KidSTART Celebrates 10 Years: Transforming the Lives of more than 11,000 Children
Over 800 children honoured at graduation ceremony

SINGAPORE, 24 JANUARY 2026 – KidSTART marked its 10th anniversary today, celebrating a programme that has benefitted more than 11,000 children and their families since it started as a pilot in 2016. To commemorate this major milestone, KidSTART Singapore held its first graduation ceremony today at Gardens by the Bay, celebrating the journey of over 800 children who recently graduated from the programme. Minister Masagos Zulkifli, Minister of Social and Family Development (MSF) officiated the ceremony and presented commemorative graduation awards to the children.

Making Greater Impact by Starting Upstream
The early years (from pregnancy to age 6 years) shape an individual’s lifelong development. Antenatal wellbeing and positive maternal attitudes support in-womb and postnatal child development as well as future school readiness. Strong parent-child interaction fosters confidence, curiosity and resilience, while regular preschool attendance from age three has been shown to reduce the need for additional learning support in primary school These early foundations link to better learning, health and wellbeing in adulthood.

KidSTART tailors its evidence-based curriculum to support each child’s needs, complemented with regular monitoring of children’s development and maternal wellbeing and early detec;on of children’s development needs for timely assistance both at home and in formal settings. KidSTART continues to make steady progress towards its goal of reaching 80% of the eligible children in lower-income families starting from children born in 2023, where:

• 92.1% of KidSTART parents demonstrated understanding of their child’s growth and learning; and
• 83.5% of KidSTART children with at least two years of interven;on met age-appropriate developmental milestones at age 5.

A Community Celebration
The graduation event is the first held for KidSTART families, and brought together 55 children representing the cohort of KidSTART graduates, as well as the broader KidSTART community of support comprising social agencies, corporate partners, volunteers, government agencies and members of the wider community to celebrate the journey and shared achievements in giving children from less-resourced families a strong start in life.

The graduation event represents a collective achievement for families and KidSTART’s ecosystem of support. Through the programme, families have benefitted from:

• Home-based support (during pregnancy as well as after birth)
• Evidence-informed guidance on child development and caregiving
• Community-led activities for parent-child bonding

For many caregivers, the event symbolises how far their children have come, from early developmental support in their early years, to building the confidence and foundations that will support them in the years ahead.

The graduation ceremony marks the start of the next journey, as children move forward with stronger foundations and a network of available support in the community. KidSTART works closely with government agencies and community partners to link families to appropriate assistance such as ComLink+, Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and other social service agencies, so that the children continue to have a good start in life.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development, said: “The success of KidSTART lies not only in its evidence-based approach to early childhood development, but in its recognition that creating equal opportunities requires all of us to play a part. No single organisation, no matter how dedicated, can tackle the complex challenges of social mobility alone. All of us – government agencies, community partners, healthcare providers, educators, and families – must work hand in hand to ensure every child has the foundation they need to thrive.”

Mr Joel Tan, Chief Executive Officer, KidSTART Singapore, said: “Today’s graduation ceremony is a celebration of every step taken by our children and families, and of the village that has supported them along the way. It reflects the growth of the children, the unwavering commitment of their caregivers, and the dedication of KidSTART practitioners who have walked closely with families throughout their journey. This milestone reinforces our belief that early support makes a lasting difference. We remain committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to begin their learning journey with confidence and hope.”

Graduating families can continue working with their ComLink+ family coaches or visit KidSTART’s website to learn about other national and community programmes available to support children and families beyond KidSTART. Please refer to https://kidstart.sg/graduation/ for more information on the continuity of care available to graduating children.

Annex: About KidSTART
KidSTART Singapore Ltd (KidSTART SG) is a non-profit organisation specialising in supporting families in early childhood development. KidSTART started as a pilot in 2016 and was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee in 2020 following strong progress made in its early years. This enabled it to expand nationwide to reach all lower-income families with children up to 6 years of age, as well as collaborate with more community and corporate partners.

We partner the government, hospitals and community to empower families with less resources in building strong foundations for their children up to 6 years of age. Our KidSTART practitioners across KidSTART Singapore, KidSTART Agencies and hospitals support caregivers with knowledge, skills and resources to promote child health and development, build parent-child bonds and strengthen parenting, as well as link them with ComLink+ and other agencies for additional support. Our vision is to give children a good start in life.

In 2024, KidSTART evolved to a solely home visitation programme following an outcome evaluation study showing that caregivers who received home visits for 12 months experienced gains in their level of social support, parenting competence and quality of parent-child interactions. Some of these gains were maintained or even strengthened at three years, with caregivers being more responsive to their children’s cues and expressing warmth and affection. Children also had better social-emotional development.