MOE Kindergarten (K1) registration, step by step

First, a common mix-up: this is not P1 registration

The MOE Kindergarten (MK) Registration Exercise is how MOE admits children into K1 at its kindergartens, for entry the following January. It is run once a year, around February to March. It is a completely separate thing from the Primary 1 Registration Exercise, which happens later in the year for entry into primary school.

Getting a place in an MK does not sign your child up for P1. What it does is earn Phase 2A priority at the primary school the MK sits inside, which you use when P1 registration comes round two years later. The full picture on that is in our MOE Kindergarten guide.

Key dates for the 2026 exercise (2027 entry)

• Open houses: 7 to 28 March 2026, so you can see the MKs before deciding.
• Registration window: 9am on Monday 23 March 2026 to 4.30pm on Tuesday 31 March 2026.
• Outcome: notified by email by Monday 1 June 2026.

Who can register

Singapore Citizen and Permanent Resident children who turn 5 the following year. For the 2027 intake, that meant children born between 2 January 2022 and 1 January 2023 (both dates inclusive). Citizens are placed ahead of PRs in how vacancies are allocated.

How places are decided

If an MK has enough places for everyone who applies, everyone gets in. When it is oversubscribed, MOE works through this priority order (children of the MK's own staff are considered first within each level):

1. Singapore Citizen children from lower-income homes (gross monthly household income of S$4,500 or less, or per-capita income of S$1,125 or less) living within 1km. A share of each MK's places, up to about a third, is set aside for this group.
2. Singapore Citizen and PR children with a sibling currently in K1 to P6 at that MK or its linked primary school.
3. All other Singapore Citizen children.
4. All PR children.

Within any level that is oversubscribed, places are balloted by home-to-MK distance, in bands: children living within 500m first, then 500m to 1km, then 1km or more. Each MK takes up to around 140 children in total. Note this is different from the P1 distance rings, so do not assume the same 1km and 2km bands apply.

The routes that give you an edge

Two routes change your odds:

• The Early Years Centre guarantee. A child enrolled in an MK's partner Early Years Centre by 15 March of their Nursery 2 year is guaranteed a K1 place at that partner MK. This is the only genuine guarantee. The partner clusters are Ang Mo Kio, Jurong West, Punggol, Sembawang and Tampines.
• A sibling link. Having an older child already in the MK or its linked primary school puts you in priority group 2, ahead of the general Citizen pool. It is priority, not a guarantee.

How to register

Registration is done online through MOE's MK website (moe.gov.sg/mk) during the registration window. You register through either Open Admissions or, if your child is in a partner EYC, EYC registration. Fees once enrolled are S$160/month for Citizens and S$320/month for PRs, and eligible Citizen families can lower that through KiFAS.

Common questions

Is MOE Kindergarten registration the same as Primary 1 registration? +

No. They are two separate exercises. The MK Registration Exercise is run by MOE to admit children into K1 at its kindergartens, and it happens around February to March. The Primary 1 Registration Exercise is a different process, later in the year, for entry into primary school. Being in an MK does not register your child for P1; it gives Phase 2A priority when P1 registration comes around.

When is the MOE Kindergarten registration for 2027 entry? +

For the 2027 K1 intake, registration ran from 9am on Monday 23 March 2026 to 4.30pm on Tuesday 31 March 2026, with open houses from 7 to 28 March 2026 and outcomes notified by email by 1 June 2026. Dates shift each year, so always check MOE's current press release before planning.

Who can register for K1 at an MOE Kindergarten? +

Singapore Citizen and PR children turning 5 the following year. For the 2027 intake that meant children born between 2 January 2022 and 1 January 2023. Citizens are prioritised over PRs in how places are allocated.

How are places decided if an MK is oversubscribed? +

By priority group, then by distance. When there are more applicants than places, MOE ballots within each priority level, and home-to-MK distance decides the ballot in bands: within 500m first, then 500m to 1km, then 1km or more. Each MK takes up to around 140 children.

Is there any way to guarantee a K1 place? +

One route. A child enrolled in an MK's partner Early Years Centre (EYC) by 15 March of their Nursery 2 year is guaranteed a K1 place at that MK. A sibling already in the MK or its linked primary school gives priority, but not a guarantee. Everyone else registers through Open Admissions, where a place is not assured.