School's in for summer as day care classes blossom

To meet the needs of more parents, the scale of the child care program in the Jiyang district has expanded year by year, with the number of participating students increasing from 600 in the first year to more than 2,600 this year.

The country's education authorities have stipulated that day care programs ought to be, in their nature, a public service that doesn't put a heavy financial burden on parents. Organizers across the country have strictly adhered to this principle.

For instance, in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province, a summer vacation day care service is provided at a reasonable price of 50 yuan ($7.7) per day. Students from families dealing with financial difficulties can attend day care courses for free.

With day care programs gaining popularity, their organizers are pooling the efforts of society to boost the quality of the services they provide.

In Shanghai, this summer, more than 12,000 college student volunteers were recruited, and each of them attends to no more than five children, ensuring that all children receive adequate attention and care.

For the future development of school vacation day care services, there is still room for improvement, experts say.

"Organizers of day care programs should be familiar with the traits of students at different ages and understand what they need most," says Yao Zongling, the headmaster of a middle school in Tai'an, Shandong province.

Yao proposed dividing children into different groups based on their age and abilities and to design courses accordingly, instead of organizing one-size-fits-all activities.

In the meantime, having their children attending day care programs doesn't mean parents are free from their responsibilities, says Lyu Yugang, an official with the Ministry of Education. He calls on parents to balance their children's day care and leisure hours.