Forum: Measures in place to support early childhood educators’ well-being 

We thank Ms Paulyn Leong for her support to ensure the well-being of our early childhood (EC) educators (Five-day week for pre-school teachers good but not longer weekdays, Oct 15).  

The removal of mandatory Saturday services for childcare centres from 2025 is a significant move by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) to enhance the work-life balance of EC educators and improve their overall well-being. Before this move, childcare centres would need to be open from 7am to 2pm on Saturday should there be a demand for childcare services from families.  

EC educators’ weekly working hours are determined by the contractual terms of their employment, which they and their employers mutually agree upon. On Saturdays, apart from providing childcare, educators also undergo training and carry out tasks such as lesson preparation, administrative work and classroom set-up. The removal of Saturday services means these activities would have to be done on weekdays. Any reduction in weekly working hours may also require adjustments to other contractual terms, such as salary.

To improve educators’ well-being, ECDA has put in place other measures to enhance their work-life balance. These include designating Teachers’ Day and Children’s Day as pre-school holidays and repositioning the six pre-school closure days as development days so that educators have protected time to focus on their individual and team development.

In addition, ECDA recently appointed relief staff service providers that pre-schools can tap to ease short-term manpower needs and let their staff take time off for their professional or personal needs.   

Overall, these initiatives aim to enable educators to better balance their professional responsibilities with their personal lives, ultimately benefiting them and the children in their care. 

Wendy Ang
Director, Sector Planning
Early Childhood Development Agency