Birth to P1 balloting
Delivery ward to a confirmed P1 place. The admin, the money, the jabs and the ballot, in the order they happen.
Birth to P1, at a glance
Seven stages. Tap one to see what’s due.
Get into the queues
Very little here is urgent except the childcare queue — the one thing on this whole page you cannot fix later.
Childcare
- Register interest for infant careWaiting lists run many months, and a year is not unusual in a mature estate. Join several at once; there is no central queue and no penalty.
Money
- You can join Baby Bonus earlyApplications open two months before the estimated due date, and you choose your CDA bank during the application.
- Maternity insurance, if you want itA single-premium plan, available from around week 13 and usually running three years. It pays out for a defined list of pregnancy and delivery complications for the mother and congenital conditions for the baby — not for a normal delivery, which is what MediSave and your Integrated Shield Plan are for. The part worth the premium is the guaranteed-insurability option: it lets you buy the child a policy after birth with no medical underwriting, which is exactly the cover that becomes hard to get if something is found. Compare the condition lists and the guaranteed-purchase limits rather than the price, and buy it before the window closes — most insurers stop accepting applications in the third trimester.
Admin
- Agree the leave split16 weeks maternity, 4 weeks paternity and a 10-week shared pool. The default is five weeks each of the shared pool; reallocating is easiest in the first four weeks.
- Book the hospital and antenatal careKKH, NUH and the private hospitals all take direct bookings. MediSave can be drawn on for delivery and pre-delivery expenses.
The paperwork sprint
The busiest fortnight of the six years. Everything downstream keys off the birth registration, so that goes first.
Admin
- Register the birth within 42 daysAt the hospital or through LifeSG. Baby Bonus, the CDA, the MediSave grant and every subsidy key off it.
- File the leave split with your employerAt least four weeks' notice is required, and the shared pool is easiest to reallocate in the first four weeks.
Money
- Open the CDA immediatelyThe $5,000 First Step Grant does not arrive until the account exists. This is the step people delay for months.
- Join Baby BonusThrough LifeSG. Cash payouts continue under the current scheme until 31 March 2027, when the $10,000 Baby Gift replaces them.
Health
- BCG and Hepatitis BUsually given before you leave hospital.
- First paediatric checksWeight, feeding and jaundice, in the first weeks. Jaundice is common here and watched closely.
The vaccination run
Mostly clinic visits. Everything on the national schedule is fully subsidised for citizen children.
Health
- 2, 4 and 6 monthsCombination vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Hib, plus pneumococcal doses and the final Hepatitis B.
- Flu from 6 monthsAnnual influenza vaccination becomes available, and is recommended yearly to age five.
- Screening rides alongDevelopmental checks happen at the same visits. Raise anything that worries you then rather than waiting.
Money
- Start the CDA standing orderGovernment co-matching pays nothing unless you deposit. A small monthly transfer is the whole trick.
Solids, mobility, and infant care
The last busy stretch. After the 15–18 month boosters, the medical calendar largely empties until the year before P1.
Health
- Weaning from around six monthsPolyclinics and the KKH dietetics service both advise. Allergen introduction is now encouraged early rather than delayed.
- 12 monthsMMR, varicella and a pneumococcal booster.
- 15 and 18 monthsSecond MMR and varicella doses at 15 months, then the 5-in-1 booster at 18. Two visits, not one.
Childcare
- Infant care, if you need itRoughly double the price of childcare and far scarcer. Fees at Government-supported centres are being cut to $300 a month before means-testing, phased from 2028.
- HFMD becomes part of lifeAsk any centre for its exclusion and notification policy before you sign. You will live by it.
Preschool, and the quiet years
The calmest stretch. What is happening is financial and mostly invisible — subsidies, co-matching, credits arriving in the background.
Childcare
- Playgroup and nurseryAnchor and partner operators cap their fees, which is why they fill first. Shortlist on commute, not on marketing.
- Fees are coming downFull-day childcare at Government-supported centres is being reduced to $150 a month before means-testing, phased in from 2028 with the target reached by 2030.
Money
- Subsidies apply at any licensed centreIncluding private ones, which parents often do not realise. Apply through the centre.
- $2,000 a year, automaticallyChild Credits are paid each year from the year the child turns 1 to the year they turn 16, under the new SG Child Support Package.
The run-up to P1
The medical side is a short list. The school side is where the thinking goes, and it starts earlier than most people expect.
Health
- Pre-school boostersDiphtheria and measles vaccination are compulsory by law, and schools ask for the record at enrolment.
- Dental and eyesFirst dental visit by about age one ideally, and myopia checks matter here — outdoor time is the best-evidenced protection.
School
- MOE Kindergarten gives Phase 2A priorityBeing in one gives priority at the co-located primary school. Half-day only, so most working families pair it with student care.
- Volunteering is decided a year aheadPhase 2B volunteer hours must be logged the year before registration — about eighteen months before the first school day.
Registration and balloting
The phase you qualify for is decided long before the window opens.
School
- Check Phase 1 and 2A firstA sibling, alumni or staff link skips the queue.
- Phases run July to SeptemberBallots only where a phase is oversubscribed.
- Missed out? Try the next phaseAn earlier try never costs you a later one.
Childcare
- Ask about student care on results daySchool places go fast.
Money
- Edusave starts: $230 a yearArrives automatically once school starts.
- The CDA now runs to 16It used to close at 12.
Benefits at a glance
Set each child’s age to see what you get.
The interactive subsidy estimator is in the app — open the guide to use it.
Government support
Announced 23 Aug 2026. Not in force yet. Latest.
| Support | Amount | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Maternity leave | 16 weeks | Government-paid |
| Paternity leave | 4 weeks | Mandatory, births from 1 Apr 2025 |
| Shared Parental Leave | 10 weeks | Births from 1 Apr 2026. Use in year one. |
| Childcare leave | 8–12 days a year | More kids under 13, more days |
| Unpaid infant care leave | 12 days a year | First two years |
| Extra BTO ballot | +1 per child | Kids 18 and under, from Feb 2027 |
| Tax reliefs | Varies | Not automatic. Claim QCR, WMCR and the Parenthood Tax Rebate. |
National Childhood Immunisation Schedule
Find the age, read down. Free for citizens at CHAS GPs and polyclinics. Records on HealthHub.
| Vaccine | Birth | 2m | 4m | 6m | 12m | 15m | 18m | 5y | 10y | 12y | 13y | 17y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BCGTuberculosis | D1 | |||||||||||
| HepBHepatitis B | D1 | D2 | D3 | |||||||||
| DTaPDiphtheria, tetanus, pertussis | D1 | D2 | D3 | B1 | ||||||||
| IPVPolio | D1 | D2 | D3 | B1 | B2 | |||||||
| HibH. influenzae type b | D1 | D2 | D3 | B1 | ||||||||
| PCV13Pneumococcal | D1 | D2 | B1 | |||||||||
| MMRMeasles, mumps, rubella | D1 | D2 | ||||||||||
| VARChickenpox | D1 | D2 | ||||||||||
| TdapDTaP booster | B2 | |||||||||||
| HPV2Girls only | D1 | D2 | ||||||||||
| PPSV23Pneumococcal | Ages 2–17, certain conditions only | |||||||||||
| InfluenzaYearly | All kids, 6 months to under 5 | 5–17, certain conditions only | ||||||||||
Source: vaccine.gov.sg · NCIS 1 Apr 2026
The seven screening touchpoints
- Birth
- 4weeks#1
- 3–4months#2
- 6months#3
- 12months#4
- 15–18months#5
- 30months#6
- 48months#7
Source: MOH — Childhood developmental screening · Recommended touchpoints
Need a reminder?
Add the immunisation and developmental screening schedules to your calendar in the app — open the guide to enter an expected delivery date or an actual birth date.
Support that exists
Confinement nanny
$3,000–4,500 / 28 days
Live-in. Cooks confinement food, takes the night shift. Plenty of families skip it.
Confinement meals
$1,400–2,300 / 28 days
Postnatal meals delivered daily, no live-in help. Far cheaper than a nanny.
Lactation consultants
Hospital or private
Feeding going badly? Get help in week one or two, not week six.
Postnatal depression
1 in 10 mums. Treatable.
Can’t cope, day after day? That’s a symptom. Say so at the next check. Urgent: Samaritans of Singapore, 24 hours, 1767.
Domestic helper
Levy, insurance, course
A child under 16 at home gets you the concessionary levy.
Parent groups
Beat the isolation
Hospital baby groups and neighbourhood groups. The isolation is what people underestimate.
Children’s Emergency
KKH, NUH · 24 hours
The two paediatric emergency departments, staffed by children’s teams.
Polyclinic
Book on HealthHub
Cheapest for citizens and PRs. Does jabs and developmental checks.
24-hour GP
$60–150 a visit
Faster than A&E for anything that isn’t an emergency. Find a GP.
Paediatrician
Referral or direct
Private: go direct. Subsidised at KKH or NUH: get a polyclinic or GP referral first. Browse paediatricians.
Preschool & childcare
The phases, birth to K2
The kinds of centre, and what they cost
| Type | Monthly cap, full day | Know this |
|---|---|---|
| Anchor operators | Childcare $610 → $150 Infant care $1,235 → $300 | PCF, My First Skool, NTUC First Campus, YMCA. Cheapest, so they fill first. |
| Partner operators | Childcare $650 Infant care $1,290 | Smaller chains. Capped for funding. |
| Private centres | No cap | Subsidies still apply. |
| MOE Kindergarten | $150, half-day | Ages 5–6. Gets Phase 2A priority at its primary school. |
Fees are falling. $150 childcare and $300 infant care at Government-supported centres, before subsidies. Phased in from 2028, full by 2030.
Source: Made For Families — NDR 2026 family measures · current caps from ECDA
Common questions / follow-ups
Where’s a centre with space?
ECDA’s directory. Filter by vacancy, not rating.
How many waitlists?
Three or four. No central queue, no penalty.
How do I choose?
On commute. The one on your way to work wins.
When should I visit?
At 6pm pick-up, not on a tour.
How long do teachers stay?
Years is good. Months is a flag.
Adults in the room at 8am and 6pm?
Ratios stretch at the ends of the day.
Outdoor time, and if it rains?
Here it happens early or not at all.
Food cooked there or delivered?
Ask for a week’s menu, and how allergies and halal work.
The HFMD exclusion rule?
Outbreaks are routine. Read it before you sign.
The first two weeks?
A settling-in plan is a good sign.
Hearing about a bad day?
App or note, same day.
Subsidies?
The centre applies. Bring payslips or CPF statements. The additional subsidy is income-tested.
When it is an emergency
Trouble breathing · a seizure · unresponsive · head injury or broken bone · non-stop vomiting · dehydration · any fever under 3 months.
Call 995 if life-threatening. 1777 for a non-emergency ambulance.
P1 registration and balloting
New rules from the 2027 exercise (P1 in 2028): 20 places held for Phase 2B, 60 for Phase 2C, and a two-track ballot at 12 schools. Dates usually out April–May.
Three things to know
Most schools never ballot
Only when applicants outnumber places, at that school, in that phase.
Register in your earliest phase
Missed out? Register again in the next one.
Every child gets a place
Still unplaced at the end? MOE posts them to a school with room.
Phases and the ballot, from 2027
Earlier phases still go first
Phase 2A and 2B applicants keep priority over 2C.
Citizens before PRs
In every phase. PRs only get what citizens leave.
Most schools: closest first
Under 1km, then 1–2km, then beyond. By road from your registered address. Only the full band is balloted.
12 schools: two tracks, no distance priority
2C places split 50/50: within 2km and beyond 2km. Ballot inside each track. Spare places go to citizens in the other track; an odd place goes to the within-2km track.
Moved closer? Stay 30 months
MOE checks, and transfers children out if you don’t.
Source: MOE, 10 Sep 2026
Check a school
Type any primary school for last year’s results, phase by phase, from MOE: places, applicants, and who went to ballot. The five most contested also show 2026’s Phase 2C.
| School | Places | Applied |
|---|---|---|
| Princess Elizabeth (Bukit Batok) | 40 | 159 |
| Northland (Yishun) | 42 | 141 |
| Nan Hua (Clementi) | 41 | 123 |
| Chongfu (Yishun) | 48 | 137 |
| Rosyth (Serangoon) | 46 | 120 |
Every school and phase: MOE P1 registration results