- Parents of infants have highlighted that finding sufficient childcare support is a major challenge in Singapore, as infant care centres have few vacancies and some are too costly
- In a move to ease the situation, the Ministry of Social and Family Development announced a three-year childminding pilot, which will be introduced for infants aged two to 18 months old
- Experts say this is a welcome move as parents are clamouring for more childcare options that are affordable
- Still, some parents expressed concern about the safety standards of this new service, and experts said that for this pilot to succeed, authorities will have to reassure parents that safety will not be compromised
- They added that this pilot could be a good first step towards regulating and professionalising the childminding sector as a whole, which would uplift standards while also raising the salaries of nannies and babysitters
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