INCREASE pre-school subsidies and Ms Jacqueline Teo will enrol her son, Kryence Lim, in a top pre-school here.

It will also mean money for him to attend more enrichment classes.

Twenty-two-month-old Kryence is now attending full-day pre-school at The Little Skool-House At-The-Hub in Ang Mo Kio.

His monthly school fee is a hefty $980.

PAP Community Foundation (PCF) charges $642 for its full-day programme for toddlers aged between 18 and 30 months.

At My First Skool, the pioneer childcare arm of NTUC First Campus Group, childcare fees range from $450 to $580.

As a working mother, Ms Teo, 31, gets a monthly childcare subsidy of up to $300 from the Government and forks out $680 from her own pocket.

Ms Teo, a quality engineer, said: “We feel that it is important to prepare our child at a young age to handle the stiff competition that he will face later in his life.”

Her husband, Mr Lawrence Lim, 31, a sales account executive, added: “The current incentives given by the Government to encourage couples to have more babies are barely enough to cover the expenses of one child.

“If we have a second child, we will have to lower our expectations.

“This means we can’t send our second child to a good pre-school or enrichment classes.”

Mr Lim doesn’t think that he is being unrealistic by sending Kryence to a more expensive pre-school instead of a PCF kindergarten.

He said: “We all know that it is expensive to raise a child in Singapore. As parents, we want the best education for our kids.

“I am willing to work harder for my son. But working harder also means longer hours at work and less time for my family.”

In response to such a view, Associate Professor Christie Scollon, who teaches psychology at the Singapore Management University, said: “Get people to let go of the idea that you need to have a car, a maid, a large flat and money saved up for enrichment courses before you have children.

“If people are willing to raise children under fewer material conditions, child-rearing will become a much more manageable task – one that doesn’t have to conflict with working long hours.

Mr Lim, Ms Teo and Kryence live with MrLim’s parents in a five-room HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio.

The couple’s combined gross salary is$7,000. They own a car with a loan and maintenance fee of more than $1,000 a month.

They have also bought a five-room flat in Ang Mo Kio which is expected to be ready by the end of the year.

Under the current Baby Bonus scheme, the couple received a cash gift of $4,000 after Kryence was born.

On top of that, the Government also contributed to the boy’s Children Development Account (CDA).

CDAs are special savings accounts, in which the Government will contribute a matching dollar for every dollar the parents deposit into the account, up to $6,000 each for the first and second child, $12,000 each for the third and fourth child, and $18,000 each for the fifth and subsequent child.

The couple have contributed close to $6,000 to Kryence’s CDA.

Ms Teo said: “When Kryence was barely four months old, we sent him to infant care at Cherie Hearts Nurturing Land, which cost $1,350 a month. We received a monthly government subsidy of $600 for infant care and paid $750 on our own.”

When he reached 18 months, the couple enrolled him in full-day pre-school at The Little Skool-House At-The-Hub.

To date, the couple have used more than $10,000 from Kryence’s CDA and are left with barely $2,000 in the account.

Only for education

Ms Teo said they plan to top up the account with more money, but it will be strictly used for her son’s education.

Currently, Kryence is attending pre-school from 7am to 7pm, five days a week.

If she could afford it, MsTeo said she would have let him join a Shichida teaching class.

She said: “I’ve read how the Shichida teaching method is very effective in building a child’s memory and increasing his learning abilities.

“It costs over $800 for three months and the classes are held only once a week. For now, it is unaffordable.”

But when Kryence reaches three, Ms Teo plans to enrol him in swimming, music and art classes as he has shown interest in drawing, swimming, playing the piano and drums.

Ms Teo figures these lessons would cost her at least another $300 a month.

The couple have spent so much money on their child that they have little left over for their flat, which will be ready by the end of the year.

Although the flat will be in move-in condition, the couple will still need to buy home appliances and furniture.

They bought a big flat as they initially wanted to have three children. But now, they may stop at just two.

Ms Teo said: “Maybe the Government can consider increasing childcare subsidy and other subsidies for a child until he or she goes to primary school.

“Or subsidising our visits to the gynaecologist so that we can start saving for our child even before he is born. The gynae fees can be quite expensive too.

“Then, maybe we can have more children.”