Quick answer
Two decisions matter most from 3 to 6. First, a preschool that fits your child and your working day: compare 2 to 4 centres on your own notes and check your ECDA subsidy. Second, P1 registration, held in the year before P1 (the year most children turn 6). Check your phase early and see which primary schools are within 1km and 2km of home.
The useful number: From 1 January 2027 the ECDA income ceiling for the Additional Subsidy rises from S$12,000 to S$15,000.
What matters most in the preschool years?
The best preschool is the one that works for your child and your family’s day: the commute, the hours, the languages, how teachers settle new children and what it really costs. Then P1 registration arrives sooner than most parents expect, and the schools near home matter because distance decides ballots.
Which decisions and deadlines are ahead?
- Choosing a preschool: visit and compare 2 to 4 centres. Keep anything you do not know as a question for the next tour. We never rank centres.
- Paying for it: check your ECDA subsidy. From 1 January 2027 the income ceiling rises from S$12,000 to S$15,000, so more households fall within it.
- Sick days: each parent of a Singapore citizen child under 7 gets 6 days of childcare leave a year.
- 48 months: the last preschool developmental check-up listed in the Child Health Booklet.
- P1 registration: the 2026 exercise was for children born 2 January 2020 to 1 January 2021. Its citizen and PR phases ran from 30 June to 18 August 2026. The 2027 exercise is for children born 2 January 2021 to 1 January 2022, which MOE confirms when it announces the dates, usually in April. From the 2027 exercise, 60 places are reserved for Phase 2C, up from 40, except in schools with a P1 intake under 180.
- Distance: in a ballot, citizens living within 1km of the school are drawn first, then those 1 to 2km away.
Which tools and downloads help?
- School years from birth date: the N1 to K2, P1 and PSLE years, and when registration falls.
- Preschool comparison workbook: 2 to 4 centres side by side on your own notes.
- Childcare subsidy calculator: your monthly subsidy now and from 2027.
- Childcare leave entitlement checker: each parent’s days this year.
- P1 registration phase checker: the phase your child can register in.
- School finder by distance: primary schools within 1km and 2km of home.
- Family care coverage planner: who has the children at every hour of the working week.
Take the Preschool tour checklist and the Preschool comparison worksheet on visits, check fees with the Infant and childcare subsidy worksheet, and gather papers with the P1 registration document checklist.
What should you check elsewhere?
ECDA decides subsidies and MOE decides P1 eligibility, phases and official distances. Our school finder measures straight-line distance, so confirm on MOE SchoolFinder. Preschools are never ranked here; your notes and your visits decide.
Printables for this guide
Preschool tour checklist
What to look for and ask at each centre visit. Tick boxes for up to three centres, and a page of questions to fill in on the day.
Preschool comparison worksheet
Compare two to four centres on fees, extras, commute, hours, languages, settling in and waitlist status. Unknowns stay as questions, not zeros.
Infant and childcare subsidy worksheet
Work out your monthly full-day infant care or childcare fee after ECDA's basic and additional subsidies. The 2026 and 2027 bands are on one page.
P1 registration document checklist
Get Singpass, the address MOE uses, the other parent's consent and supporting documents ready before you register. Plus a page for school choices and dates.
Potty training plan
Readiness signs from Families for Life (no scores), a step-by-step plan, a sticker chart, and notes for the preschool and helper.
Calm-down cards in four languages
Eight calm-down cards for ages 3 to 8 in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. Each has the words every adult can say, plus a calm corner for a small flat.
Start with your own details
Each tool works from your own dates and numbers, and child details stay on your phone.
Compare your shortlisted preschools →Frequently asked questions
When do I register my child for P1?
In the year before P1. Children born 2 January to 1 January register together. Most register in the year they turn 6, and a 1 January birthday in the year they turn 5. The 2027 exercise is for children born 2 January 2021 to 1 January 2022; MOE usually announces the dates in April. Try the P1 Registration Phase Checker.
How much childcare subsidy can we get?
It depends on your household income and whether the mother works. The income ceiling for the Additional Subsidy is S$12,000 and rises to S$15,000 from 1 January 2027. Try the childcare subsidy calculator.
Does living near a school help with P1?
In a ballot, citizens within 1km of the school are drawn first, then those 1 to 2km away. Check the official distance on MOE SchoolFinder.
How many preschools should we compare?
Two to four is manageable. Compare them on your own notes from each visit; unknowns stay as questions, not low scores.
Keep this guide for the next big decision.
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Sources & assumptions
- ECDA — Subsidy tables for infant care and childcare ↗
- MOM — Childcare leave eligibility and entitlement ↗
- MOE — Primary 1 (P1) registration ↗
- MOE — Changes to the Primary 1 (P1) Registration Framework ↗
- MOE — How distance affects priority admission ↗
- HealthHub — Parent Hub: Child Health Booklet ↗
The 2027 P1 birth range is derived from MOE’s pattern until MOE confirms it.