SINGAPORE — As part of a greater push to help pre-school operators who receive little to no government funding, the Government has set aside S$25 million to fund a suite of support schemes. These programmes will help “expand” affordable and quality mass market pre-school options for the middle- to low-income families, on top of the expansion of the Government’s Anchor Operator Scheme, said Acting Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing yesterday.

For a start, pre-schools belonging to non-anchor operators can tap on a new fund to implement innovative projects to help children from less advantaged backgrounds. These could comprise English language proficiency and arts appreciation programmes.

To ensure fees remain affordable, a development grant to offset infrastructure costs for new childcare centres at Housing and Development Board (HDB) void decks will also be enhanced. It will, however, cover those run by voluntary welfare organisations who are not anchor operators.

More schemes to help non-anchor operators will be announced in the next few months.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a visit to Far Eastern Kindergarten, Mr Chan said the move is aimed at giving “every child a good start before they go into the primary school system”, particularly for those from less-advantaged backgrounds.

He added: “We want to give them as much help as possible, especially for the parents who come from the middle- to low-income (group) ... so this is our way of helping the operators to provide more affordable and better quality programmes for such parents and for such children, so that everybody can start off school with a good start.”

Operators can receive up to S$1,300 for each child on a per project basis if the child is identified by the teacher or social services to be “at-risk or potentially at risk” or come from the bottom 40 per cent of households with income of S$4,500 or below or per capita of S$1,125. There is also no minimum number of less-advantaged children a centre must have to be eligible for the grant.

The development fund has also been increased to subsidise 50 per cent of development cost or the actual cost incurred, whichever is lower. Previously, only 20 per cent of the cost could be subsidised. On average, the fund could help operators subsidise up to S$200,000 for each new centre.

Operators TODAY interviewed welcomed the additional support. Mdm Margaret Chua, Executive Director of Bethel Community Services, which runs three pre-school centres, said the grants could be used for “value-added enrichment courses and educational excursions” and even the purchase of concert costumes, centre uniforms, spectacles and school bags.