Redeployment of Children Affected by Centre Closures to Nearby Centres and Proportion of Unresolved Cases

56 Mr Shawn Loh asked the Minister for Social and Family Development with regard to pre-school centres closing without giving the sufficient six months' closure notice (a) what is the average or typical time taken for the Early Childhood Development Agency to successfully redeploy affected children to surrounding centres; and (b) what is the average or typical proportion of cases that remain unresolved by the time the original centre closes.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: In the event of a cessation, preschools are required to assist parents in securing alternative care arrangements. The Early Childhood Development Agency may also assist affected parents who require help with alternative preschool placement, such as in cases where the preschool had ceased operations at short notice.

The vast majority of parents of affected children, including those affected by cessations at short notice, were able to find alternative arrangements before the last day of operations of their existing preschool. Some parents may prefer not to enrol their children in a new preschool immediately due to personal reasons, such as a preference to wait for vacancies at a specific preschool of choice.