SINGAPORE — The Government will consider closing childcare centres and kindergartens should the 24-hour forecast Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) goes above 300 — the “Hazardous” level.

It is also aiming for every childcare centre and kindergarten to have an air-conditioned room to provide respite for children with respiratory problems when windows have to be shut to keep the haze out.

Laying out the immediate and long-term measures to tackle the haze for the childcare sector, Acting Minister for Social and Family Development (MSF) Chan Chun Sing told reporters yesterday that the MSF will work closely with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and issue aligned guidelines should any closures be made.

“If the PSI hits a certain level, we will be working closely with the MOE and we will like to ensure all parents (that) any decision taken by the childcare sector will also be closely coordinated with the school sector because they are all children of about the same age group down here,” Mr Chan said.

As an intermediate measure, Mr Chan, who was at the NTUC My First Skool at Kim Keat Link as part of his routine visits to childcare centres, also announced a S$2.5-million fund to help childcare centres and kindergartens which are not air-conditioned to purchase portable air-conditioners and retrofit their centres to allow more spaces to be air-conditioned or air-cooled.

Depending on the number of children each centre has, childcare centres will receive up to S$4,000 while kindergartens will receive up to S$6,000. Applications will be backdated to June 17 and will close on Aug 31. The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will review the deadline depending on the haze situation closer to the date.

Last week, the MSF and the ECDA issued guidelines to all childcare centres to keep all activities indoors and to close all windows and doors when the 24-hour PSI reading exceeds 200, the “Unhealthy” level.

Mr Chan said: “Once we move indoors, the air quality will be considerably better but once every (one) of the children goes in, we know it can be a bit stuffy and a bit hot which is why we want to provide the air-con and air-cooler options. So, we are working with the contractors ... with the rest of the childcare operators to try and retrofit their centres as soon as possible.”

He called the move a “no-regrets option” and an “investment” that will not only last for this year but also “open up options to continue operations even in future years”. Operators were also consulted upon before the decision was made.

The provision of spaces will be taken into account when designing the new generation of childcare centres, he added. Currently, 60 per cent of the 1,000 childcare centres and half of the 500 kindergartens are fully air-conditioned.

YWCA Childcare’s 10 childcare centres and one kindergarten are not air-conditioned except for the IT room and principal’s office in each centre. The operator has ordered 26 air purifier units which cost about S$27,000 in total.

“We will definitely utilise the new grant to equip each of our centres with portable air-conditioners so our children will feel more comfortable,” said Executive Director Leung Yee Ping.