Breakdown of Student Care Centres Operating in Singapore by Operator Type and Registered as Student Care Fee Assistance Administrators
Ministry of Social and Family DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the breakdown and registration status of Student Care Centres (SCCs) as raised by Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan. Minister Masagos Zulkifli B M M stated that 330 SCCs were registered Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA) administrators as of June 2026, comprising 55% school-based and 45% community-based centres. He highlighted that the SCFA monthly household income threshold will increase to $6,500 on 1 January 2027, while current median monthly fees for registered centres remain stable at $290. While the Ministry sets safety standards for SCFA administrators, it does not track staff salaries or community-based centres that choose not to register for the scheme. Following Budget 2026, the Government is reviewing the sector to determine if further measures are needed to better support the caregiving needs of families.
Transcript
41 Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how many Student Care Centres (SCCs) currently operate in Singapore, broken down by school-based and community-based SCCs; (b) what proportion of SCCs are registered as Student Care Fee Assistance administrators; and (c) within each category, what is the breakdown of SCCs by type of operator.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: My response to this Parliamentary Question will cover related questions raised by Member Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan regarding Student Care Centres (SCCs), which are scheduled for today and subsequent Sittings.
As of June 2026, there were 330 SCCs registered with the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) as administrators of the Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA) scheme; 55% were school-based and the remaining 45% were community-based. All school-based SCCs are registered with MSF. Community-based centres are only required to register with MSF if they wish to administer SCFA. MSF does not track the total number of community-based SCCs that are not registered as SCFA administrators.
In the past five years, the median monthly fee of SCCs that administer the SCFA remained stable at $290. The majority charged between $220 and $450. Around 15% of students enrolled in MSF-registered SCCs received SCFA. We will increase the monthly household income threshold for SCFA from $4,500 to $6,500 on 1 January 2027, which will benefit more students.
MSF sets minimum requirements for SCFA administrators to ensure the safety and well-being of children. The audits for SCFA administrators ensure compliance with stipulated standards to ensure the safety and well-being of children as well as the proper administration of SCFA. It is not meant to be an accreditation of the SCC's service quality.
The Ministry of Education regularly engages school-based SCCs on their programmes. School-based SCCs are required to provide weekly outdoor programmes and enrichment activities to develop values, social-emotional competencies and 21st century competencies in students. Beyond the requirement of a structured daily programme, community-based SCFA administrators have the flexibility to offer programmes and additional enrichment activities that meet the needs of their students.
MSF does not track staff salaries and turnover of SCCs in general nor those that administer SCFA. As part of the ongoing review of the student care sector announced at Budget 2026, the Government will study if further measures are needed to better meet the caregiving needs of families with primary school-aged children.