MOE Kindergarten (MK): Fees, Places and Registration

MOE Kindergartens (MKs) are kindergartens run directly by the Ministry of Education, usually sited inside a primary school. They are popular because fees are low and the curriculum is MOE’s own — but places are limited and the way you register differs from a private centre. Here is what to know before you apply.

What an MOE Kindergarten is

An MK offers a 4-hour programme for K1 and K2 (children turning 5 and 6), built on MOE’s Nurturing Early Learners framework in English and Mother Tongue Languages. Because most MKs sit inside a primary school, the setting is meant to ease the later transition to Primary 1.

For working parents who need longer hours, Kindergarten Care (KCare) provides full-day cover at all MKs. Some MKs also run the MK–Early Years Centre (EYC) partnership, where a child attends an Anchor-Operator EYC from as young as two months to age four, then has a guaranteed route into a partner MK for K1 and K2.

Fees and financial help

MK fees are set by MOE and are low compared with private kindergartens.

Base MK fee plus optional full-day KCare.

Fees are also payable during the June and December holidays, and there are no out-of-pocket charges for complementary programmes such as field trips. The MK uniform costs roughly S$7–S$8 per item from the appointed suppliers.

How registration works

MKs hold one annual registration exercise. For 2027 K1 admission, online registration ran from 9am on 23 March to 4.30pm on 31 March 2026 via the MK website, open to SC and PR children born between 2 January 2022 and 1 January 2023. In the 2026 exercise, 57 MKs took part, including a new MK opening in 2027. Parents were invited to MK open houses held across March beforehand to see the programmes and facilities and speak to the educators before choosing.

• You register for one MK per exercise (unlike private centres, where you can apply to several).
• Registration can be through Open Admissions (OA) or Early Years Centre (EYC) registration.
• You receive the outcome about two months after registration closes, then accept any offer online via the link in the outcome email.
• Missed the window? Contact your preferred MK directly. Places go first to applications made during the exercise; later ones depend on vacancies, otherwise you join a waitlist.

Priority order and balloting

When an MK is oversubscribed, places under Open Admissions are allocated by this priority order:

Priority order before any balloting by distance.

For PO1, MOE verifies income automatically through the Government Household Means Eligibility System (HOMES), which pulls data from IRAS and CPF records. An MK generally takes up to about 140 children, and balloting happens only when applicants exceed vacancies. The ballot considers citizenship (where relevant) and home-to-MK distance in this order: within 500m, then 500m–1km, then 1km or more.

Distance is measured using the Singapore Land Authority’s School Query service, so your registered home address at the time of registration is what counts. If you expect to move, that can change your distance band and your odds in a ballot — worth weighing before you register.

MK vs private kindergartens

If your child does not get an MK place, there is no shortage of alternatives — Anchor Operators such as PCF Sparkletots and My First Skool, Partner Operators, and private kindergartens all take K1 and K2 children. See types of preschools in Singapore for how the operator schemes and fee caps compare.

Related

• Preschool registration: timeline and steps
• Types of preschools in Singapore
• How to choose a preschool
• Childcare subsidy explained

General information based on MOE guidance, as of October 2026. Dates, fees and rules change each exercise — check moe.gov.sg/mk for the current year before you register.