Prime Minister Lawrence Wong of Singapore has unveiled an extensive plan to bolster support for families, focusing on enhancing childcare leave, increasing financial aid, reducing preschool fees, and improving access to public housing. This initiative aims to provide more comprehensive assistance to parents throughout their children’s upbringing, rather than just around the time of childbirth.
Under the new framework, working parents will benefit from an expanded childcare leave policy, granting them between 8 and 12 days off annually, depending on the number of children they have who are 12 years old or younger. Additionally, each child in Singapore is set to receive nearly S$70,000 in direct financial assistance from birth until they reach 17 years of age.
In a bid to make childcare more affordable, the government has committed to slashing full-day childcare fees to S$150 per month by the year 2030, with infant-care fees also expected to decrease. These changes are part of a larger strategy to ease the financial burdens associated with raising children.
On the housing front, the government will increase the income ceiling for eligibility to purchase Build-to-Order (BTO) flats to S$16,000, while the threshold for executive condominiums will rise to S$18,000. Moreover, first-time families will receive an additional ballot chance for each child they have or are expecting, thereby improving their chances of securing a home.
This comprehensive suite of measures is designed to encourage marriage and parenthood in response to Singapore’s declining fertility rate, which hit a historic low of 0.87 in 2025. Wong emphasized the government’s commitment to offering families sustained support throughout the child-rearing process, reflecting a shift in focus towards long-term assistance.