KidSTART programme: Building strong foundations for a good start in life

27 Feb 2026 | Special Delivery

Every pregnancy and family is unique. Mothers and children can benefit from tailored care and guidance to establish strong foundations towards good health in the long term.

Community healthcare providers play a crucial role in identifying and referring families for early intervention during the critical early years of development, to enable every child to have a good start in life.

Launched in 2016, KidSTART provides one-stop support to pregnant mothers, and empowering low-income families with knowledge, skills and resources, to build strong foundations of health for their children and foster positive child development outcomes. The programme has benefited more than 11,000 children.

Comprehensive, personalised support for each family

To aid parents and caregivers in attending to their child’s developmental, health and nutritional needs during their growing years, KidSTART adopts a unique framework of individualised home visits by KidSTART practitioners, offering a curriculum that incorporates evidence-based approaches that spans across three domains – child development, health and family well-being, and practical strategies and resources.

KidSTART practitioners are supported by the KidSTART multidisciplinary team (MDT), which consists of paediatricians and nurses from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and National University Hospital (NUH) and KKH allied health professionals including, occupational therapists, psychologists, speech therapists, a dietician and a physiotherapist.

This integrated and comprehensive approach enables early identification of developmental issues, reduces the need for prolonged specialised therapeutic support for the child, and optimises child health and developmental potential.

Benefits of KidSTART:

For pregnant mothers:
- Antenatal care support and resources for a healthy pregnancy, maternal well-being and positive child development.
- Pre- and postnatal support in nutrition, mental wellness, preparing for childbirth and postnatal care through curated workshops, expectant mummy care packs and confinement meals. As each pregnancy is different, experienced mothers will also benefit from the programme.

For families with children aged zero to six years:
- Skills for caregivers to create a supportive and nurturing home environment for their child’s learning and development.
- KidSTART practitioner support to strengthen parent-child bonds and promote the child’s development in language acquisition, cognitive development, motor skills, and health and emotional well-being.
- Family resources such as welcome packs (with books, toys and wellness items), monthly fresh food packs, and access to exclusive events to enhance family bonding.
- Social, emotional and preschool support by a Family Coach (for eligible ComLink+ families) and care professionals.

Support that starts from the womb

KKH partners with KidSTART Singapore to lead the KidSTART@KKH Kids Integrated Development Service 0-3 (KIDS 0-3) programme. This enables families to receive support from as early as pregnancy.

KidSTART@KKH KIDS 0-3 tailors care to each family’s needs. The programme addresses concerns in health, social and early childhood developmental domains, ranging from personalised anticipatory guidance at routine maternity health reviews in the hospital to home visits where practitioners guide mothers on evidence-based parenting strategies.

To deliver well-rounded care and support, the programme team comprises community health visitors, social workers, nurses, doctors, psychologists, occupational therapists, speech therapist and dietitians. The team also works closely with the KKH Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Women’s Mental Wellness Service and Department of Child Development, to meet the needs of pregnant mothers and families.

KidSTART@KKH KIDS 0-3 works closely with KidSTART Singapore and implementing agencies to ensure a seamless transition of care for the infants and families.

A robust ecosystem of care

KidSTART Singapore Ltd works with nine KidSTART Agencies to deliver the programme to families nationwide. Collaborations with ComLink+, family service centres, specialist agencies, and government agencies also ensure comprehensive wrap-around care for every KidSTART family.

A distinctive feature of KidSTART is its partnerships with corporates such as Prudential, SP Group, DBS Foundation and the wider community to provide families with practical resources that complement practitioner guidance. These include prenatal and postnatal nutrition and mental wellness support, monthly fresh produce packs and learning resources such as welcome packs and PlayFULL packs to promote children’s healthy development and learning through play. These fringe support complement and enhance the wrap-around care, ensuring families receive both professional support and tangible assistance for their child’s growth and well-being.

Refer a family

Healthcare professionals are encouraged to refer eligible families to KidSTART@KKH KIDS 0-3 or the KidSTART programme during the antenatal period. This enables children and families to benefit from comprehensive and early intervention to improve their long-term outcomes, and help every child have a good start in life as early as possible.

Eligibility criteria for KidSTART

Pregnant mothers and families with Singaporean citizen children up to six years old, and with gross monthly household income of $2,500 and below or per capita income of $650 and below can join the KidSTART programme. For more information, visit https://www.kidstart.sg or email enquiry@kidstart.sg.