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Becoming a parent for the first time can be a life-changing experience characterised by a whirlwind of emotions ranging from excitement and joy to anxiety and uncertainty. From the moment your child is born, you will not only witness but also play an important role in their different developmental milestones.
In this article, we outline the key milestones in your child’s life, starting from the day they are born to registration for primary school.
We will be referring to information that is available and shared on the LifeSG app. Available on both the App Store (for iOS users) and Google Play (for Android users), the LifeSG app allows people living in Singapore to enjoy easy access to over 200 digital government services.
Registering Your Child’s Birth & Applying For A Passport
Since 29 May 2022, all parents can register their baby’s birth online via the LifeSG app. If you don’t already have it on your phone, this is probably the first app that you should install as you enter this new phase of life. You can also use the app to apply for your child’s passport.
Alternatively, if you prefer, you can also access LifeSG via a web browser.
Registering your child’s birth on the LifeSG app is pretty straightforward.
For a step-by-step walkthrough, refer to our guide on how to submit your child’s birth registration certificate via the LifeSG app.
There are a few things to note.
Firstly, you should register your child’s birth within 42 days of birth. Upon successful registration, you can then download your baby’s birth certificate via the ICA website. There is also a shortcut to access your child’s birth certificate via the LifeSG app.
When submitting the online birth registration form, you also have the option to apply for the Baby Bonus Cash Gift and open the Child Development Account (CDA) to receive the CDA First Step Grant.
As an added convenience, you can even sign your baby up for a free library membership. If you don’t already know, our public libraries have plenty of books that are curated for toddlers and preschoolers, so this could be a great way to get them started on their reading journey.
Though this may not be as time-sensitive as birth registration, you may also wish to apply for your child’s passport for overseas travel. Also, from 1 January 2020, newborn Singapore Citizens will enjoy waiver of first passport application fee if application is submitted online on or before the child’s first birthday.
Once again, you can access a list of government service shortcut links via the LifeSG app. Tap on the Travel and passport section to apply for the passport.
Baby Bonus Cash Gift, Child Development Account, & MediSave Grant
To support parents with the cost of raising their child, the Government offers a range of child-related subsidies and grants. An example would be the Baby Bonus Scheme, which comprises a Baby Bonus Cash Gift and Government contributions when you open a Child Development Account (CDA) for your child.
Baby Bonus Cash Gift
The cash gift helps parents with the costs of child-raising during the early years. It will be disbursed to you every 6 months till your child turns 6.5 years. For instance, you will receive a total of $11,000 for your first child. You can use the Cash Gift to pay for any of your child’s expenses.
Child Development Account
The Child Development Account (CDA) is also part of the Baby Bonus Scheme designed to help parents offset the cost of raising their children. Money in the CDA can be used to pay for your child’s or his/her sibling’s educational and health care expenses at Approved Institutions.
When you open a CDA, the Government will automatically deposit a CDA First Step Grant of $5,000[1] without you having to do anything.
You will also double the savings for your child, when you save into the CDA. This is because for every dollar that you save, the Government will top it up with another dollar, up to a cap that depends on the birth order of your child.
Medisave Grant for Newborns
Finally, all newborn Singapore citizens will have $4,000 credited into their MediSave Account. This can be used to pay for various medical expenses, such as MediShield Life premiums, private integrated shield premiums, and other eligible medical expenses.
More information on the various schemes can be found in the table below.
[1] For children born on or after 14 February 2023. Those born before will receive $3,000.
To find out more about these grants, you can go to the Family and parenting section on the LifeSG app.
Under this section, you will be able to see, at a glance, all the various family and parenting services. These include useful details within the Baby Bonus Scheme, such as searching for Approved Institutions that CDA funds can be used at and checking our Baby Bonus statements.
You can also select Calculate your family benefits to know all the benefits that your family will qualify for.
After providing some basic details about your family’s income, number of household members, employment status, and birth order of your child, the estimated benefits will be shown.
Buying An Integrated Shield Plan
One of the most important things you, as a parent, should consider is medical insurance for your child.
While all Singaporeans and Permanent Residents will be covered under MediShield Life, this is a basic health insurance plan that covers hospitalisation in Class B2 and C wards in public hospitals. You may wish to increase hospital coverage for your child beyond this for a higher quality of treatment and care.
For this purpose, you can supplement the basic coverage with a private integrated shield plan. It is able to provide more comprehensive coverage for hospitalisation in B1 and A wards at public hospitals as well as private hospitals.
Generally, the earliest you can get your child insured for a private integrated shield plan is on day 15 or when they are discharged from the hospital after birth, whichever is later. Hence, if you are intending to get additional health coverage for them, it is ideal to get it as soon as possible.
Knowing Your Child’s Vaccination Schedule
From the day your child is born, they will already be required to get their first set of vaccinations. This would be the start of a series of vaccinations that your child will receive, with the large majority of these happening within the first two years.
This means you would find yourself bringing them regularly to the Polyclinics for their vaccination, as recommended by the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS). Nationally-recommended childhood vaccinations and developmental screenings for children at polyclinics and Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) General Practitioner clinics are provided free of charge.
You can use the LifeSG app to help keep tabs on your child’s medical appointments so that you don’t miss any of them. When required, you can also view your child’s immunisation records via the LifeSG app. By the time your child enters preschool (age 3), the school will likely ask you for the records.
Enrolling In Preschool
Depending on your caregiving needs and preferences, you may wish to enrol your child in infant care from as early as two months old.
By the time a child turns three, most parents might start sending their child to preschool. In Singapore, most preschools cater to children at N1 (age 3), N2 (age 4), K1 (age 5), and K2 (age 6).
If you need support finding a preschool for your child, look for the Education and Learning section on the LifeSG app.
In this section, you can search for suitable preschools via location or centre name and indicate your interest for your preferred centres register at NTUC’s My First Skool, or schedule a visit to Little Skool House.
Applying For Primary 1
Under the Compulsory Education Act, primary education is compulsory for all children above the age of 6 who are Singapore Citizens and reside in Singapore.
This means that in the year when your child turns 6 (K2), you would be required to register them for Primary 1 for the following year under one of several registration phases. Be sure to keep a lookout for the announcements by MOE on when Primary 1 registration will begin.
If you are not familiar with the process, the LifeSG app can guide you through what you need to know about registering your child for Primary 1. The app will also update you on the key dates for Primary 1 registration.
Beyond government services, the LifeSG app also provides an extensive list of guides that parents can use in their parenting journey. These include guides to bringing your newborn home, employing a foreign confinement nanny, and employing a live-in domestic helper.
Using the LifeSG app, you can also find out more about the subsidies that your family can enjoy with the Family Support Calculator.
Here’s a recap of all the key milestones that you and your child will experience:
Enjoy Life’s Journey With The LifeSG app
Besides parenting resources, parents can access the LifeSG app for other useful resources related to education and learning, family and parenting, housing and property, finance, healthcare, end-of-life services, and many more.
So even after your child turns 6, you could continue to keep this uniquely Singaporean app on your phone so that the government services you want to access are just a few taps away.
The post From Birth To P1 Registration: Guide To Navigating Your Child’s Key Milestones appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
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