ECDA to hire 1,800 more infant care educators by 2030

The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) is looking to expand the pool of infant care educators in Singapore.

By 2030, it aims to recruit 1,800 more infant care educators, Senior Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming said on Aug. 28.

Making preschool more affordable and accessible

Speaking at ECDA's Teachers’ Day celebrations at E-Bridge Preschool, Goh said the hiring increase will be to meet the expected demand growth as the government aims to make preschool more affordable and accessible.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced during the National Day Rally on Aug. 23 that full-day childcare and infant care fees will be progressively reduced from 2028 to S$150 and S$300, respectively, by 2030.

These fees will be "less than half" of today's fees, said the Prime Minister's Office.

Grants for preschools to join government-supported network

In light of this, Goh announced that a new grant will be introduced to help eligible preschool operators that wish to transition onto the government-supported network.

While specific details are still being worked through, the grants will allow a broader range of operators, including smaller operators, to benefit from government support while continuing to offer diverse programmes.

More details are expected to be shared later in the year.

Infant care manpower

Further, to meet an expected rise in demand for infant care educators, ECDA will be expanding the Manpower Hiring Grant (MHG) from September 2026.

The grants provides funding support, including up to 70 per cent in training stipends and up to 50 per cent in course fee subsidies for eligible local and foreign trainees to attain early childhood certification in Singapore.

The expanded MHG will be enhanced across trainee categories, with additional support for infant care certification.

This will include the Assistant Infant Educator (AIE) and Fundamentals Certificate in Infant Care (FCIC) courses.

Funding support will also be extended by three years from Dec. 31, 2030.

ECDA is also exploring overseas partnerships to widen the pool of potential caregiving candidates.

Encouraging infant caregiving

ECDA also aims to encourage more educators to enter infant caregiving through additional support for new and in-service educators.

Currently, more than 2,000 preschool educators hold qualifications that enable them to work in both infant care and other preschool roles.

However, as of August 2026, about 4 per cent are serve as infant educators while the remaining serve the older ages.

More details on the support will be provided at a later date.

"Infant care is much more than routine care," said Goh.

"Our infant care educators create safe, nurturing environments where infants can grow, learn, and develop holistically."

Concluding his speech, he added: "This Teachers' Day, I wish to express my thanks to all our educators for the meaningful work that they do every day."