Children of low-income families attending NTUC pre-schools will receive a one-time $400 top-up to their Child Development Account (CDA) from May this year. The initiatives, estimated to benefit 4,000 low-income families and their children, are part of NTUC First Campus (NFC)’s efforts to give low-income families and their children additional support and a good start to the Chinese New Year. In addition to the one-time $400 top-up, one member of each of these 4,000 families will receive a free NTUC membership as well.
How to qualify for the NTUC First Campus initiatives
To be eligible for the payout, families must have a monthly household income of $4,500 or less, or a monthly per capita income of $1,125 or less. Their child or children must also have been enrolled in NFC’s My First Skool (MFS) or Little Skool-House (LSH) by Jan 31 this year, and for at least three months. Children receiving the $400 payouts will have the sum matched dollar-for-dollar by the Government if the family meets the criteria under the Baby Bonus Scheme.
To help families defray various child-raising expenses
Both initiatives are estimated to cost NFC S$2 million for 2021, which will help defray various child-raising expenses like pre-school fees, healthcare, dental and optical needs as well as early intervention programmes at Baby Bonus-approved institutions. NFC also hopes that the payout will encourage low-income families to open CDAs for their children, if they have not done so.
Additional support from NTUC
NTUC First Campus also added that with the free NTUC membership, families will too, get to enjoy financial and employability benefits offered by NTUC. These include digital vouchers from assistance programmes under the NTUC-U Care Fund or subsidised skills upgrading courses through the Union Training Assistance Programme.
Eligible families who already have NTUC memberships – which cost $117 per annum – NFC said it will support them by paying the fees for one member per family. Families will also get to enjoy the fully sponsored memberships until their child or youngest child leaves NFC’s pre-school network.
In a Facebook post, NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng said that the NTUC Family will continue to stand together with Singaporeans and show their care and support, “especially in these times of need”.
