● A one-time payout of S$400 will be provided into each eligible child’s Child Development Account (CDA) to provide low-income families with financial support for various child-raising expenses [1].

● The “NTUC First Campus Sponsored NTUC Membership Programme” will provide each eligible low-income family with one fully sponsored NTUC membership, valued at S$117 per annum. This will enable the families to access the various financial and employability benefits for NTUC members. The privilege will continue till their child or youngest child leaves NFC’s pre-school network.

Singapore, 9 February 2021– NTUC First Campus (NFC) announced today that it will launch two programmes for low-income families and their children:

● A one-time Child Development Account (CDA) top-up for each eligible low-income child;  

● An “NTUC First Campus Sponsored NTUC Membership Programme” to provide fully sponsored NTUC membership for low-income families. 

An estimated 4,000 low-income families and their children will benefit from this support in 2021. The total spend is estimated at S$2 million for 2021 and will be funded by NFC’s’ Bright Horizons Fund. This is part of NFC’s efforts to give low-income families and their children additional support and a good start to the Lunar New Year.

Low-income families who meet the following criteria will be eligible for both programmes:

● Monthly household incomes of S$4,500 or less or monthly per capita incomes of S$1,125 or less; and

● Their child/children has/have been enrolled in NFC’s My First Skool (MFS) or Little Skool-House (LSH) for at least three months [2]. 

To give these families financial support for their child-raising needs, NFC will provide a one-time payout of S$400 into the eligible child’s Child Development Account (CDA). This move will also help to stretch their dollar as the payout will be matched, dollar-for-dollar by the Singapore Government if the family meets the criteria for the Baby Bonus Scheme. These families will be able to use the total amount of up to S$800 per child to defray various child-raising expenses such as a child’s pre-school fees, healthcare, dental and optical needs as well as early intervention programmes at Baby Bonus Approved Institutions. NFC also hopes that this programme will encourage low-income families to open CDAs for their children if they have not done so.

In addition, NFC will introduce an “NTUC First Campus Sponsored NTUC Membership Programme” to encourage low-income families to become members. The fully sponsored NTUC membership is valued at S$117 per annum. For eligible families who already have NTUC memberships, NFC will support them by paying the membership fees for one member per family. This privilege will continue till their child or youngest child leaves NFC’s pre-school network.

By becoming NTUC members, low-income families will enjoy various financial and employability benefits offered by NTUC. For instance, 

● The various assistance programmes under the NTUC-U Care Fund aim to improve the welfare of lower-income NTUC members and their families. This could be in the form of digital vouchers for use on basic necessities and for children’s school expenses for the new school year; as well as funding support for bursaries and scholarships.

● Members with children enrolled in NTUC First Campus’ My First Skool can get 1,285 LinkPoints worth $8.50 monthly per household. The LinkPoints can be used to redeem various benefits such as offsetting the cost of groceries at NTUC FairPrice [3].

● Members can tap on the various professional development, training, placement and networking opportunities, and upgrade their skills through the “Union Training Assistance Programme” which will defray their cost of training.

Mr Mustakem Bin Muhamed Rais, Mdm Diana Binte Abu Bakar and their daughter, Nur Thahirah Binti Mustakem (right of photo) receiving the S$2million contribution for the NTUC First Campus Sponsored NTUC Membership Programme and one-time CDA top-up on behalf of beneficiaries, from Mr Ng Chee Meng, Secretary-General, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Ms Chan Su Yee, Chief Executive Officer, NTUC First Campus.

Mr Ng Chee Meng, Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), said: “Our NTUC Family always stands together with Singaporeans, especially in times of need. As part of NTUC’s 2021 members outreach, we want more Singaporean families to reap the benefits of the NTUC membership during these tough times. NTUC and NTUC First Campus have worked together to provide sponsored NTUC membership for low-income families. The NTUC membership programme will help alleviate everyday expenses such as groceries, education and healthcare, and open doors to new opportunities such as job placements and upskilling.” 

Mr Ng Chee Yuen, Chairman, NTUC First Campus said: “At NTUC First Campus, we are committed to partnering families to enable every child to have an equal footing and a good start in life. We understand that some of our low-income families and children are facing difficulties. This is why we are contributing an estimated S$2 million to assist them, by supporting their access to NTUC membership and quality pre-school education, as well as to defray child-raising expenses. Our desire is to see more families and children start the New Year with renewed hope, and with the strength and fortitude as represented by the Year of the Ox.” 

Mr Mustakem, father of an infant at My First Skool who will receive support from the one-time Child Development Account top-up and NTUC First Campus Sponsored NTUC Membership Programme, said: “It is financially challenging for us as most of our monthly income is spent on child-raising expenses for our children. With a newborn, our expenditure has increased further. I am very happy about this S$400 CDA top-up because we can use it to pay for my daughter, Thahirah’s pre-school fees. It will also be useful if we need to pay for medical fees, dental fees, and spectacles when the need arises in future. The sponsored NTUC membership will be very helpful. Besides using my accumulated LinkPoints to offset my grocery expenses, I hope to take up a subsidised course in operating a crane in future to upgrade myself and find new job opportunities.”

Mr Ng Chee Meng, Secretary-General, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) interacting with family, Mr Mustakem Bin Muhamed Rais, Mdm Diana Binte Abu Bakar and their daughter, Nur Thahirah Binti Mustakem, who will benefit from the NTUC First Campus Sponsored NTUC Membership Programme and one-time CDA top-up.

More details on these initiatives will be shared with beneficiaries later. 

[1] This payout will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by the Singapore Government if the family meets the criteria for the Baby Bonus Scheme. Please check the Baby Bonus Online website for more information.

[2] For the CDA top-up specifically, only children who have been enrolled in NFC’s My First Skool (MFS) or Little Skool-House as of 31 Jan 2021 and for at least three months will be eligible.

[3] https://www.myfirstskool.com/promotion/LinkPoints