Subsidies for Child / Student Care

SUBSIDIES FOR CHILD/STUDENT CARE

CENTRE-BASED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SCHEME FOR CHILD CARE (CFAC)

ComCare's Child Care Subsidy, (also known as the Centre Based Financial Assistance) makes preschool education more affordable for low and lower middle-income families so that their children can have an early start to preschool education and development. Children in child care centres get the chance to learn; play and grow through the childcare programme.

Who Can Apply

The child must be a Singapore citizen or permanent resident of Singapore (PR). If the child is a PR, then at least one immediate family member of the child must be a Singapore citizen;
The child is below 7 years of age and is attending a licensed child care centre.
The parents of the child are working.
The family's monthly household income is S$3,500 or below, or the family's per capita income is $875 or below*.

*Per Capita Household Income = Gross Household Income of (applicant + spouse)
Total number of family members* in the household
*Where family members include the applicant, spouse, their children and children's grandparents (with no income) staying within the same household

How to apply
Please apply for ComCare's Child Care subsidies directly at any licensed Child & Infant Care Centres.

Please bring along the following documents:

Copy of child's Birth Certificate
Copy of both parents' updated NRIC. If the child is cared for by a guardian, please provide a copy of the proof of guardianship and the guardian's NRIC.
Copy of NRIC of family members (children and elderly parents without any income) residing within the same household if eligible under PCI
Latest copy of both parents' payslips, or a letter from employers stating both parents' monthly income. If parents are working part-time, please indicate the number of work hours in the employers' letter.

Benefits

Monthly Fee Subsidy
ComCare provides a subsidy for your child's child care fee every month, up to the maximum amount shown in the table below. This subsidy is given in addition to the universal government child care subsidy.

Start-up Grant for Needy Families
You may also receive a S$1,000 start-up grant for each child. The grant can be used to pay for the deposit, registration fee, uniforms and insurance expenses payable at the beginning of the year.

ComCare's Child Care Subsidy

Gross MonthlyHousehold Income Gross Per Capita Income (PCI)
(WEF 1 April 2012) Maximum monthly subsidy
(full day child care) Maximum monthly subsidy
(half day child care)

= $1,500

<$375

$340

$170

$1,501 - $2,000

$376-500

$300

$150

$2,001 - $2,200

$501-550

$270

$135

$2,201 - $2,400

$551-600

$240

$120

$2,401 - $2,600

$601-650

$210

$105

$2,601 - $2,800

$651-700

$180

$90

$2,801 - $3,000

$701-750

$150

$75

$3,001 - $3,200

$751-800

$120

$60

$3,201 - $3,400

$801-850

$90

$45

$3,401 - $3,500

$851-875

$60

$30

KINDERGARTEN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SCHEME (KIFAS)

Provides a monthly fee subsidy for lower-income Singaporean families to help them pay for their children's kindergarten education.

Who Can Apply

Children who are Singapore citizens. Children who are permanent residents of Singapore (PR) can apply if at least one member of their immediate family is a Singapore citizen;
Children attending a K1 or K2 programme (at least 3 hours long) or a nursery programme (at least 2 hours long) in an eligible non-profit kindergarten; and
Children whose family's monthly household income is $3,500 or below or monthly per capita income of up to $875*

Where to Apply

Please apply for the subsidies directly at eligible non-profit kindergartens.

Copy of child's Birth Certificate
Copy of both parents' updated NRIC. If the child is cared for by a guardian, please provide a copy of the proof of guardianship and the guardian's NRIC.
Copy of NRIC of family members (children and elderly parents without any income) residing within the same household if eligible under PCI
Latest copy of both parents' payslips, or a letter from employers stating both parents' monthly income. If parents are working part-time, please indicate the number of work hours in the employers' letter.

Benefits

Fee Subsidy
ComCare provides a monthly subsidy for your child's kindergarten fee, up to the maximum amount shown in the table below.

Start-up Grant
For very needy families earning S$1,500 or less, a start-up grant of up to $200 per child may be provided, to help them pay for their child's deposit, registration fee, uniforms and insurance at the beginning of the year.

ComCare Kindergarten Subsidy

Gross MonthlyHousehold Income Gross Per Capita Income (PCI)
(WEF 1 April 2012) Maximum monthly subsidy
(Nursery) Maximum monthly subsidy
(Kindergarten)

= $1,500

<$375

$98

$108

$1,501 - $2,000

$376-500

$95

$105

$2,001 - $2,200

$501-550

$90

$99

$2,201 - $2,400

$551-600

$80

$88

$2,401 - $2,600

$601-650

$70

$77

$2,601 - $2,800

$651-700

$60

$66

$2,801 - $3,000

$701-750

$50

$55

$3,001 - $3,200

$751-800

$40

$44

$3,201 - $3,400

$801-850

$30

$33

$3,401 - $3,500

$851-875

$20

$22

STUDENT CARE FEE ASSISTANCE (SCFA)

Student Care Centres (SCCs) provide before- or after-school care for children aged 7 to 14. ComCare’s Student Care Subsidy (also known as the Student Care Fee Assistance scheme, or SCFA) makes student care services more affordable for lower income families. This subsidy is also available to children with disabilities in Special Student Care Centres. For more information on this service, please refer to Centre for Enabled Living.

Student Care Subsidy enhancements with effect from 1 July 2012
From 1 July 2012, the household income criteria for ComCare student care subsidy will be increased from $2,500 to $3,500 so more families can benefit from the subsidies. We will also introduce a PCI criterion for larger families with children attending eligible student care centres. A one-off Start-up Grant of $400 will also be introduced for new beneficiaries attending student care.

Who Can Apply
With effect from 1 July 2012, applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

The child must be a Singapore citizen or permanent resident of Singapore (PR). If the child is a PR, then at least one immediate family member of the child must be a Singapore citizen;
The child is between 7 and 14 years of age and is attending a MOE-registered school;
The parents of the child are working; and
The family's gross monthly household income is $3,500 or below or they meet a per capita income of up to $875*

Where to Apply
Please apply for ComCare's Student Care subsidies directly at registered Student Care Centres.

Fee Subsidy
The amount of subsidy will depend on the type of Student Care Centre your child attends and your household income, as shown in the table below:

Student care subsidy (with effect from 1 July 2012)

Gross MonthlyHousehold Income Gross Per Capita Income (PCI)
Maximum Monthly Subsidy for SCCs Maximum Monthly Subsidy for Special SCCs

≤ $1,500

$<375

$255

$540

$1,501 - $2,000

$376-500

$250

$525

$2,001 - $2,200

$501-550

$235

$500

$2,201 - $2,400

$551-600

$210

$445

$2,401 - $2,600

$601-650

$185

$390

$2,601 - $2,800

$651-700

$160

$335

$2,801 - $3,000

$701-750

$130

$280

$3,001 - $3,200

$751-800

$105

$220

$3,201 - $3,400

$801-850

$80

$165

$3,401 - $3,500

$851-875

$55

$110