‘Indranee Rajah can learn from him’: Singapore commenter praises NYC Parents’ Night Out initiative

SINGAPORE: After a media outlet featured an initiative from the mayor of New York City to give parents a little time off to be on their own, a local commenter wrote that Indranee Rajah could learn a little something from him.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently piloted a project called Parents’ Night Out, which gave parents four hours off on Sunday (Aug 16) by providing activities for children aged 6 to 13 from over 250 families.

“Every parent knows that a few hours to yourself can feel like a luxury. It shouldn’t be. That’s why we launched New York City’s first-ever Parents’ Night Out, so parents can catch a movie, run errands or go on a date without worrying about who will take care of the kids — or how much it will cost. Making New York City more affordable isn’t just about lowering costs; it’s about giving people back their time. This administration is committed to making it easier to raise a family in the greatest city in the world,” the Mayor said in a statement.

Like Singapore, New York City is regularly ranked among the most expensive cities in the world, especially for housing. However, childcare costs in the Big Apple are particularly high, and hiring a babysitter may cost as much as US$30 (around S$38.10) per hour.

Mr Mamdani, who assumed office on Jan 1, said during his campaign that he would help families afford to stay in New York, adding that the city would eventually offer free day care to each child under the age of five.

According to a statement from his office, 24% of the parents who participated in the pilot enjoyed some alone time and 19% had a date night.

On Thursday (Aug 20), when Mothership put up a carousel post on Facebook on Mr Mamdani’s Parents’ Night Out, a local commenter wrote that Minister Indranee Rajah “can learn from him.” 

Another replied by saying they had tagged Ms Rajah on an Instagram post about the initiative.

Earlier this year, it was announced that Ms Rajah would head Singapore’s inter-agency Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup, tackling the country’s total fertility rate (TFR), which has dropped to a record low of 0.87. 

The National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) said on April 29 that the workgroup would look into the factors that affect parenthood and marriage in the city-state, including finances, work-life support, caregiving, housing, healthcare, preschool, and education. /TISG

Read also: ‘He should be in the birth rate task force’: Singaporeans congratulate Tan Kiat How on birth of third child