S’pore to recruit 1,800 more infant care educators; pre-schools’ hiring grant expanded to meet demand
A hiring grant for preschool operators will be expanded to help them recruit more infant care educators.
By 2030, Singapore plans to hire 1,800 additional infant care educators to address the anticipated rise in demand for infant care services as they become more affordable. Senior Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming announced this on August 28 during a Teachers' Day celebration at E-Bridge Pre-School @ Sumang Lane.
The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will expand the Manpower Hiring Grant (MHG) to provide additional funding support for infant care educators. The grant's training stipends will be extended to more certifications, including Assistant Infant Educator and Fundamentals Certificate in Infant Care courses. The maximum funding for training stipends will increase from 60% to 70%. The grant will also be extended by three years until December 31, 2030.
ECDA's actions follow a series of measures to support families announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the National Day Rally on August 23, which include reducing fees at government-supported pre-schools by more than half by 2030. The network of government-supported pre-school operators will also expand to make these affordable services more accessible to families.
To meet the growing demand, ECDA will explore overseas partnerships to broaden the pool of suitable candidates, potentially with countries like China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Myanmar. The agency will also draw manpower from the current pool of pre-school educators. ECDA aims to introduce a new grant to help eligible pre-school operators join the government-supported partner operator network, with more details to be announced later in 2026.
Infant care educators play a crucial role in creating environments where infants can grow and develop holistically, responding to each child's needs and building trustful relationships. E-Bridge Pre-School's CEO Lim Tien Hock highlighted the specialised nature of the work, involving hands-on care for young infants and helping them meet developmental milestones.
Liyana Mohd Razali, a 34-year-old mother of four, recently made a mid-career switch from the civil service to become an infant care educator. She received full course fees for her Higher Certificate in Infant Care through the MHG and the pre-school operator's joining bonus. Liyana expressed her hope for more colleagues to join the field, acknowledging the challenging yet rewarding nature of the work.
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