As evening descends and street lights are being switched on, people in office attire walk briskly or even sprint to a void-deck centre decorated in bright colours.
This is not an uncommon sight during closing time at many childcare centres across Singapore.
These adults are rushing to pick up their children as a fine may await even if they are just minutes late.
These fines, which are set by the centres, can be about $10 for every five minutes that a parent is late. A few parents have paid more than $100 on occasions when they could not fetch their children on time and were late by around 11/2 hours.
Related: 10 things you must know when choosing a preschool or childcare centre in Singapore