THE Government provides a childcare subsidy of $300 to working mothers.
However, childcare centres are increasing their fees, which reduces the effect of the subsidy.
The childcare centre my son is attending is increasing its fees by $150 for the next intake, while existing attendees will be charged an additional $50.
Since my son enrolled in this childcare centre, there have been three increases in fees, amounting to a rise of $300 in a period of over two years.
The reasons given to parents were that the rise was needed to offset costs incurred in training teachers and upgrading the centre.
I have no doubt that the centre will increase its fees again next year by $100, to bring it up to the same amount as the fee for children from new intakes.
How can parents cope with such increases if they are having another child?
Is there anything the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) can do to control the fee increments by childcare centres?
Furthermore, when a child is infected with a contagious disease, he or she has to be quarantined at home for about two weeks.
The centre does not give parents a refund for this period.
It claims that a refund is not possible as parents have already received the childcare subsidy from the Government.
