Prioritisation of Childcare Centre Slots for Households Located within One Kilometre of Centre
Ministry of Social and Family DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) prioritises childcare slots based on a one-kilometre home-to-centre radius when centres reach maximum capacity. Minister Masagos Zulkifli B M M explained that while operators generally use a first-come, first-served system, they do consider distance and sibling enrolment when managing limited vacancies. He noted that over 40,000 places were added since 2018, ensuring national demand is met while ECDA prioritises capacity expansion in specific high-demand districts. Parents are encouraged to look beyond immediate vicinities by using the LifeSG search function to find available spots in adjacent neighbourhoods or near workplaces. These planning efforts account for demographic trends and resident birth rates to maintain sufficient preschool places across all Planning Areas.
Transcript
23 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Early Childhood Development Agency takes into consideration the distance between the home and childcare centre, such as within a one kilometre radius, for the prioritisation of childcare slots in the event that a childcare centre reaches maximum capacity; and (b) if not, why not.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) plans for preschool places to meet anticipated enrolment demand. It considers various factors including demographic trends, projected resident birth rates, enrolment patterns and availability of preschool places within each Planning Area. From 2018 to 2024, we have added more than 40,000 full-day preschool places, or a 25% increase. Today, there are over 200,000 full-day preschool places, which is more than sufficient to meet demand at both the national and Planning Area levels.
Nevertheless, demand can exceed supply in a small number of districts due to varying parental preferences and the lead-time needed to set up new centres or expand existing centres. ECDA prioritises the expansion of capacity in such districts.
Preschool operators, including those under the Anchor Operator and Partner Operator schemes, generally manage enrolment on a first-come, first-served basis. When a preschool approaches its maximum capacity, the operator will prioritise new enrolment by considering factors, such as whether the child has a sibling already enrolled in the centre and the distance from the child's home to the preschool.
ECDA also encourages parents to broaden their choices by considering centres with available vacancies in adjacent neighbourhoods, near their workplaces or the grandparents' homes. To better assist parents in this effort, ECDA has designed a new preschool search function on LifeSG, which allows parents to look for preschools with available vacancy in a given locale and directly liaise with preschools on enrolment matters.