Government vs Private Childcare - What Are You Really Paying For? (2019)

February 26, 2019

After the initial glow of welcoming a new baby into the family and taking hundreds of smartphone pictures of your kid every time he does something cute, reality sets in and you realise that, at some point, it will be time to make childcare arrangements.

So, what is the difference between government childcare and private childcare? You already know many parents are willing to sacrifice limbs to get their kids into an elite primary school, but is this how it works at childcare level?

By the way, for the avoidance of doubt, in this article, government childcare refers to PAP Community Foundation’s Sparkletots , MOE Kindergartens, and, while not strictly a government-helmed chain, NTUC’s My First Skool, since it bears many similarities to the PAP childcare centres.

Government childcare fees

Government childcare is a lot cheaper than almost any private childcare option. Here are sample prices are like:

Childcare centre	Fees/month
PAP Community Foundation Sparkletots	$496.60 to $850.50
NTUC My First Skool	$743.10 to $764
MOE Kindergarten (K1 and K2 only) 4-hour programme	$160

PCF Sparkletots Kindergartens

Prices for PCF Sparkletots kindergartens range from $496.60 to $850.50, depending on location. Generally, it’s between $600 and $700.

PCF Sparkletots Kindergartens	Fees/month
PCF Sparkletots @ Kebun Baru Blk 109	$601.60
PCF Sparkletots @ Braddell Heights	$551.20
PCF Sparkletots @ Choa Chu Kang Blk 19	$716.10
PCF Sparkletots @ Boon Lay	$674.10
PCF Sparkletots @ Geylang Serai Blk 341 (CC)	$707.70

NTUC My First Skool

The prices of NTUC My First Skool are more standard than PCF Sparkletots, but it falls within the range of $678.31 to $770.40.

My First Skool Kindergartens	Fees/month
My First Skool @ 229 Ang Mo Kio	$743.12
My First Skool @ 2 Tanjong Pagar Plaza	$743.12
My First Skool @ Fernvale Link	$763.98
My First Skool @ 245 Bishan	$743.12

MOE Kindergarten

The prices of MOE Kindergartens are more transparent. A 4-hour MOE kindergarten programme in 2019 and 2020 is $160 for Singaporeans and $320 for Singapore PRs across the board. If your gross monthly household income is less than $6,000, you enjoy further subsidies under the Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS).

The downside is that there may not always be an MOE Kindergarten near you. There are many in Punggol, though, presumably because there are more young families there.

Private childcare fees

Private childcare prices are generally higher than those at the PAP centres, although there are a smattering that offer almost the same prices (but note that low prices often mean being located in very far off areas like Chong Pang or Buangkok).

On the high end of the scale they can get astronomically expensive at over $2,000 a month. Here’s a sampling of the full-time childcare prices charged at private centre:

St Andrew’s Cathedral Child Development Centre: $600
Appleland Playhouse: $830
Happy Talent Childcare Centre: $850
Cherie Hearts: $880 to $1,498, most branches in the $1,000 range
Kinderland Preschool: $876.30 to $1,470, most branches about $1,400
Superland Montessori Pre-School: $1,450
Mindchamps Preschool: $1,797.60 to $2016.95
Chiltern House: $2,113.25 to $2,145.35
Little Village on the Grange: $3,723.60

In general, you will often find that the PCF Sparkletots or My First Skool childcare centres tend to be one of the cheapest options in any given area.

Government vs private childcare – What do you get?

As there is nothing stopping private childcare centres from offering services that are as basic or as atas as they want, it is hard to definitively compare the offerings of government and private centres.

One thing that must be said, though, is that government centres tend to have more students to every teacher than the average private childcare centre. So if you are uncomfortable with a high student-teacher ratio, pick a private centre instead.

Some parents also tend to find that the PAP Community Foundation teaching style tends to be more relaxed, and students get to play quite a bit. Kiasu parents don’t like this as they feel their kids aren’t learning enough.

When kiasu parents fork out the money to send their kids to a more upmarket preschool, it is usually because a) they want the kids to learn more and be more prepared for primary school, or b) the childcare centre claims to use a special methodology (eg. Montessori).

It should be noted, however, that some of the childcare centres claiming to use a special internationally-renowned methodology may not in fact apply it as strictly as their overseas counterparts, as one MOE teacher found out in her search on childcare in Singapore. You should also never assume that a more expensive centre is necessarily a better one, as some parents have found out the hard way.

Facilities also matter. A premium childcare like Chiltern House preschool has an indoor playground as well as individual rooms for each level. Government childcares tend to be more open concept. Lutheran Preschool even has a computer lab for their preschoolers.

Ultimately, your choice of childcare centre will depend on various factors, from the practical — distance to your home, price — to intangibles such as whether you like the teachers at a particular branch and the school’s methodology.

Don’t be surprised if you find quality varying greatly between centres from the same chain. Just because your friend’s kids go to a Kinderland or Mindchamps branch doesn’t mean you can send your kid to another branch and expect the same experience. Read parent reviews on individual branches on Skoolopedia before making a commitment.

If you have the luxury of time, you may request to sit in some of the classes in shortlisted kindergartens and observe what goes on during the day.

A note on childcare subsidies

If your child is a Singapore Citizen, you are entitled to a monthly subsidy of $300 if you enrol your child in full-time childcare subject to both parents working. The amount is halved if the mother is not working.

If your monthly household income is below $7,500, you might also qualify for a variable additional subsidy of $100 to $440.

The childcare centre must be licensed by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) for you to qualify for the subsidies. By law, all childcare centres must be licensed, but just in case, make sure any centre you’re considering is on the list. Also, you can pay for your school fees with a service like CardUp, which allows you to pay by credit card and earn benefits. It’s pretty much a no brainer since you’re going to have to pay those school fees anyway.

Have you ever enrolled any of your children at a childcare centre? Share your experiences in the comments!

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