By Sue-Ann Chia

DR VIVIAN Balakrishnan yesterday urged childcare centres not to raise their fees this year as families are struggling to cope with the downturn.

The Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) disclosed that 132, or 18 per cent of centres, have increased their fees or signalled their intention to do so since last August.

The Government had announced then a $150 increase in childcare subsidy as part of its procreation package to boost Singapore's fertility rate.

However, the average fee increase was $78, the minister said.

Still, he feels they ought to hold off any increase as these centres benefit from the Government's Jobs Credit scheme, which gives them a cash grant to help lower the cost of hiring local workers. They get up to $300 a month for each worker.

'Given this benefit and the economic downturn, childcare centres should play their part in ensuring the affordability of childcare services for our families and children,' he said during the debate on his ministry's budget in Parliament.

Another reason he gave for keeping their fees affordable is that competition is set to stiffen, with 200 new childcare centres opening in the next few years.

Dr Balakrishnan was responding to Mr Yeo Guat Kwang (Aljunied GRC) who was worried that rising fees had eroded the benefits of a higher childcare subsidy.

Mr Yeo had also asked about the quality of preschool education, prompting the minister to map out how the Government is investing in this sector.

Currently, there are 482 kindergartens and 749 childcare centres. They cater to 97.5 per cent of children aged five and six years old, as well as 30.6 per cent of children aged 18 months to six years.

Another 200 centres will open by 2013, as part of the Government's plan to develop the childcare sector.

This means more jobs and to attract more people to be childcare teachers, the MCYS will offer scholarships and bursaries to those who take up relevant training courses, he said.

Noting that the Ministry of Education (MOE) will be introducing the Accelerated Diploma for Kindergarten Education, he added that MCYS is working with MOE to extend this course to childcare teachers too.

His ministry is also working with the Workforce Development Agency to start a similar accelerated programme to attract mid-career professionals to be childcare teachers.

The target: Up to 300 training places over the next three years.

While childcare centres are run by various community and private providers, Dr Balakrishnan pointed out that the Government does not adopt a hands-off approach in regulating the sector.

All centres are licensed by MCYS. Those that exceed regulation requirements receive licences of a longer duration, he said.

'I would urge parents to look at the licence duration as a means of gauging quality,' he said.

His ministry is also exploring ways to put more information on a childcare centre, such as the teachers' qualifications and its health records, on the online Child Care Link System.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.