SINGAPORE - More children from lower-income families are attending pre-school, although there is still a gap in their enrolment rate and the national average.

In 2021, 88 per cent of children aged three to four nationwide were enrolled in pre-school, compared with 78 per cent for those in lower-income families.

For those aged five to six, the national enrolment rate in 2021 was 95 per cent, while 93 per cent of those of this age range in lower-income families were enrolled.

Overall, 92 per cent of Singaporean children aged between three and six were in pre-school in 2021, up from 88 per cent in 2017, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) told The Straits Times.

The 2021 figures are the latest available from the Department of Statistics, said a spokesman for the ministry. ST had asked for annual figures from the past five years.

Pre-school enrolment rates of children from lower-income families have improved over time alongside the national rate, he said, though he did not provide the 2017 figure for lower-income families.

The gap in enrolment rates between children living in public rental flats and the national average, in particular among those aged three to four, was raised by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his Budget 2023 speech.

He had committed then to providing more assistance to lower-income families and to reach out to them to facilitate enrolment.

The Forward Singapore report he unveiled in October also mentioned upcoming measures to further address the enrolment gap and improve pre-school attendance.

The MSF spokesman said the early years are important to a child’s development and pre-school complements the key role that parents play.

Local data also indicates that children who attend pre-school from age three are less likely to require additional learning support in primary school, he added.

Associate Professor Jason Tan from the National Institute of Education said pre-schools are all the more crucial for lower-income families as they provide a more stimulating learning environment.

This could range from developing literacy and numeracy skills to providing toys and books, and even museum or zoo trips – all of which contribute to a child’s cognitive development, he said.

However, parents may struggle with enrolment and attendance due to various reasons.

The MSF spokesman said some lower-income parents may be juggling several priorities at the same time, such as searching for and staying in stable employment and housing, or having to manage relationship or health issues.

They may also be less aware of the benefits of sending their children to pre-school earlier.

Ms Ruth Chia, assistant director of child support services at pre-school operator NTUC First Campus, cited challenges such as poor health – which can be affected by the lack of care and proper nutrients – and distance to pre-school.

If the nearest centre has no vacancies, some parents are not motivated to take their child to one farther away from home, she said.

Ms Peggy Zee, an early childhood education consultant, said the work situations of some parents from lower-income families may make it difficult for them to pick up and take their child to school between shifts.

The MSF spokesman said the Government is working closely with the community to help lower-income families enrol their children by age three, through KidStart and the Pre-school Outreach Programme.

For example, children from households with a gross monthly household income of up to $6,000 receive priority enrolment in anchor operator pre-schools and Ministry of Education kindergartens.

KidStart is a nationwide programme for children up to age six from lower-income families; it supports them in early childhood development.

The Government has also taken steps to enhance pre-school affordability for lower-income families – they can pay as low as $3 a month for full-day childcare and $1 a month for half-day kindergarten at anchor operator pre-schools.

Anchor operators receive funding from the Government to keep their fees at a certain cap to ensure affordability.

In an op-ed on Nov 13, Singapore University of Social Sciences’ head and deputy head of its early childhood education programme Sirene Lim and Cynthia Lim suggested exploring piloting solutions such as conditional cash-transfer strategies.

Such transfers have been shown to work in South America and elsewhere, largely to support families with cash-flow needs, and can be tweaked to be used here with the conditions focused on attendance.

Mr Joseph Eio, director of children and youth services at Care Corner Singapore, encourages more coaching for parents on having quality conversations with their children, so they know how much they have learnt from pre-school.

Some caregivers may see going to pre-school at the age of three as “just to play” and prefer that they do that at home, he said.

One suggestion is for social workers to work with pre-school educators, an approach that Care Corner uses in its Circle of Care programme, which supports pre-school children from low socio-economic backgrounds, he added.

For example, if there are more children from lower-income families at a particular centre, perhaps a trusted social worker could be present when parents are picking up and dropping off their children.

The social worker could also help teachers to understand if some disruptive behaviours could be due to circumstances at home.

“It could help the pre-school educator to see the family behind the child, beyond the behaviour in a large class setting,” he said.

At NTUC First Campus, Ms Chia said staff known as child-enabling executives work with KidStart families, encouraging parents to take their children to school regularly. They also share with them why attending pre-school is important.

“Ultimately, education can help to break the poverty cycle through better social mobility,” Ms Chia said. “This is done through exposure to learning experiences, which will lead to better career opportunities for the child.”

One case Care Corner is working with is a single mother who often works the night shift, said Mr Eio.

The shifts clashed with the drop-off and pick up times for her child in kindergarten. The child’s grandmother used to help, but had moved home to a neighbouring country after the Covid-19 pandemic.

After enrolling in KidStart, the team helped to obtain a full-day childcare spot. This allowed for more flexibility in drop-off and pick-up time, which improved her child’s attendance from about one day a week to about three or four days a week, said Mr Eio.

Care Corner is one of the social service agencies appointed to operate KidStart.

Content creator Jane Surin, a 38-year-old single mother, has two children aged five and four who did not attend pre-school regularly.

For example, they would be absent if she had work events and could not take them to school, or if they did not want to go to school that day.

Her children are enrolled at NTUC First Campus’ My First Skool in Toa Payoh.

The child-enabling executive at the pre-school worked with Ms Surin to improve her children’s attendance. For example, she helped the children learn how to manage their emotions and provided Ms Surin with emotional support.

“I’m quite a clingy mum, so if they were sad when I was dropping them off, then I would also get emotional,” said Ms Surin.

Her children now miss school only about once a month, she added.

Over the years, some people like Sembawang GRC MP Vikram Nair have suggested making pre-school compulsory.

Prof Tan said that while this would send a strong signal on the importance of pre-school attendance, a legal mandate would be inadequate in itself. Other challenges like maintaining attendance would still persist, and these could carry on to the later school years, he added.

The MSF spokesman said that rather than make education compulsory in the pre-school years, the Government’s approach is to address practical barriers that lower-income families face, while providing accessible, affordable and quality pre-school services across the board.