The number of children on the waiting list for childcare centres has nearly halved in two years, from 13,800 in 2017 to about 8,000 now, said the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).

One-third of these children are already in a centre, but their parents hope to transfer them to another one. The ECDA said the waiting list has shortened because the Government has significantly ramped up the number of childcare places by more than 80 per cent since 2012.

Then, there were around 90,000 childcare places. Today, the number has shot up to about 170,000, and will reach 200,000 in 2023.

These cater to the growing number of children being put in childcare as more women work.

However, some experts and parents say that it is still hard to get a place in a suitable childcare centre.

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