Forum: Should children spend most of their waking hours in childcare?

I refer to the article on there being fewer pre-schools offering care after 7pm, and the suggestion that extending childcare hours could support families amid low birth rates (50% drop in pre-schools offering care after 7pm since 2021; may signal lower demand: MSF, Feb 26).

I am imagining the child’s thoughts in this discussion: “I wake before my parents leave for work. I spend most of my day in childcare. When evening comes, I am still waiting. I miss them.”

When policy discussions touch on extending childcare further into the night, Singapore must ask what kind of childhood it is normalising.

In past decades, the term “latchkey kids” emerged to describe children who returned to empty homes because adults had little choice but to work late. Many grew up resilient. But many also carried feelings of loneliness and emotional distance.

If Singapore designs systems in which separation stretches longer, what might today’s children think, feel and eventually become? Will they grow into adults who associate family life with exhaustion and absence? And if so, will they feel encouraged to have children of their own?

Falling birth rates may not indicate that childcare hours are insufficient. They may be a signal that work has crowded out family rhythms.

Perhaps, instead of extending institutional care, Singapore should look into restoring time, presence and psychological safety within families. The long-term health of a society depends not only on how many children are born, but also on how securely they are raised.

Irene Ong