Universal childcare services to provide key support

Jiang Ming, a resident of Taizhou, Jiangsu province, decided to enroll his 32-month-old daughter in a local childcare center four months ago, recognizing the great support it would provide to his family.

Like the majority of families in China, both he and his wife have to work, leaving their child in the care of elderly relatives during the day. However, as the grandparents grew older, taking care of the child became increasingly challenging, Jiang said, but having his wife quit her job and stay at home full time would disconnect her from society, potentially straining the family relationship.

Like Jiang, this dilemma is being faced by many families in China, especially with the introduction of the three-child policy in 2021. According to data released by the National Health Commission, more than 30 percent of families with infants and young children in China have a demand for childcare services, but the enrollment rate is only around 5.5 percent.

Jia You Er Nyu (Home with Kids), where Jiang sends his daughter, solves his urgent need. With a monthly fee of 2,080 yuan ($295), plus an additional 500 yuan for meals, he drops off his daughter at the childcare center at 8:20 am and picks her up at 4 pm on weekdays.

The temporary separation also makes the family cherish the time they spend together in the evenings and on weekends even more. "It largely alleviates the burden of parenting and promotes family harmony," the father said.

This is a microcosm of the national efforts to develop universal childcare services. According to the 2021 decision on improving birth policies to promote long-term balanced population growth, the country will provide subsidies and increase the number of childcare slots for infants and young children aged 0-3 years from 1.8 to 4.5 slots per thousand people by 2025.

"It can help alleviate fertility anxieties and reduce the cost of childrearing," said Mu Guangzong, a professor of demography at the Institute of Population Research at Peking University. "It will address the low fertility rates resulting from a lack of willingness or desire to have children."

At Jia You Er Nyu, a provincial model nursery that provides universal childcare services, there is an average of one teacher for every six children. They engage the kids in activities such as reading picture books, planting potatoes and exploring nature in a nearby park.

"Our teachers act as guides and observers, rather than commanders," said Zhou Lihua, head of the day nursery. "We observe the children's interests and provide them with ample freedom."

Zhou Lixia is a mother of a three-and-a-half-year-old boy who has been in the childcare center for a year and a half. She was surprised by the teachers' awareness of the different sensitive periods for children.

The teacher told her that at one point, her child displayed a heightened sensitivity to colors, while at another time, there was a strong affinity for shapes. Recognizing this, the family concentrated on cultivating their child with these abilities accordingly. Now the boy performs well in painting and puzzle solving.

Because of limited interaction with her child during the daytime, the working mother said that without the teacher's reminder, the family might have overlooked these development stages.