Government-backed summer childcare program flourishing

Favorable policies

Summer vacation daycare, a new option for busy parents, became a trend this year after Chinese education authorities mobilized to offer more choices for school-age students during their summer vacation.

In early July, the Ministry of Education issued a notice asking local authorities to encourage qualified schools to provide these childcare services.

Solid progress was made in many places, including Shanghai, for example. From July 5 to Aug 13, 543 daycare programs were set up across the municipality, benefitting nearly 40,000 students. Among the programs, 407 were held on school campuses.

Similar programs have been in place for years in many areas with encouragement from local education departments.

Since 2017, the Jiyang District of Sanya, South China's Hainan province, has set up public welfare summer childcare courses. The courses have been well received by parents, many of whom are migrant workers with no time to look after their children, said an official with the district's education bureau.