SINGAPORE – Parents who work irregular hours need help caring for their children, and a programme by charity Daughters of Tomorrow (DOT) has met that need through low-cost and flexible care.

It piloted a childminding programme in 2018 as it noticed that more lower-income mothers needed support in order to re-enter the workforce. 

Within a year, the pilot had 24 community childminders matched to 50 children from 30 families. This enabled more parents to access and sustain job opportunities, said DOT’s manager for programme development and incubator Priscilla Tay.

To date, more than 130 families have joined the programme, and 60 childminders have been recruited.

Childminders and families are paired through a matching system that considers factors like location preferences, service hours needed and specific tasks required.

Childminders and parents agree on arrangement details, like whether the child is cared for at the childminder’s home, or in their own home. Although DOT’s programme offers flexible hours, which includes care after 7pm, it does not allow overnight services.

The programme was later formalised in partnership with the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) in 2022, and has provided more than 900 hours of childminding services to date. The services are offered at $5 per hour for each child.

Home-based childminding services cater to families with parents who work irregular hours, particularly those in service industries doing shift work, said Ms Tay.

“As a result, their main needs revolve around flexible and reliable childminding services, especially during non-standard childcare hours, such as after 7pm and on weekends,” she added.

“Having a childminder alleviates these concerns by providing flexible and tailored care, allowing parents to sustain employment without worrying about childcare responsibilities.”

DOT’s childminders include its own female beneficiaries who are keen to support other low-income mothers in their journey back to work.

Assistant professor of psychology and child and human development at the National Institute of Education Cheung Hoi Shan said affordable and good-quality childcare goes a long way in supporting lower-income families.

“However, it is very important that the care, even when made highly affordable, needs to be of good quality. This will give families peace of mind to seek employment that can potentially improve their financial situation,” she added.

MSF announced on March 6 that it would be launching a new childminding scheme to give parents another infant care option.

The scheme will help parents with babies aged from two months to 18 months, and childminding fees are planned to be similar to what a median-income family pays, after subsidies, for infant care at centres run by anchor operators – around $700 a month.

DOT welcomes the news of the scheme, as it has hoped for the Government to expand such services nationwide, and extend childcare subsidies to home-based models. 

This would allow parents greater flexibility to choose from varied types of childminding services to suit their family needs, Ms Tay said.

“That being said, it could fall short of fully addressing the demand for flexible care arrangements, especially for the lower-income women that DOT supports.”

The current MSF pilot, offered only during working hours, may not sufficiently accommodate mothers who work irregular shifts or require childcare outside of standard operating hours, she added.

“Based on our experience, lower-income women may not be able to access professional, manager, executive and technician jobs, and may also be more likely to be on a shift-work arrangement and require childcare support after 7pm and on weekends.”

Some parents may prefer centre-based care for the structured environment and programme, Prof Cheung said.

She added: “It then becomes a matter of preference for individual families – some parents may prefer a home-based childminder because they know of one whom they trust to be reliable, or who lives very near them.

“Ultimately, a good childcare service, whether it is home-based or centre-based, is one where the caregiver is knowledgeable about child development and can provide high-quality care.”

One single mother, who wanted to be known only as Ria, engaged DOT’s services for her 17-month-old son as she struggled to secure a place in a childcare facility for him. She needed someone to care for him while she was at work during the day. 

The 20-year-old student care teacher was paired with a childminder for $5 per hour. 

She said: “I felt relieved as it would also be a good way for my son to explore more experiences with different people, and so I know he has someone he can count on other than me.”

Training and safety

Childminders under DOT’s programme undergo stringent screening to ensure the safety and well-being of the children under their care, Ms Tay told The Straits Times.

The women, aged 25 and above, are subject to home and background checks, household assessments and interviews. 

Once selected, they undergo a full day of training, focusing on areas of early childhood and care, both physical and psychological.

Once a potential match is identified, DOT facilitates an in-person meeting between the family and childminder, with a staff member present. The meeting allows them to familiarise themselves and negotiate the services required, like timing, frequency and meals.

For successful matches, a group chat is set up with staff from the charity present to monitor. The charity maintains close contact with both childminders and service users, and conducts random unannounced visits during childminding sessions, Ms Tay said.