Commentary: Is it time for nannies to make a comeback?

SINGAPORE: There were a slew of family-friendly announcements during Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s recent National Day Rally speech – the most talked about, of course, being the extra 10 weeks of shared parental leave. Aside from this, the government is also increasing the availability of preschool places and making efforts to keep fees affordable.
These efforts are significant in creating a more family-friendly environment in Singapore. But beyond these initiatives, as parents return to work – some with irregular hours – there is a gap in the availability of flexible childcare solutions, especially for those without grandparents or domestic helpers.
A childminding service pilot that is set to launch in the second half of this year could go some way in providing an additional infant care option for families.
According to the announcement in March, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will appoint operators, which will in turn engage childminders, to look after babies aged between two months and 18 months old at the nanny’s home or at community centres or community clubs.
The service is expected to cost about S$700 (US$535) a month, but is limited to weekdays and working hours, leaving a gap for families who need support during evenings or weekends, or for older children.
This opens up a discussion about the role of ad hoc babysitters, and the potential for them to fill the remaining gaps in childcare.
Childminders, or nannies, were common in Singapore in the 1970s and 1980s. However, as more households became dual-income, the uncertain supply of ad hoc nannies could not fully fulfil working parents’ childcare needs and families increasingly turned to regulated and subsidised infant care centres and domestic helpers for childcare.
But both prevailing approaches have their shortcomings. Infant care centres lack flexibility in operation hours and, with a 1:5 staff-to-child ratio, may not be able to provide personalised attention to every child.
Domestic helpers’ skills in infant care can vary widely, thus introducing uncertainties in the quality of care, particularly if more cognitive and interactive engagement is expected beyond routine tasks like feeding and diaper changing.
Babysitters, on the other hand, offer a more flexible alternative. They can care for a few children in their own homes or travel to the child’s home. This provides the additional option of ad hoc arrangements for parents to enjoy an evening out, or for those with irregular hours, such as for shift workers.
In countries like Australia and France, national childcare subsidies extend to home-based services. It’s worth considering if this is something Singapore might explore beyond the childminding pilot, in which the nanny is also officially trained and regulated. Might such an arrangement also help ease the long waiting lists and manpower issues at childcare centres?
The demand for flexible and on-demand childcare may be particularly strong among younger parents juggling the demands of work while striving for personal fulfilment. Parents who value individuality and self-directed lifestyles may prefer childcare options that are more tailored to their specific needs.
While childminders and babysitters offer a promising solution to childcare challenges faced by parents, there are important concerns about safety and supervision, particularly due to previous troubling incidents involving cases of poisoning and even fatalities.
Under the childminding pilot, ECDA will conduct background checks on childminders, who must also undergo training in areas such as basic infant care and first aid.
The primary concern for many parents is the safety of their children. It all boils down to trust. Thus, it may take time for infrastructural and administrative development of childminding to be well-trusted and used by Singaporean parents. To help build trust, it may be necessary to build more systematic and closely monitored certification and registration processes – be it for the childminding pilot or ad-hoc babysitters.
Cost is also a consideration. Hiring a dedicated babysitter can be expensive. According to previous reports, private childminding operators – who typically provide home-based nannies – currently charge anywhere between S$1,200 to S$3,500 a month. Ad hoc rates can cost up to S$45 an hour.
Making the costs affordable and providing subsidies for parents to use those services would come in handy.
Given the rising emphasis on the importance of early child development, available services can move beyond “childminding” to include “childcare education”. Home-based nannies who are trained may be able to provide more cognitive stimulation to the child, supporting the child’s overall development.
As Singapore continues to enhance its family-friendly policies, it has an opportunity to enhance the quality and accessibility of more home-based care options, alongside existing services. With the right support, this may be a trusted and flexible option for parents.
Zheng Mu is Assistant Professor, Sociology and Anthropology at National University of Singapore.