Childcare Subsidies for Families

I must admit that the new Childcare subsidies for families is definitely a step in the right direction!

One of the big issues being a parent is the fact that infant and childcare is so expensive. Without the support of grandparents, I know of couples who need to send their babies for infant care, and facing fees of $1000 per month or more.

With the new subsidies, many middle and lower income families will heave a big sigh of relief!

However, as a father of 3, I would have welcomed more subsidies for Parents who have more than 2 children. If we are looking to increase the fertility rate in Singapore, why not target parents who already have children. After all, when you have 1 child, the primary reason why you have 2 kids is that you don’t want your child to be lonely. When number 2 comes along, you start asking yourself, if the number 3 would be more complete! If there are policies that ease the burden of moving up from 2 kids, I believe that this “glass ceiling” will be easier to push forward.

After all, once this “glass ceiling” is removed, I am sure that we will be able to see larger families coming along sporadically. I remember that the success of the “2 is enough” policy in the 1970-80s, when I was young, I used to think that all families only had 2 children. In fact, I remember remarks being made to my friends that their families were so big, when they had more than 4 people in their families.

More children also means increased costs for the whole family unit. Couples are getting married later in their lives, and this means that they are endowed with higher incomes. With the qualification of EC ownership capped at $12,000, I think that having family subsidies capped at the same level, instead of $7500 would be a benefit that more people can enjoy.  Or to liberalize that thought even further, we would want families both rich and poor to have more kids, so why not reward all families (but at different proportions). If society all large is having more babies, won’t it make the target of a higher fertility rate easier to hit?

Lastly. the increased subsidy for IVF is a welcomed assistance! They have increased the subsidy from 50% to 75%, capped at $6,300.  If the government is looking to increase the fertility rate, these couples have the greatest potential. Couples here are mentally ready to be parents and therefore they make great ground for the government to invest in.  With the increased subsidy and scientific assistance, everyone here is in a win-win situation. More babies will definitely come from couples in this category.