KINDERGARTEN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SCHEME AND CENTRE BASED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SCHEME FOR CHILDCARE (Total amount disbursed)

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KINDERGARTEN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SCHEME AND CENTRE BASED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SCHEME FOR CHILDCARE:

(Total amount disbursed): 12.

Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, for 2004 and the first half of this year, (a) how many children from low income families had benefited from the Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme and Centre Based Financial Assistance for Childcare; and (b) what was the total amount disbursed under these schemes.

The Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports (Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon) (for the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports): Mr Speaker, Sir, Mdm Halimah would like to know how many children from low-income families have benefited from the Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme and Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare.

The Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KIFAS) and the Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare (CFAC) are schemes under ComCare Grow, which is focused at the developmental needs of children from low-income families, and these schemes are also meant to encourage and support low-income mothers to work full-time or part-

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time. There were about 12,600 children from low-income families on CFAC and KIFAS as of end of December last year. As of end of June this year, there were about 13,200 children on the two schemes. Between January and December 2004, we disbursed a total of $10.76 million under CFAC and KIFAS. For the first six months of this year, we disbursed a total of $6.65 million under the two schemes.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong (Non-Constituency Member): Will the assistance and grant given under this centre-based financial scheme for childcare actually be extended to home-based infant and childcare provided by grandparents or even private care nannies?

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: Mr Speaker, Sir, so far this subsidy is only extended to centre-based, not home-based, childcare.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong: Sir, I am asking whether the Government will consider extending the subsidy to home-based infant care.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: So far, under ComCare, we are reviewing centre-based assistance. I am sure the hon. Member knows from the newspaper reports that ComCare will be looking into various schemes for families whose income is below $1,500. But we have not taken into consideration home-based assistance. Let us settle all the institutional care first. We have not yet considered his request.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong: Sir, can I just clarify with the Minister of State, once the assistance for centre-based childcare has been more or less organised, the Government will look into how it can actually subsidise home-based childcare?

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: Let us look into institutional care and its supply and demand situation first. Mdm Halimah's question is on whether we are doing

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enough for those children under institutional care.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether it is possible to increase the subsidy for KIFAS, because the feedback I get from some families is that even the present level of subsidy is not sufficient. My second point, Sir, is that the CFAC requires the mother to already have a job. Some mothers have said it is a chicken-and-egg problem. They cannot go and get a job if their child is with them, but yet the CFAC said they must have a job first. Is it possible to review the scheme?

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: Actually, there is some good news for Mdm Halimah. At this moment, the KIFAS subsidy is up to $50 per month. The Prime Minister has just announced during the ComCare launch that we are going to increase the KIFAS subsidy to $65 a month. So, in this case, it is another $15 more. On CFAC, basically, we encourage working mothers to send their children to childcare but not the non-working mothers. At this moment, for working mothers, they get CFAC, plus the $150 Government's child-care subsidy per month. For the non-working mothers, they only get the Government child-care subsidy of $75 per month. But for mothers who are prepared to apply for jobs, we would also consider referring them to MOM. If they have seriously registered themselves for some training and are prepared to enrol themselves for a job, we will also consider helping them. Especially those who are first-timers to childcare, we even encourage them to apply for the start-up grant, up to about $1,000, to help their children pay for deposits, uniforms, and so on. For those retrenched women who are prepared to go back to work, we will also consider them on a case-by-case basis.

Mr Zainudin Nordin (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Sir, could the MOS tell us when

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the extra subsidy, ie, the $65, will be effective?

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: The extra subsidy will commence in January 2006.