Preschool centers easing second-child anxiety

Demand for care facilities is growing as parents look to expand their families, while continuing to work

Until Lyu Jiawei discovered a new child care center in her community in the suburban district of Tongzhou in east Beijing, she was undecided about having a second child.

Though running her own business enabled Lyu to work at home, she still found it difficult to take care of her son while dealing with routine work.

"Our parents cannot come to help like some other families. Besides, my parenting ideas are different to those of the older generation," she said.

Lyu was spending so much time taking care of her first child that she felt it would be almost impossible to have a second without giving up work.

China's population is aging so rapidly that in 2016 the government announced that every couple could have two children, which ended the decadeslong policy that prohibited most families from having more than one child.

Since the new policy was implemented, the number of newborns has risen. However, the question of who will take care of the baby has become a major issue for families and is one of the main reasons some couples hesitate to have a second child, said Cui Shuyi, director of the Institute of Demographics at the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences.

Growing demand

Statistics show that around 80 percent of child care in China is provided by family members, primarily parents and grandparents, who often feel overburdened. As a result, there is huge demand for professional services.

Lyu discovered the child care center in her community when her son was 13 months old.

"It accepts children ages 6 months to 3 years, which fits my needs," she said. In China, most kindergartens only receive children age 3 months or older.

The child care center, called MEYOU Baby Educare, was founded by Gu Qi, a mother of two. The 34-year-old said she started the facility as a way of solving her own child care problem.

Gu resigned from her job in 2014, after giving birth to her oldest son. Three years later, she had a second boy, but became frustrated by looking after two children on her own.

She was also disappointed with the quality of teaching and the environments at nearby kindergartens, so she decided to establish a child care center in her community.

The center opened on June 1 last year, boasting child-friendly facilities and a big yard where the children can enjoy a range of outdoor activities.

It provides services to 25 children, with the youngest being 8 months old. Lyu's 2-year-old son is among them.

"My son's safety and health are my principal concerns when choosing a day care center," she said.

According to Gu, the center has recruited university graduates and nursing majors as teachers to provide professional care for the babies, while cameras have been installed so parents can see their children at any time via a smartphone app.

"The center has helped ease the pressure on me, and has also gained the trust of mothers like me," said Lyu, who is expecting her second child.

The facility has also provided a number of welcome surprises.

"I used to worry about my son's lack of discipline, but surprisingly, he has developed good habits," Lyu said. "After attending the center for about a month, he developed good habits, such as washing his hands before meals and taking a nap at noon. He has also made friends there."

Early childhood education is also in high demand in the northwestern province of Gansu.

Li Xiang runs an early education center in a residential building in Lanzhou, the provincial capital. The center has around 20 children ages 1 to 3, and most of them are their family's second child.

Li said the center, which was established in June last year, originally focused on early childhood education, but since parents asked if she could provide extra services, the facility now also provides child care daily.

The parents send their children to the center at 8:30 am and pick them up at 5:30 pm.

"Providing child care services not only helps busy parents, but also allows the children to adapt to a new environment, improves their character and assists in the development of good habits," Li said.

Policies take shape

According to this year's Government Work Report, in response to the demand created by the full implementation of the second-child policy, China will accelerate development of a range of care for infants and younger children, encourage the private sector to run child care and early childhood education centers, and provide better protection for toddlers.

In April, the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued a guideline to promote the development of infant and child care services.

It is aimed at giving shape to and improving related policies, laws and regulations, and motivating the private sector to participate to help meet demand.

A child care services legal framework, which will cover both urban and rural areas, is expected to be established by 2025, according to the guideline.

However, according to Cui, from the demographics institute in Shandong, concerns remain about factors such as industry standards, fees and security.

Though Gu was excited to learn that the government is encouraging the sector's development, she called for regulations to be issued as soon as possible.

"At present, there are no uniform standards for child care centers in Beijing," she said, adding that her center operates in accordance with standards designed for public kindergartens.

"We should have specific standards for things such as sanitary conditions, indoor air quality and the location of child care centers."

Cui urged the government to strengthen the supervision of child care institutions, increase funding, and play a leading part in rolling out market standards, regulations and laws to ensure the sustainable and healthy development of the sector.

Shanghai has taken the lead in this field. In April last year, the city announced policies to improve services for children age 3 and younger.

The policies, which were issued by 16 departments - including education, civil affairs, industry and commerce, healthcare and family planning, and the food and drug administration - are aimed at establishing a management mechanism for child care services, promoting their development and encouraging more support from society in general.

As of May, Shanghai had established more than 170 new child care centers, which can provide services for over 6,400 children.

In addition to first-tier cities, many provinces have stepped up efforts to improve child care services.

The central province of Henan, one of the most populous regions, plans to open, renovate or expand 1,000 nurseries in its urban and rural areas so they will be able to accommodate more children.

Meanwhile, the province has poured nearly 1.5 billion yuan ($218 million) into supporting child care projects.

Experts have suggested that more efforts should be made to provide qualified staff members for child care agencies and kindergartens, stressing that the establishment of facilities for children age 3 and younger will be crucial for the full implementation of the second-child policy.

Xinhua

(China Daily Global 07/24/2019 page5)