SINGAPORE – More children from lower-income homes will receive help over the next two years from a programme to support their development.

Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling announced on Jan 26 that KidStart, which provides support in areas like nutrition and parenting strategies, will be expanded to nine more towns by 2025.

With the programme’s expansion, 80 per cent of eligible children in every birth cohort will receive its support by the time they are six years old. It has currently benefited 8,500 children across 15 towns.

By the end of 2024, six towns – Hougang, Sengkang, Serangoon, Punggol, Pasir Ris and Tampines – will be part of the KidStart initiative. In 2025, Queenstown, Clementi and Jurong East will be added, completing its nationwide reach.

KidStart, which supports children up to the age of six, also aims to reach out to more families at the pregnancy stage, as part of a revamped approach.

In a statement, Madam Rahayu Buang, chief executive of KidStart Singapore, said that support in the early years has a lasting impact on children’s development and upward mobility in the long run.

“Families often place priority on child development after birth, but it should begin from pregnancy. Pregnant mothers who join KidStart can expect regular check-ins on their physical and mental well-being as well as guidance on how to care for their newborn from KidStart teams in the hospitals.”

The programme is offered at the National University Hospital (NUH) and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital when mothers attend their antenatal checks, to reach out to pregnant mothers and their children as early as possible.

Madam Rahayu added that after the child is born, a full-time KidStart practitioner will provide home-based support to the family on child development strategies such as meeting developmental milestones in fine gross motor skills and language skills, until the child is six years old.

KidStart, which currently has 140 practitioners working with families, will hire 100 more in 2024 to support its expansion. They will be trained in child development, as well as the health and social needs of children and families.

By 2026, it aims to have at least 400 practitioners in total.

As part of the programme’s revised approach, families will primarily work with one practitioner at home, rather than having to interact with multiple people across different settings like at pre-school or in the community.

In her speech at the KidStart Partners Townhall at One Farrer Hotel, Ms Sun said that KidStart will also work with ComLink+, a government initiative to support lower-income families.

While KidStart focuses on providing child development and parenting support to families through regular home visits, ComLink+ family coaches will support families in processes such as children’s pre-school enrolment, attendance and immunisation, as well as navigating various social support services.

KidStart started in 2016 as a pilot for 1,000 children from lower-income families. It has since become a non-profit organisation.

Ms Sun shared the positive outcomes of the programme’s home visits, based on a study done from 2017 to 2022.

Within 12 months of the programme, parents and caregivers who had home visits reported more positive parent-child interactions and were more confident in supporting their child’s development, she said.

She added that compared with families who did not receive support, children from KidStart also showed improved socio-emotional development at three years old.

The study was commissioned by the Early Childhood Development Agency and conducted by the Centre for Evidence and Implementation, an Australia-based non-profit organisation. 

Madam Priya Latha Mahendran, 33, joined the programme in 2021 through KidStart @ Fei Yue, which supports families living in Bukit Batok and Choa Chu Kang.

She said her son Meethran Sugumar, seven, is more ready for school, and her two-year-old daughter Rutrashini Sugumar’s communication skills have improved.

When the housewife was expecting her third child in 2023, she was supported by NUH, through the KidStart programme. A hospital practitioner guided her on the steps she needed to take during the pregnancy and how to prepare for the arrival of her new baby.

Under KidStart’s revised approach, Madam Priya will receive support from Ms Pearl Goh, 30, one of the programme’s practitioners. Her family had previously worked with different service providers, including Ms Goh, for both children.

“It is better because we don’t need to deal with different practitioners. Pearl understands everything about my family. We feel comfortable with her,” said Madam Priya.

Ms Goh said the new model allows for more focused support when one practitioner works closely with parents to oversee the developmental needs of all their children.

“Whenever we go to homes and interact with everyone, it also allows us to form deeper relationships. Then we have a longer runway to be able to watch the children grow and hit their milestones,” she added.