Affordable childcare push a move in right direction

The National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the National Health Commission jointly issued a document, requiring the childcare service system and infrastructure conditions for childcare services to be further improved. The move offers institutional guarantees for the development of affordable childcare services that are accessible to all.

This is a positive measure to deal with the aging society and facilitate the better implementation of the new policy allowing all couples to have three children. The provision of affordable healthcare services for children under 3 has a bearing on not only the healthy growth of children and the happiness of families, but also on whether couples will desire to have more children.

In the past, government agencies, hospitals, schools, and State-owned enterprises built a large number of nurseries, but with the reform of State-owned enterprises and other policies in the 1990s, these affiliated nurseries were shut down; even the rural and neighborhood ones no longer exist. Childcare services across the country are in a nascent stage and in short supply.

In particular, public nurseries and kindergartens are in serious short supply, while private ones charge high fees, imposing a heavy financial burden on ordinary families.

With more women deciding to work, the demand for childcare services is increasing. This too is casting a shadow on women’s career development or their willingness to bear children.

Improving the affordable-to-all childcare service system will help create a suitable environment for women wanting to bear children. The document issued by the three departments proposes to build a number of public childcare service institutions, expand the supply of childcare services, and support enterprises, public institutions and other social forces to set up childcare services institutions.

The government should consider providing childcare services as its responsibility and increase financial investment in this area. At the same time, it needs to increase policy input, provide policy support for nongovernmental organizations and other social groups to run childcare services, for example by reducing fees and offering free training for practitioners.

The relevant departments should also speed up the introduction of relevant policies, regulations and standards and norms to ensure the healthy development of the childcare service industry. For example, it is necessary to include childcare talents into the education support training system, promote the training of teachers in the childcare service industry and accelerate the training of professionals to improve the professional level of childcare services.