Update on Plans to Recruit 26,500 Early Childhood Educators and Strategies to Retain Manpower for Sector

32 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry is on track to meet its target of having over 26,500 early childhood educators by 2025; and (b) what is the Ministry's strategies to improve recruitment and reduce attrition.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: In the reply on 7 January 2025 to Members of Parliament Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng and Mr Desmond Choo, we updated that the number of early childhood educators has increased from over 18,000 in 2018 to over 25,000 today. [Please refer to "Ensuring Staffing Adequacy with Additional 40,000 Infant Care and Childcare Places Coming Onstream", Official Report, 7 January 2025, Vol 95, Issue 148, Oral Answers to Questions section.]

We continue to see the workforce growing at a healthy pace and attrition rates have remained stable.

We had also updated on our efforts to attract and retain early childhood educators, including raising salaries in Government-supported preschools and introducing initiatives to improve educators' well-being.