ECDA to expand hiring grants, recruit 1,800 more infant care educators by 2030

The Government plans to hire 1,800 more infant care educators by 2030 to expand access to affordable, quality preschool education, announced Senior Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming.

Speaking at a Teachers' Day celebration at E-Bridge Pre-School @ Sumang Lane on Friday (Aug 28), SMS Goh shared that the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) also plans to expand the network of government-supported preschools.

In line with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's National Day Rally message to strengthen support for families and provide affordable infant care, ECDA will be expanding the Manpower Hiring Grant (MHG) from September 2026.

"ECDA's focus is to build a strong and well-trained infant care workforce," said the agency in a press release on the same day.

"Infant care educators require specialised knowledge and skills to support the developmental and caregiving needs of infants."

The grant — which aims to support preschool operators in recruiting and training prospective early childhood educators towards the relevant certification — currently provides up to 70 per cent of training stipends and up to 50 per cent of course fee subsidies for eligible local and foreign trainees who enrol to attain early childhood certification in Singapore on a Place-and-Train mode.

Under the expanded MHG, training stipends will be enhanced across trainee categories, with additional support for infant care certification.

Funding support under the MHG will be extended by three years, to Dec 31, 2030, said ECDA.

To broaden the pool of potential suitable candidates, ECDA is also exploring overseas partnerships. 

At the same time, ECDA is exploring additional support for both new and in-service educators who are interested in infant care, to encourage more educators to take up infant care roles and obtain relevant certification where needed.

The agency will also be introducing a new grant to help eligible preschool operators that wish to transition onto the Government-supported network, with more details to be shared later this year.

More support for families

During his National Day Rally message, PM Wong announced the SG Child Support Package, which includes a litany of measures to provide families with stronger and more sustained support from a child's birth through their growing years.

Apart from granting working parents more childcare leave, he also announced that the Government will expand its network of supported preschool operators and progressively reduce preschool fees from 2028.

The monthly fees for full-day childcare and infant care will be reduced to $150 and $300 respectively by 2030, he said, adding that they will apply to every Singaporean child regardless of household income.

Additionally, PM Wong said that every Singapore citizen child will receive up to $62,000 in direct support under the package, bringing the total amount to around $70,000 with existing benefits.

Each child will receive a $10,000 baby gift in cash, a MediSave grant of $5,000, a $5,000 Child Development Account (CDA) First Step Grant and up to $5,000 in the government co-matching the child's CDA.

Financial support will also be provided each year, with annual Child Credits of $2,000 till the child turns 16.

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