LOCATION REQUIREMENTS OF CHILD CARE CENTRES IN PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL AREAS

Abstract

As the female labour force participation rate increases, more child care centres are needed to cater to the needs of working mothers. Child care is a form of early educational development for the children, thus it is also demanded by non-working mothers. There also exists potential demand for the facilities from children who needs child care in the future. Thus, to ensure adequate supply of child care centres, needs, demand as well as potential demand has to be considered. In Singapore, there is a general shortage of child care centres, the estimated actual demand is greater than the existing supply. The distribution of centres is uneven between regions of the nation, and between the public and private residential estates. In setting up centres in private residential estates, private operators are required to comply with some locational and planning requirements set by the government authorities. Where requirements do not pose much constraints on the operators, operators still encounter some other location-related problems. Users prefer centres to be located in residential areas that provide suitable programmes and environment. Thus, in provision of adequate centres, the issue of quantity and quality has to be addressed equally. To overcome the shortage of centres, the government should play a more proactive role. Disused buildings and park properties are alternative locations for centres, which may help operators to overcome constraints such as difficulties in locating suitable sites and insecurity of tenancies. Incentives may also be given to developers to encourage the establishment of centres.