A Singapore Made for All Families
1. Chair, at the heart of MSF’s work is our firm conviction that strong families are the bedrock of our society.
a. We strive to make Singapore the best place to raise families where all families have opportunities to thrive and flourish.
b. Today, I will share four areas where MSF supports families.
i. First, how we are giving every child a good start in life;
ii. Second, how we are journeying with families through every stage of life;
iii. Third, how we are uplifting families with caregiving needs; and
iv. Fourth, how we are fostering a family-friendly Singapore.
Giving Every Child A Good Start
2. Today, around nine in ten Singaporean children aged three to six are enrolled in preschools.
3. We have enhanced access to affordable and quality preschools, by ramping up the number of preschool places available.
a. In 2015, we had around 120,000 full-day preschool places. We worked hard to increase this number. And today, we have around 220,000 full-day preschool places – enough to accommodate every resident child aged three and above.
b. In particular, we increased the number of government-supported preschool places. During the 2019 National Day Rally, then-PM announced our commitment to provide places for 80% of preschoolers in a government-supported preschool. I am glad to share that by the end of 2025, we will meet this commitment. That is, we are on target, and we will be able to provide places for 80% of preschoolers in a government supported preschool.
c. It gives me great satisfaction to say this, because together with fellow women MPs which include Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Ms Cheryl Chan and Ms Joan Pereira, together we had put up a proposal in 2019 to the Government to increase the number of government-supported preschool places and lower costs. So, the government has been working hard over the years, and I’m glad to share that now in my current position as Minister of State at the Ministry of Social and Family Development, we have seen these proposals through. And now 80% of these places, 80% of our preschool children can go to government-supported preschools.
d. The government will not stop at this achievement. From 2025 to 2029, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will work with Anchor Operators to add almost 40,000 full-day preschool places, of which about 6,000 will cater to infants.
4. Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked about the affordability of preschool services.
a. The government provides all Singaporean children with basic subsidies of up to $300 each for full-day childcare. There are also additional financial subsidies for eligible families.
b. In 2020, we raised the household income ceiling so that more families can qualify for means-tested additional subsidies. We also enhanced subsidy amounts across all eligible income tiers. Eligible families can now receive means-tested additional subsides which range from $80 to $467 for full-day childcare.
c. At the same time, we have been steadily reducing full-day childcare fee caps for Anchor Operators and Partner Operators, with a reduction of $40 for monthly fees in 2023, another reduction of another $40 at the start of this year in 2025, and an additional reduction of $30 in 2026.
d. What this means is that in 2026, full-day childcare fees will be $610 for Anchor Operators and $650 for Partner Operators, compared this to $720 for Anchor Operators in 2021 and $760 for Partner Operators in 2021.
e. With these fee reductions, we will meet another commitment that this government made in 2019 – that is, that full day childcare expenses, before means-tested subsidies, will be similar to what households pay for primary school and after-school care fees combined. In 2026, a dual-income family, with monthly income of $10,000, will pay $235 per month for full-day childcare in an Anchor Operator preschool after subsidies – half of what they would have paid in 2019.
5. Now, Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Melvin Yong asked about further quality improvements in our preschools.
a. With effect from 2025, SPARK 2.0 supports preschools to further improve their quality and be appraised against higher standards. The new Quality Teaching Tool will also be rolled out in 2025 to guide and hone educators’ pedagogical skills.
b. Attracting and retaining good educators is a priority for us. ECDA engaged with preschool teachers, centre leaders, and preschool operators and this led to initiatives to improve retention, such as Saturday closure, designating Teachers’ Day and Children’s Day as preschool holidays, and designating six development days for educators. We have also embarked on an educator-centric review of their teaching experience. Deepening our understanding of their motivations and challenges will help us do even more to enhance the attraction, retention, and experiences of Early Childhood educators.
c. We will continually review our programmes and initiatives and work with the sector, so that children can benefit from high quality early childhood care and education, parents are assured of high teaching standards, and our educators are motivated to do well.
6. We have also strengthened support for children with developmental needs, by increasing the number of government-funded places for children requiring medium to high levels of early intervention support by almost 80% since 2020. The EIPIC-Care pilot introduced in 2024 also equips caregivers with skills to support their child’s development at home.
Journeying with Families Through Every Stage
7. Second, we are doing more to journey with families.
8. The Families For Life Movement, led by the Families for Life, Council, brings together partners and volunteers to promote a family-friendly society.
a. Couples preparing for marriage, or already married couples can participate in FFL’s marriage preparation and enrichment programmes.
b. We agree with Associate Professor Razwana that educators and parents play an important role in building a family-friendly Singapore.
i. Nurturing a positive parent-preschool partnership is a key focus area in ECDA’s refreshed “Shape Our Tomorrow” campaign.
ii. Under Families for Life @Community, families can conveniently access programmes and peer support groups, to equip them with the skills and confidence to care for their children. The Parenting for Wellness toolbox provides resources on how to deepen parent-child relationships.
iii. We will expand Families for Life @Community to all towns nationwide by end-2025.
9. Many corporates have also stepped forward to partner the Families for Life Council in supporting families. Some have organised Families for Life parenting talks; others have arranged family days for staff. Many employers also support their employees with caregiving needs by adopting Flexible Workplace Arrangements.
a. We hope that more employers can join us to foster a family-friendly workplace culture.
10. Last year’s Family Trends report showed greater marriage stability in recent cohorts, with falling rates of marriage dissolution before the 10th anniversary.
a. In a 2023 MSF survey on families, 86% of families reported moderate to high family resilience scores, meaning that they were generally able to recover from challenges together.
b. The majority of respondents also reported having close-knit families.
Greater Assurance for Caregiving Needs
11. Mr Gerald Giam asked about support for caregivers. We appreciate our caregivers for the pivotal roles that they play in the care for their loved ones, in the sacrifices they make, and we want to support them in their care for their families.
a. As PM mentioned in his Budget Round-Up speech, it is difficult to put a monetary value on the love and care that caregivers provide for their loved ones. And we should not think of family relationships in terms of monetary value. It would be a sad day for family relationships, if we need to be paid so that we are willing to take care of our aged parents, our children, or grandparents taking care of their grandchildren. But that said, to support caregivers, the government provides help to defray the costs of taking care of the loved ones in the family, so this comes through the form of the enhanced Home Caregiving Grant (HCG), which the government has been increasing – it has been increased for the second time in two years.
b. To recap, the Home Caregiving Grant was introduced in 2019 to improve affordability for long-term caregivers. I know this because I spoke to caregivers during the Conversations on Singapore Women’s Development in 2020. I spoke to caregivers, asked how we can support them. So, we listened and enhanced the Home Caregiving Grant in 2023. We doubled the amount from $200 to up to $400 a month in 2023. In this Budget, we have increased the amount of the Home Caregiving Grant. The Home Caregiving Grant will be further increased to up to $600 a month, from April 2026. So, we have been listening to caregivers and we want to support them when they care for their loved ones. This approach through the Home Caregiving Grant also takes into account the fact that caregiving arrangements can vary from family to family.
c. Besides the Home Caregiving Grant, the government also multiplies the support families provide to their caregivers. The Matched Retirement Savings Scheme and the newly announced five-year Matched Medisave Scheme enable families and loved ones to contribute to the retirement and healthcare needs of lower-income seniors, including caregivers.
d. Help for caregivers also come in the form of the Caregivers Training Grant to attend approved courses.
e. Partners such as CaringSG also empower caregivers, through initiatives which bring peer- and community-based support closer to home.
12. For caregivers of children, apart from the decade-long push for more accessible, more affordable and quality preschools which I had touched on earlier, we have also announced a new pilot to help parents with infants.
a. Parents with infants can tap on infant care centres or the three-year childminding pilot which was launched last December. This month, we launched childminding services from Tampines East Community Club, with services from Nee Soon East Community Club expected to start later this year.
b. Assoc Prof Razwana asked about support for fathers. We have doubled the Government-Paid Paternity Leave scheme and enhanced employment protection for fathers on paternity leave. The Families for Life also partners the Centre for Fathering to promote active fathering, through programmes and peer support groups.
c. The upcoming Shared Parental Leave scheme will allow eligible parents to receive an additional 6 weeks of paid parental leave, to be shared between both parents, from 1 April 2025. And this will be increased to 10 weeks in 2026.
13. Children come from a diverse range of family backgrounds, such as single parent families. Mr Louis Ng has been advocating for single unwed mothers for several years now.
a. Benefits supporting the growth and development of children are given to all families, regardless of their parents’ marital status.
b. The cash component of the Baby Bonus is given to married couples to support them as they start a new family together. And that is why it is called a Baby Bonus cash gift.
c. For single unwed mothers facing financial difficulties, support comes through other forms such as through KidSTART, ComLink+, and also access to rental housing, if that is what they are applying for.
d. For couples and families facing stressors in their marital or family relationships, they can tap on the Strengthening Families Programme at Family Service Centres or otherwise known as FAM@FSC, for support services.
e. Families in need of financial assistance may also approach social service offices or Family Service Centres for holistic case management.
14. We are doing more to support parents with the cost of childraising.
a. We empathise with couples who want more children but they are concerned about childraising costs. And through the Large Families Scheme, we will further defray costs for families with three or more children.
15. All parents are also supported through the Child Development Account, the CDA, where parents receive the First Step Grant and government co-matching for deposits.
a. CDA funds can be used at Baby Bonus Approved Institutions for specific expenses that directly benefit the child, such as preschool uniforms and field trips organised by preschools.
b. We had sought feedback from parents on the CDA’s approved uses, to ensure that it remains useful for them.
i. Most parents feel that the existing coverage is sufficient.
ii. But some were keen on using the account for other preschool incidental costs which are currently not included, such as enrichment classes. Some families said that they tended to opt out of such optional programmes, as they could not afford it and were unable to tap on the Child Development Account for such activities.
16. We will thus be expanding the use of the Child Development Account scheme, to better meet families’ needs.
a. From May 2025, parents can use the Child Development Account for all incidental costs at approved preschools registered under the CDA scheme. This would cover enrichment programmes provided by the preschools, such as speech, drama, robotics, and coding classes.
b. So for many, the expansion of the CDA uses will provide more financial support for their preschoolers, to fully tap on the learning opportunities offered by their preschools. Depending on the child’s birth order, families who save up to the co-matching cap will be able to tap on government funding of between $9,000 to $20,000 in their children’s CDA.
17. I will now like to touch on parents with children with special needs, or persons with disabilities. In my work at the Ministry of Education, I have met many parents who have children with special needs. Even at my work at the MSF, I have met several parents who have young children with special needs. Oftentimes, they share their deepest worry, which is their child. How are they going to take care of their child after they are gone? You know, most parents worry about their children as they grow older, as their children grow up. But I think for parents of children with special needs, that worry is even more acute, because they worry about how their child will be able to live independently after they are gone. So this time round, the Government will be embarking on two initiatives to help parents with children with special needs.
a. As the MOM announced, the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme will be expanded to persons with disabilities of all ages, to help them build up sufficient retirement savings.
i. The government will match every dollar of CPF top-up received by eligible persons with disabilities, up to an annual cap of $2,000 and a lifetime limit of $20,000. This increases their retirement savings and monthly payouts.
ii. Let me give you an example. If a parent of a seven-year-old child diagnosed with autism makes a cash top-up of $2,000 annually for ten years, their child will see an increase in CPF retirement savings of at least $320,000 when he is 65 years old. This would allow the child to receive an increase of $1,700 in monthly payouts.
b. The MSF will also enable more families of persons with disabilities to plan early for the financial security of their loved ones.
i. The Special Needs Trust Company (SNTC) works with parents of children with disabilities to prepare a detailed care plan that sets out how their children will be cared for, after they have passed on. As PM had announced in the Budget speech, we will provide a matching grant of up to $10,000 for top-ups by eligible caregivers to SNTC trust accounts. The developed care plan will determine how much money is needed for their child and how that sum can be built up in the trust account, such as through cash, property, CPF savings, and insurance payouts. After the caregivers pass on, SNTC will disburse the monies in the Trust account according to the care plan. MSF will subsidise SNTC’s fees for Trust services, to keep this affordable for caregivers.
ii. Let me come back to the example I shared earlier. So, for a family with a seven-year-old child diagnosed with autism, if the parents top up the SNTC trust account with $10,000, the government will match this, bringing the total amount in the trust account up to $20,000. They can then use this sum to defray the insurance premium for a term plan of at least $100,000, in a sum assured in their name. This builds up financial security for the child, as the sum assured will go into the trust account when the caregiver passes on.
c. We hope that parents of persons with disabilities will feel more reassured that their child will be supported, even though they may no longer be around to do so themselves. My colleague, SPS Eric Chua will share more about MSF’s other moves to build an inclusive society.
Creating a family-friendly Singapore
18. Lastly, beyond enhanced financial and caregiving support, we are celebrating families, as a nation.
a. Designating 2022 as the Year of Celebrating SG Families underscored the importance of our families.
b. National Family Week has also grown into the National Family Festival, which attracted more than 700,000 participants in 2024.
19. Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked about our plans to foster a family-friendly Singapore. And one way we have done so is by expanding family-oriented spaces.
20. In 2022, we unveiled Family Zone at Gardens by the Bay, for all families to enjoy quality time together and celebrate key life milestones. This represents MSF’s commitment, alongside our partners, to create shared spaces for families.
21. This year, with the strong support from MSF’s partners, we will be introducing new features to the Family Zone.
a. Our children can learn shared family values through play at the new family playground. Children of different abilities can also come together and enjoy the inclusive play equipment.
b. We will also launch the enhanced community garden, which can host visits and workshops for families. This garden will be tended to by volunteers, many of whom are seniors.
22. Family Zone was made possible through our collaboration with partners from the people and private sector, namely Gardens By the Bay, PropNex and the Community Chest. We invite more corporate partners to come on board to offer meaningful experiences for families.
23. Chairperson, if I may speak in Mandarin, please.
a. 政府一直在努力通过各种政策和措施，帮助新加坡每一个家庭的发展。
b. 我们知道新加坡的年轻父母对育儿成本非常关注。因此，我们一直致力于提供更多优质且负担得起的学前教育中心。在2019年，我们为50%的孩童提供了政府资助的学前教育，在2025年底之前，我们将可以为80% 的孩童提供政府资助的学前教育，从而兑现我们在2019年国庆群众大会上的承诺。我们会再接再厉，从2025年到2029 年，再增加4万个全日制学前教育名额，当中包含6千个托婴服务名额。
c. 我们也一直在降低主要业者和伙伴业者的全天制托儿费用：2023年，每月收费降低40元，2025年初再降低40元，到2026年还会进一步降低30元。通过这些降费措施，我们会将全天制托儿费用控制在较低水平，能够与小学学费加上课后托管费相似。
d. 为了确保家庭能够承担学前教育费用，并帮助有需要的家庭，我们将扩大儿童培育户头(CDA) 的使用范围，让家长在所有CDA计划下注册的学前教育机构中，动用儿童培育户头来支付所有学前教育的杂费。
e. 对于孩子是特需孩童的家庭，我们也有一系列的帮助措施。例如我们推出了 “退休户头配对填补计划“ （MRSS），父母可以给特需孩子的 “公积金”（CPF）户头存钱，每存一块钱政府也会匹配存入一块钱, 终生顶限为两万元。另外，我们还有“特需信托机构“ (SNTC) 计划，父母可以为特需孩子在特需信托SNTC户口存入资金，政府将提供高达1万元的配对津贴。如果父母和看护者不在了，特需信托机构会根据看护计划照顾这些特需孩子。
Conclusion
24. Mr Chair, this SG60, as we look back at how far we have come, I hope we are all also excited for the road ahead. Together, we can do even more to create a Singapore where every child has a good start in life, and every family has the opportunity to thrive and to flourish.