Letter of the week: Simplified pre-school subsidy application helps low-income families

As a social worker of 16 years, I commend recent initiatives to expand accessible, quality early-childhood education through more childcare places and streamlined subsidy applications (

40,000 new infant care, childcare places to open in Singapore in next 5 years

, Nov 2).

The simplified subsidy application process, which allows families to apply for subsidies directly with the Early Childhood Development Agency online, is a substantial improvement for low-income families.

Childcare-related paperwork has long been a pain point, not just for families but professionals as well. This change promises meaningful support for families facing “time poverty” – the challenge of balancing work, caregiving and administrative tasks.

The new approach lessens the mental load on both families and social workers, which enables more direct support and better service quality.

To reduce the mental load even more, I suggest introducing a community liaison role within pre-schools. By assisting with subsidy applications and connecting families to additional services, this role would make support systems more navigable and effective for parents.

I also hope the simplified access can be extended to other schemes, like the Ministry of Education’s Financial Assistance Scheme and student care subsidies. Streamlining these processes would ease compliance costs and address the time constraints that compound the challenges faced by low-income parents.

Elizabeth Quek Ser Mui