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Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare (CFAC)
- What: Provides childcare fee assistance to low-income families who want to place their children in childcare centres so that the mothers can work.
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- Who can apply: The child must be younger than six years old, a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, and attending a registered childcare centre.
The mother must be working, intending to find work, or be in a skills training programme within three months of the date she applies for the subsidy, which ranges from $50 to $250.
Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA)
- What: Provides fee assistance to parents who place their children in non-profit Student Care Centres (SCCs) for before- and after-school programmes, so that mothers can work.
- Who can apply: The child at the centre must be between the ages of seven and 14 and in school.
At least one parent must be a Singapore citizen or permanent resident. The mother or single father must be working full-time or have a regular part-time job. The combined gross income of both parents must not exceed $2,500.
Home Ownership Plus Education Scheme (Hope)
- What: Helps young low-income families and their children break out of the poverty cycle. The benefits include educational bursaries for the children from preschool to university, and a housing grant of $50,000, paid in annual instalments into the mother's CPF account to help pay the mortgage.
Also available are a training grant of up to $10,000 per family to enable the parents to attend skills training, a one-off utilities grant of $1,000, and cash incentives ranging from $6,000 to $9,000 to help the couple with family planning.
- Who can apply: Married couples with one or two children; either one must be Singaporean; have a monthly household income of $1,500 or below; wife is 35 years or below and husband is employed. This scheme is also extended to widows.
Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS)
- What: Subsidises 90 per cent of monthly kindergarten fees, up to $82 per month, whichever is lower. Families with a net monthly household income of $1,501 to $1,800 can get 70 per cent subsidy up to a cap of $65 a month for kindergarten, or $51 a month for nursery.
Households with income of not more than $1,000 can get a start-up grant of up to $200 per child for the initial costs of kindergarten, like uniforms and registration fees.
- Who can apply: Children who are Singapore citizens or permanent residents. They must be attending a K1 or K2 programme (at least three hours long) or a nursery programme (at least two hours long) in an eligible non-profit kindergarten; and the family's monthly household income must be $1,800 or below.
NTUC Fairprice Food Vouchers
- What: Provides food relief vouchers for low-income residents to defray basic household expenses.
Given in place of or to supplement financial assistance to the needy.
- Who can apply: Granted on a needs basis.
Interim Coping Package for Economic Downturn (iCOPE)
- What: Provides interim financial assistance, retrenchment workshops - a motivational workshop and recruitment exercise to help retrenched workers build resilience, and enable them to rebound from the impact of the economic downturn - and NTUC food and utilities vouchers to help tide needy and retrenched residents over their difficulties. Usually granted for one to three months.
- Who can apply: The resident must be a Singapore citizen or permanent resident and show documentary proof of retrenchment. The combined gross household income must also not exceed $2,500.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on January 16, 2009.
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