SINGAPORE - Locally-owned commercial childcare operators with a social mission can now jump on board the Anchor Operator Scheme (AOP) after the call for proposals was made today.

Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) Chief Executive Officer Lee Tung Jean revealed the new set of criteria to allow more operators to join the scheme at a press conference this afternoon.

Anchor operators are required to provide good-quality, affordable services aimed at most low- and middle-income families, in exchange for recurrent government grants to help lower operating costs.

Interested operators must be a current operator of childcare centres and/or kindergartens with at least 10 centres or providing 1,000 pre-school places and have a good track record of providing quality early childhood services.

They must also demonstrate strong regulatory compliance and governance including having or establishing an independent governing body.

The new anchor operators must reinvest into the sector through initiatives such as teacher training and also develop 1,000 new places by 2018.

They must also have six months of operating cost or S$10 million - whichever is less - and if selected, receive a five-year license.

Religious childcare centres may take part but the syllabus taught must be secular and operators must take in children of all backgrounds.

The AOP Scheme introduced in 2009 provides grants and subsidies to childcare operators in exchange for keeping fees affordable. The operators had to maintain a certain number of centres and also have no religious affiliations.

Presently, there are two anchor operators: PAP Community Foundation (PCF) and NTUC My First Skool.

Interested operators must charge fees no more than S$720 monthly for full-day childcare, S$160 for kindergarten and S$1,275 for infant care.

Interested operators have eight weeks from tomorrow to submit a tender. The results will be announced at the end of the year.

There is no targeted number or budget of operators ECDA is aiming for who will join the scheme as it is focused on looking at the proposals at this stage.

Small to medium size operators will also not be edged out of the market with the expansion of the AOP, Dr Lee said, adding that ECDA is currently developing a suite of assistance schemes for non-anchor operators which will be announced later this year.