'They don't have enough resources'

For the past two months, Ma Rui has been preoccupied with finding a kindergarten - any kindergarten - for her son, who will soon turn 3.

On a weekday afternoon, Ma was rushing off for a 2 pm appointment at a public kindergarten in Beijing. That night, she would be back at her desk - at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China's headquarters in Beijing - to finish her work.

Ma, a 31-year-old accountant, is one of thousands of parents in Beijing desperately anxious to land a kindergarten for her child.