Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister of Social and Family Development (MSF) has informed the Singapore parliament that a total of 13,800 children are on the wait list for childcare places.
Out of this figure, 40 per cent are already enrolled in another childcare centre.
Tan said that many centres now have vacancies to enrol children at short notice.
“However, for a few housing estates with high childcare demand, parents may still experience waiting times that range from a few weeks to a few months,” he said.
“In particular, parents may have to wait longer if they prefer a specific centre due to its location or operator,” he added
The number of childcare places has increased significantly by over 40 per cent to more than 130,000 since 2012.
There will be more childcare capacity in housing estates with high demand to further reduce waiting times. This includes the recently announced four large centres at Punggol, Sengkang and Bukit Panjang.
