This is a massive childcare center.
They’re springing up everywhere in Singapore.
Some centers hold up to a thousand students,
kids as young as 2 months, up to 6 years.
They’re part of a hugely ambitious government plan
to offer childcare to as many kids as possible.
Because the country believes it’s good for its youngest citizens.
Imagine if you only placed a child at home with an adult,
the child would not be able to pick up certain traits.
And once a child joins a childcare environment,
the child will have an immense opportunity
to work with children of other ages.
Thian Ai Ling oversees a network of centers on the island.
In the next five years, the government plans
to have 200,000 preschool spots.
The plan is based on new research that shows that
the early years are crucial for building strong neural connections.
Experts have found that kids who are encouraged
to explore, talk, and socialize
have the best chance at succeeding later in life.
When a child is young, the brain is actually very malleable,
at a very malleable stage to absorb various learning,
be it language learning,
social emotional skills,
and so on.
To include as many kids as possible,
the government has capped monthly fees at 720 dollars,
and offers subsidies.
Children here are learning about Singapore’s diversity.
The country has four official languages:
English, Mandarin, Tamil and Malay
so play time focuses on making a Malay dish...
while story time and language lessons are in Mandarin.
I decided to become a teacher because I love children.
Recruiting teachers is an important part of
the government’s early childhood strategy.
So it’s setting up a national institute
dedicated to training preschool teachers.
When I introduce to them an instrument,
I can also show them how it's used,
how its handled,
the appropriate way of using it.
And it’s not just them listening to youtube clips
or seeing other people do it.
But they get to experience it for themselves as well.
It’s not just the size of these centers that’s important.
It’s where they’re being built.
Nestled among these sprawling government-built housing complexes.
It’s where more than 80 percent of Singaporeans live,
including many young families.
Both parents can have peace of mind when they head out to work.
At the same time very accessible,
very convenient for them
to pick up their children after work.
To have quality child care
is always one of the biggest concerns
for those who want to have children.
Ling Ling Thang is a population researcher
at National University of Singapore.
The main reason is of course is women mostly
will desire to continue working after having children
so who takes care of the children becomes important.
Working women around the world
are grappling with how to care for their children.
France offers free universal childcare called crèche
but waiting lists are long.
In the UK, some working parents
can receive 30 hours of free childcare a week
- but the program is underfunded.
And in the US,
weekly childcare costs have gone up about 70% since 1985.
So Singapore’s child care centers offer a unique approach
but it’s still too early to know if they can provide
the same individual attention that’s comes from smaller settings
- like with grandparents as caregivers.
But Thian Ai Ling believes this model has potential.
We pilot, we pick up important lessons
and we will go out there, scale it,
have the center play a little role model
example to the rest of the centers.
These centers also serve another purpose.
They’re a visual reminder...
to have more babies.
And that’s really important right now in Singapore,
because the tiny island nation is facing
a declining birth rate
- it’s at a seven year low.
Even the Prime Minister brought it up
during his annual address to the nation.
All this will be for not
unless young couples do your part.
Please have more babies.
Look at this latest government campaign.
Making Singapore a great place for families.
You can see the public flats in the background.
3 children.
Two and one.
So it’s always having more than two children.
Research shows when parents have affordable child care,
they have more children.
And having more kids who are stimulated from a young age
is important for the future of this tiny country.
One of the natural resource, if you like,
is really the people around us.
And I think this investment in our young people,
it is not just about the country,
but really it's to create Singaporeans who are happy,
Singaporeans who are also gracious,
and yet at the same time always seeking to be better.