Ambitious city childcare program up and running
Print Edition
TWO of the first batch of 20 community-based childcare facilities on the government’s agenda this year have opened their doors.
The Shanghai Women’s Federation said the two facilities were renovated from the existing early education center in the Wujiaochang Community, Yangpu District, and the day-care center sited at the headquarters of Ctrip, China’s top online travel agency.
A third facility, in the Xueqianyicun residential complex, in the Pudong New Area, is scheduled to open at the end of this month.
The Wujiaochang site, comprising 350 square meters, currently caters for 17 children aged 2 and 3, under the care of two licensed carers and two professional teachers, said Yang Xingyun, who is in charge of the center.
The total annual cost of running the Wujiaochang site is estimated to reach nearly 1 million yuan (US$145,000), said Wang Lanlan, deputy director of the community office.
The facility was decorated with high quality and environmentally friendly materials, and it has been divided into 13 zones, each with its own monitoring camera. Each zone has a cloakroom, bedroom, indoor playground and parent-child interaction room.
Yang said the children’s day at Wujiaochang starts at 8:30am and ends at 3:30pm, and the facility is open seven day a week. The daily routine includes taking temperatures, eating snacks, reading picture books, and playing with teachers.
The children are also taught to pay attention to personal hygiene, to learn to no longer need diapers and to use toilets, wear shoes by themselves and behave politely, Yang added.
The monthly fee is around 2,500 yuan. The facility can hold up to 40 children but that is unlikely to meet local demand. The community has about 2,500 children under 3 years old and 88 percent of parents asked said they needed childcare, Wang said.
Shanghai Women’s Federation proposed launching the childcare program this year. So far, the federation has picked 23 sites across the city. At least 20 would be opened by the end of November, said Gu Xiujuan, director of the family and children’s department.
“We have been looking for these sites over half of a year. Quite a few of them are renovated from the current education or day-care centers. It’s hard to find proper sites that can meet our standards,” said Weng Wenlei, deputy chairman of the federation.
“Many communities even don’t have such facilities or can spare a plot of public space for public welfare,” she added.
Under the draft standard, the childcare facilities are required to be set up on the ground floor and away from polluted, noisy or crowded areas. They must have at least 200 square meters of space.
Monitoring cameras must be installed throughout, and fire, safety and health checks have to be carried out. Each carer and teacher can take charge of no more than seven children.
The federation has set a guideline price of less than 3,000 yuan a month.
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