new centres are being developed, including 10 which will be ready by the end of this year.

The availability of suitable sites is a constraint on our ability to expand more quickly. We have yet to identify all 200 sites we intend to set aside for new childcare centres from 2013 to 2018. My Ministry is working closely with HDB to identify the new sites, especially in estates with high demand and in new townships. Given the numbers required, we will have to explore the use of other spaces, beyond HDB void decks, such as community centres, sports complexes, office buildings, retail malls and vacant state buildings for setting up childcare centres. The sites available for tender by both non-profit and private childcare centres are progressively made known on MCYS' Child Care Link website.

In determining the allocation of sites for non-profit centres and for-profit centres, MCYS takes into account the resident and housing type profiles, current mix of centres and views of the community and community leaders. For HDB void deck sites, our primary consideration is to ensure that such sites are used to provide affordable childcare options. Mr Yee Jenn Jong asked about the number of for-profit childcare centres in HDB void decks and state buildings. There are currently 176 centres run by for-profits in HDB void decks which make up about 37% of all HDB void deck centres. There are another 52 centres in Government buildings, including hospitals. Private operators on such sites pay market rentals which vary from site to site.

Mr Alex Yam and Er Dr Lee Bee Wah suggested expanding the number of workplace childcare centres. Today, there are 22 childcare centres located in the central business district and 241 centres located in commercial premises, Government or other buildings. These centres make up about 27% of all centres and cater to parents who prefer a centre in the vicinity of their workplace.

The Government currently provides grants to organisations and developers that are keen to set up workplace childcare centres. We provide capital grants for the purchase of furnishings and equipment for the centre as well as development grants for centres set up in Government buildings.

Private commercial developers can also tap on URA's Community and Sports Facilities Scheme. Developers receive additional gross floor area (GFA) of up to 3,000 square metres of retail space by integrating community facilities run by not-for-profit organisations in their development. Childcare is one of the approved uses under the scheme.

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We agree more can be done to encourage the development of workplace childcare centres. We welcome suggestions raised by Members in our on-going policy review.

In the area of quality, some Members have asked if there are sufficient qualified early childhood educators. There are currently about 11,000 childcare teachers, educarers and centre supervisors in the sector. More than 90% of childcare teachers for the four to six age group are diploma trained or undergoing the Diploma in Early Childhood.

My Ministry works closely with various partners to attract, develop and retain teachers and other personnel for the sector. For example, we work with the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and training providers to develop a pipeline of new and qualified teachers. This year, WDA will appoint two more training agencies as programme partners, increasing the training capacity for the sector. The Government also offers scholarships in early childhood studies for both new and existing teachers. We recently introduced a Good Employers toolkit and conducted workshops on good human resource practices in the sector to improve staff retention.

We have made some progress. About 3,500 new teachers joined the sector in 2011, increasing total manpower by 25%. In the same year, the attrition rate fell from 15% to 13%. We will continue to monitor the manpower situation closely.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah has asked how the Government seeks to ensure that childcare remains affordable for families. The Government supports parents through various subsidies to defray the cost of childcare. We provide a full day universal childcare subsidy for working mothers of up to $300 per month and infant care subsidy of up to $600 per month per child. Parents can also utilise funds from the Child Development Account (CDA) under the Baby Bonus Scheme to offset the cost of childcare fees. There are also financial assistance schemes under ComCare for childcare for families with household income of up to $3,500, or per capita income of $875 and below.

Ms Low Yen Ling asked about the Government's spending on the pre-school sector. In the financial year 2011, a total of $606.8 million was spent on childcare services, kindergartens, the Baby Bonus Scheme and other measures to support the development of the early childhood sector. This is about 0.19% of our GDP. In the same year, MCYS spent $28.9 million in kindergarten and childcare subsidies under ComCare for pre-schoolers from lower income families. We have also spent $10.3 million to support pre-schoolers with special needs.