More families applying for childcare subsidies
An adjustment of income ceilings in April has allowed more families to apply for subsidies to make preschool and childcare more affordable.
The adjustment from S$1,800 to S$3,500 has seen an increase in applications for the Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KIFAS) between April and May of this year, as compared to last year, said Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Halimah Yacob.
Speaking on the sidelines of a visit to the Presbytarian Community Services Childcare Centre in Yishun on Thursday, Madam Halimah said that there has also been a 34 per cent increase in applications for Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare (CFAC).
She added that a third of the new applications for the CFAC and half those for KIFAS were from families previously ineligible for government subsidies, reported Channel NewsAsia.
"The effort that we have made to make childcare more affordable, we are seeing the results," she said. "So more women can continue to work, or come out to work now, and that helps to strengthen families."
