Need a grandmother? Try sharing one of these

A team of older women in Chongqing, who are serving as "shared grandmothers" to help working parents pick up their children from school, help them with their homework and accompany them in entertainment activities, recently won praise online.

The team of women from the Shipingcun community in Chongqing's Jiulongpo district has nine female retirees between 66 and 74, mostly empty-nesters. They volunteer to take care of 25 pupils from the community's Yangshilu Primary School.

In the past, the school could offer after-class services to students only until 5:30 pm Tuesday to Friday. To solve time clashes with guardians on Mondays — a day that the students are dismissed at 3:30 pm, which is too early for some adults to collect them — the Chongqing Amber Social Work Service Center in April created first "shared grandmother" program.

The center is a public service organization established in the district in November.