Singapore aims to recruit 1,800 additional infant care educators by 2030 to meet growing demand as infant care becomes more affordable and accessible, Senior Minister of State Goh Pei Ming announced at a Teachers’ Day event today [1, 2, 3]. To support this, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will expand the Manpower Hiring Grant (MHG) starting September 2026. The grant will help preschool operators recruit and train both local and foreign infant care educators [4, 1, 2, 3].
The expanded MHG will cover up to 70% of training stipends and 50% of course fee subsidies for eligible trainees. This includes support for infant care certification courses such as the Assistant Infant Educator and Fundamentals Certificate in Infant Care. Funding for the grant will be extended by three years until December 31, 2030 [4, 1, 2, 3].
Currently, over 2,000 preschool educators hold qualifications for both infant care and other roles, but only about 4% were working as infant educators as of August 2026 [4, 1, 2, 3]. ECDA plans to encourage more preschool educators to take up infant care roles and obtain certification through additional support measures. It will also explore overseas partnerships to widen the pool of candidates [4, 1, 2, 3].
Infant care educators require specialized knowledge and skills to support infants’ developmental and caregiving needs. Goh said, "Infant care is much more than routine care, and such educators create environments where infants can grow and develop holistically. They are trained to be responsive to each child’s needs and build warm, respectful, and trusting relationships with our young ones. We want to support both aspiring and existing educators to gain these skills needed for infant care" [3].
The recruitment efforts coincide with announced plans to reduce monthly fees for infant care and full-day childcare at government-supported preschools. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced on August 23 that by 2030, infant care fees will drop to S$300 and full-day childcare to S$150, before means testing. Current monthly fees range from S$746 to S$1,256 for infant care and S$365 to S$559 for full-day childcare after basic subsidies [4, 1, 2, 3]. The network of government-supported preschools will also expand to bring affordable childcare closer to families’ homes [1, 2, 3].
Starting September 1, 2026, ECDA’s expanded Manpower Hiring Grant will provide funding support for infant care certification training and remain in place through December 31, 2030 [4, 1, 2, 3].
