Beijing sets stricter guidelines for childcare institutions

Beijing's childcare institutions will face tighter regulations starting from Jan 1 next year as the city's health commission has announced a set of new measures aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of children.

Under the new regulations, comprehensive security monitoring systems will be mandatory for all childcare institutions, according to a report from China Central Television on Thursday, which will help enhance the overall safety of the facilities and provide parents with peace of mind.

Caregivers should maintain continuous supervision during naptime, conducting patrols and checks every 10 to 15 minutes, said the regulation.

Security monitoring systems should cover all indoor and outdoor activity areas of childcare institutions.

Access rights and procedures for viewing video footage should be clearly defined. Video recordings should be retained for a minimum of 90 days.

Childcare institutions refer to those which provide care services including daily life assistance, safety supervision, balanced nutrition, and early development support for children under the age of three.

According to the new standards, each class of a childcare institution should have separate living units, such as sleeping areas, play areas, dining areas, cleaning areas, and storage areas. Adult toilets should be isolated from the children's facilities.

For children under the age of two, mothers are encouraged to personally feed their children inside the institutions and breastfeeding rooms should be offered.

Childcare institutions are required to organize at least one parent-child activity or observation activity, as well as conduct parent satisfaction surveys at least once every six months. Currently, there are over 500 different types of childcare institutions in Beijing.

Chen Miao, the mother of a two-year-old boy, said, "It's great to hear the new regulations." They will help her trust those institutions more and save her much more time for work.