Early Childhood Educators to Receive at Least Two Hours of Non-Contact Time Each Week
1 Non-Contact Time refers to protected time for educators to conduct professional responsibilities beyond teaching, caring for and supervising children. These include lesson planning, documenting children’s development, and engaging parents and community partners.
2 From 1 November 2027, all ECDA-licensed Early Childhood Development Centres will be required to provide each full-time certified Early Childhood (EC) educator with at least two hours of Non-Contact Time per week during working hours.
3 The announcement was made by Minister for Social and Family Development, Masagos Zulkifli, at ECDA’s annual Scholarships and Training Awards Presentation Ceremony on 13 October 2026.
Creating the conditions for quality professional practice
4 Educators have shared that they face difficulty completing both teaching and other professional responsibilities on a work day, due to high demands from the former. Setting aside Non-Contact Time for other professional duties will thus help to support educators in managing the range of work responsibilities.
5 Centres may schedule Non-Contact Time flexibly based on their operational needs. While the entitlement is calculated at a minimum of two hours per week, centres may schedule NCT daily, weekly, every two weeks or monthly, in blocks of at least one hour. Regardless of the arrangement, centres should provide Non-Contact Time regularly and within educators’ working hours, and this should not result in extending their working hours.
6 The two-hour requirement was developed following consultations with educators and preschool operators, and takes into account existing practices across the sector. It establishes a common minimum, while allowing operators flexibility in implementation. It is not a cap. Centres that can or already provide more Non-Contact Time are encouraged to do so.
7 The requirement will be included in the Early Childhood Development Centre Code of Practice. The lead time to 1 November 2027 will allow operators to review and adjust their manpower, scheduling and operational arrangements. ECDA will work with preschool operators and sector stakeholders during this period to support the adoption of effective Non-Contact Time practices.
Supporting educators throughout their careers
8 The Non-Contact Time requirement is part of ECDA’s broader efforts under the Quality Preschools 2030 plan to enhance working conditions for EC educators. Quality early childhood education requires educators to have the time and space to plan, reflect, prepare learning resources and engage parents and community partners.
9 At ECDA’s annual Scholarships and Training Awards Presentation Ceremony, close to 400 aspiring and in-service EC educators were recognised for their achievements and professional development through the following programmes:
· Early Childhood Education (ECE) Scholarship;
· ECDA Training Awards (TA);
· ECDA TA Commendation Award (TACA); and
· Professional Development Programme (PDP).
10 Over the past five years, the Government has invested more than $75 million to deepen the skills and competencies of EC educators through initiatives supporting educators at different stages of their career. ECDA will continue to work with preschool operators to support educators’ well-being, professional growth and career aspirations, and create environments where they can build meaningful and fulfilling careers while making a lasting impact on children and their families.
More information can be found in the Annexes
Annex A: Non-Contact Time (NCT)
Annex B: Early Childhood Education (ECE) Scholarship
Annex C: ECDA Training Awards (TA)