Projected Demand for Childminding Services over Three-year Pilot Period

18 Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the projected demand for childminding services over the three-year pilot period; and (b) how does this compare with current enrolment and waitlist figures across all appointed operators under the ECDA childminding pilot scheme.

The Minister of State for Social and Family Development (Mr Goh Pei Ming) (for the Minister for Social and Family Development): Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his question. The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) launched a three-year Childminding Pilot for Infants in December 2024 to grow childminding services for infants aged two to 18 months as an additional caregiving option for parents.

Since its launch, the pilot has supported around 50 infants across both childminders' homes and community premises. Parents who have enrolled have shared positive feedback on the dedicated care their infants receive and the convenience, especially since childminders are able to accommodate the parents' caregiving preferences and normally, they are also close by, proximity wise.

We are also encouraged by the growing interest in the pilot, with around 160 families indicating interest to enrol in the next six months and these include infants who are yet to be born.

As the pilot progresses, ECDA will continue to study demand for the pilot and work with operators to meet demand from parents and enhance service delivery. This includes matching families with childminders more efficiently.

Mr Speaker: Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik.

Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik (Sengkang): Thank you, Speaker, and the Minister of State for the response. For the low uptake, is it due to the cost or location or even caregiver's trust? Because as the Minister of State mentioned, there is only 50 as of a three-year period. Also, how is ECDA addressing these barriers?

I have another supplementary which is, will the Ministry consider extending the pilot period or adjusting the model based on early learnings?

Mr Goh Pei Ming: Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. For the numbers, we are assured that 50 infants is a good start. We just launched the pilot in December last year for our three-year pilot. Whether the number can be higher, yes, we are prepared for the number to be higher. Primarily, I think it may be a function of also public awareness that this option exists and that is something that we are working on, to enhance public awareness of this option. Especially in infant care centres, where there is a waitlist in infant care centres, we do offer this childminding as an option for residents to consider. Whether we are exploring extending this pilot, I think we are still in the early days and we are refining it along the way with operators, with feedback from parents, and we will stay open. It is a three-year pilot.