[2][3] All Preschools in Singapore are required to obtain license under the Early Childhood Development Centres Act 2017.
[5] If a Child Care Centre is licensed by ECDA, or Kindergarten that is registered with ECDA/Committee for Private Education (CPE), it is considered as an Approved Institution (AI) under the Baby Bonus Scheme.
[7] Singaporean with Child Development Account (CDA) set up will be able to use the First Step grant ($3,000) to pay for educational and healthcare expenses of all their children immediately.
[9] In addition to Basic Subsidy, a working mum with Singaporean child enrolled in ECDA-licensed centres will qualify for up to S$440 Additional Subsidy,[10] if their total gross monthly income (including bonuses, commissions, overtime pay, allowances and before CPF deduction) earned by mum and her spouse is less than S$7,500 per month.
[9] At the National Day Rally on Sunday (18 August 2019), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the authorities would raise the income ceiling from S$7,500 to S$12,000 for families seeking to qualify for more preschool subsidies in year 2020.
These childcare centres do not receive government funding, thus they tend to have more expensive school fees of about $1,000 to $2,000 a month.
Small Wonder Preschool, one of the premium childcare centres in Singapore, offers fees ranging between S$38 and S$1,595 per month, depending on the programme and age group.
Like other premium operators, Small Wonder does not receive government funding, which explains its higher fee structure.
To qualify for the POP scheme, childcare centres must have a minimum size of 300 child care places.
[24] Top priority for admissions go to Singaporean children from lower-income households living within 1 km of the MOE kindergarten.