SINGAPORE - All pre-school operators are required to offset 50 per cent of fees for Singaporean children not attending school this month due to the suspension of general services.

Parents who would ordinarily pay $470 per month will now pay $235 for their child's May pre-school fees.

In a statement on Monday (April 6), the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said that in ordinary circumstances, pre-schools and student care centres would find it difficult to offer such fee offsets, as they need to sustain wages for staff and other operating costs.

"However, these are exceptional times and we have reviewed the situation," said a ministry spokesman, adding that the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) took into account the latest government support given under the Solidarity Budget unveiled in Parliament on Monday (April 6).

The pre-school anchor operators and kindergartens run by the Ministry of Education (MOE) will take the lead in this move and the offset will be reflected in the May invoice sent to parents. The fee offset also applies to Kindergarten Care (KCare) operators, which provide before and after school care for MOE kindergarten children, student care centres, special student care centres, and early intervention service providers.

In a separate statement, the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) said it supports the ECDA's recommendation of a partial fee offset during this period.

PCF executive committee chairman Josephine Teo said: "We have always been here for families and we have always put their well-being first. We know this is a tough period for everyone. In this time of extraordinary need, we hope the fee offset goes some way to cushion the impact and help these families emerge stronger."

Parents who make use of the limited services provided by Sparkletots preschools in the month ahead will need to pay their usual monthly fees.

Mr Ng Hark Seng, managing director of EtonHouse International's E-Bridge Pre-Schools, another anchor operator, said: "We understand this is a challenging time for our parents as they work from home and support their children with home-based learning.

"E-Bridge Pre-Schools will support our community of parents with a 50 per cent fee discount for the month of April. We will also work closely with families with programmes that will support their child's learning during this time."

About 19,500 children from NTUC First Campus' pre-schools will also benefit from the fee offset.

A spokesman said 165 out of its 167 pre-schools will stay open to provide limited services for around 2,500 children of parents working in essential services and without alternative care arrangements.

The pre-school operator has also partnered with five other anchor operators to provide interactive learning resources and parent guides for all children at https://kidzmatters.com/. The online portal will be available from Wednesday onwards.

Mr Chan Tee Seng, NTUC First Campus' chief executive, said: "We understand the needs of working families who are inconvenienced by measures put in place during the 'circuit breaker' period.

"Parents are also concerned about the learning of their children and keeping them engaged."

Under the Solidarity Budget announced by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Monday, additional support will be given to workers, businesses and households to help them through workplace and school closures, starting this month.

Firms in all sectors will have 75 per cent of their local employees' wages subsidised for the month of April and will receive the first payout under the enhanced Jobs Support Scheme to help with cash flow this month.

The wage subsidy applies to the first $4,600 of wages paid this month for each of the more than 1.9 million Singaporean and permanent resident employees.

This represents a significant increase from the 25 per cent wage subsidy support for all sectors - apart from aviation, tourism and food services - previously announced in the Resilience Budget.

Said the MSF spokesman: "The fee offsets will complement the additional help from the Solidarity Budget announced for families with young children.

"All adult Singaporeans will receive a one-off Solidarity Payment of $600 in cash. Other payments from the Resilience Budget will remain, where eligible adult Singaporeans could receive a remaining cash payout of $300 or $600. Each Singaporean parent will also receive an additional $300."

She added: "The ongoing Covid-19 situation requires our collective efforts to overcome the challenges ahead. MSF, MOE and ECDA continue to stand with the pre-school, student care and early intervention community and families during this challenging period.

"We would like to thank our pre-school operators, teachers and staff for their dedication and hard work, and the understanding and support of parents and caregivers during this extraordinary period."