SINGAPORE - Small kindergarten operators will be encouraged to share resources to keep their costs down, Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing told reporters on Friday.

For instance, they could share one curriculum instead of each having their own curriculum development team, Mr Chan said when visiting the PCF Pasir Ris East kindergarten on the first day of school.

It was also the day that changes to the Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) kicked in, with higher subsidies and more families eligible. To complement such subsidies on the consumer end, costs should be kept low for providers, said Mr Chan.

The Ministry will speak to smaller operators, such as those which run only one or two centres, to see how they can get together and pool resources.

As of the end of last month, more than 9,000 applications have been received for KiFAS - more than the 8,300 families who benefited last year. More applications are expected in the first few months of this year.