On the issue of pre-school fees and subsidies, perhaps we need to consider what goes into the fees (What economics predicts about pre-school fees after subsidies, Oct 3).

Childcare providers should be more transparent about the extras charged to the total childcare fee.

They should give a breakdown of the extra chargeable items to let parents decide whether they want to proceed with enrolment.

For example, meals are the most common extra charge in the name of offering healthier choices.

On top of the monthly fee, childcare providers will ask for deposits which are generally equal to a month's worth of care.

If parents go on holiday and take their children out of school, they are still expected to pay the fees.

Some fees include outings while others impose an additional charge. There is also the late pick-up fee which parents have to pay if they are regularly late to collect their child.

Parents should take the time to understand the various costs and not sign up until they are happy with the setting, care and the costs; they should ask for references and about any extra fees.

To this end, the Ministry of Education should set guidelines on how the breakdown of fees should be communicated to parents by operators, in the interest of transparency.

Perhaps some unnecessary extras could be removed, and the savings passed back to the consumers.

The basic purpose of childcare is early education and not the extras. Without the extras, there may not be a need to increase fees.

If childcare fees keep increasing, parents may choose to stay at home to care for their children instead of joining the workforce.

In the long term, the Government should develop a capacity plan based on evidence of need that sets out the number of pre-schools needed per given location.

We should also conduct research and develop a workforce plan that sets out a realistic assessment of the number of early childhood professionals needed, including their level of qualification and how to recruit and retain them.

Cheng Choon Fei