Get on infant care waiting lists now, or decide on a helper
Infant care takes children from 2 to 18 months, and families register during pregnancy. On price, the only figure the government publishes is ECDA's Anchor Operator fee cap: operators in the scheme keep to a monthly cap of S$1,235 excluding GST for full-day infant care, S$610 for full-day child care and S$150 for kindergarten. Checked against ecda.gov.sg on 22 September 2026.
- Who it applies to
- Everyone having a baby in Singapore
- On your timeline
- Paperbump schedules this usually between week 20 and week 26 of the pregnancy
- Official source
- ecda.gov.sg
- Last checked
- 22 September 2026
What else to know
Centres outside the scheme are not bound by it and commonly charge more — how much more is not published anywhere official. ECDA's Basic and Additional Subsidies are for Singapore citizen children only, so as a foreign family you pay the centre's full published fee. The alternative most expat families weigh is a live-in migrant domestic worker, who costs a salary plus a monthly government levy and needs a work permit you sponsor. Neither is quick to arrange, so decide the direction now and start the paperwork or the waiting list.
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