How will inclusive childcare services be implemented? Committee members "support"

Childcare services are an important part of public services for preschool children, which is related to the development of national population resources, the improvement of population quality and the harmony and happiness of hundreds of millions of families.

△ As a preschool educator, Zhang Miao, director of the Parent-Child Center of Shuimitian Education Group, firmly believes that the ultimate meaning of education is to let children learn to prepare for adult life, and how to prepare for future life. In her view, every child does not grow up in a flash, so teachers and parents should help them master the necessary skills, find their own interests, and maintain the ability of lifelong learning, which is the meaning of education. The picture shows the children of Shuimitian Kindergarten in Jining High-tech Zone learning to fasten buttons under the guidance of teachers. Photo courtesy of Miao Zhang

With the advancement of the two-child policy, the reform of the new pattern of modern childcare services has broken the problem -

The report of the Nineteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China emphasizes that new progress should be made continuously in "early childhood"; in 2019, the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of Infant and Child Care Services for Children Under 3 Years of Age" issued by the General Office of the State Council proposed that by 2025, the policy, regulatory system and standard system of infant and child care services will be basically sound, and a diversified, diversified and urban and rural infant and child care service system will basically take shape; in 2020, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Promoting the Healthy Development of Old-age Childcare Services"; The 14th Five-Year Plan also clearly states that childcare services should be developed as a key point, and by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan, the number of childcares per 1,000 people will be increased from the current 1.8 to 4.5; this year's Government Work Report of the State Council mentioned that inclusive preschool education resources should be increased through multiple channels. Improve the supporting measures of the three-child birth policy, include the cost of infant and child care for children under 3 years old in the special additional deduction of personal income tax, and develop inclusive childcare services...

How has this series of "people's livelihood policies" been implemented in reality? A few days ago, this reporter launched an investigation.

The "troublesome thing" of the mother of the second child: "nearby childcare" is not easy

Recently, Li Yun's biggest annoyance is the issue of Erbao's childcare and early education.

In 2018, Li Yun, who likes children, became a second-child mother when she entered the year of life. However, with the birth of the second treasure, a series of questions about "parenting" followed. She first spent a lot of money to invite the sister-in-law, after the sister-in-law left, the mother-in-law and the mother took turns to "settle in", behind the generation of relatives, but also caused a lot of parenting concepts of "family contradictions".

Li Yun's mother-in-law is a southerner and her mother is a northerner, and due to the differences in living habits and culture between the north and the south, there have been many differences between the two sides in taking care of their children. What makes Li Yun most unacceptable is that the "common disease" of the elderly with the baby is that they are reluctant to let go of the exercise of the child, "behind this love is actually deprived of the opportunity for the child's development and growth." For example, they are afraid of soiling their clothes, so they don't let their children climb; they are worried about bumping and bumping, always putting their children in the stroller and pushing them, not letting them run; and chasing and feeding when they eat..." What makes Li Yun anxious is that when Dabao was busy with work and lacked companionship, these problems have appeared. The concept of the elderly is difficult to change, so after Erbao was 2 years old, Li Yun began to consult childcare services.

To Li Yun's disappointment, there are few resources available in childcare institutions around the community, "either the environmental conditions and teacher level are not satisfied, or it is too far from home." After several inspections, I finally took a fancy to a childcare institution, but the full-time nursery cost 8,000 yuan a month..." And many kindergartens at the doorstep do not accept babies under 3 years old." Because Mr. Li's work is busy and his income is good, after comprehensive consideration, Li Yun decided: resign, on the one hand, to pick up and drop off the kindergarten Dabao, on the other hand, to give Erbao more early education exercises.

"Imagination is beautiful, but reality is often full of challenges..." After Li Yun became a full-time mother, she learned about some parenting knowledge in nutrition, sports, brain science and other aspects through parenting books and online learning, but online knowledge is also mixed, and she sometimes falls into "anxiety". "I was particularly looking forward to institutions such as neighborhood committees or community health centers organizing some professional and systematic parenting training, but I was disappointed by the results of the consultation." Li Yun lives in a community located outside beijing's fifth ring road, and there is a lack of children's facilities for children to climb and play in and around the community. "I want to take the child's slide to train my child's sense of space and balance, and I need to drive to a park 2 kilometers away from home, or go to a children's park in the surrounding shopping mall, but I have to charge by the hour, and the air is not good." Li Yun once suggested that the property build a sand pit for children to play in the community or install children's play facilities such as slides, but the reason given by the property was "unsafe, what to do if the sand enters the eyes of the children..."

To this end, Li Yun fell into distress: the elderly and nannies with babies are not at ease, childcare institutions are not ideal, and they not only lose career development opportunities with their own babies, in fact, there are still many confusions...

The expectations of preschool educators: the government will lead and create a good childcare ecology

"Now parents pay more and more attention to early education in science, which is a good thing." When it comes to childcare, what parents value most is the teacher and the environment. Therefore, providing parents with high-quality childcare resources nearby is the responsibility of preschool educators. For the distress of parents, Pan Yueyong of The Mizumetian Group, who has been working in the field of preschool education for more than 20 years, said that one of the current childcare services is the community and the other is the kindergarten. He believes that in the future, kindergartens should become the main front for providing 0-3 year old childcare services, "the ideal childcare model, 70% in kindergarten, 30% in the community or other scenarios." ”

In Pan Yueyong's view, the significance of early education is to promote the development of the brain and cultivate the ability of children to live independently through scientific guidance, laying the foundation for the development of life.

"Don't look at all preschoolers, there is an essential difference between 0-3 years old and 3-6 year old childcare." Pan Yueyong said that the brain development of young children before the age of 3 is at a peak and the peak stage of their intellectual development, "The famous educator Montessori said that the first three years of life are better than the stages of subsequent development, better than the sum of 3 years old until death. Therefore, in the nursery class of 0-3-year-old children, in addition to giving children scientific care, it is also necessary to make children's life curriculum and curriculum life. Pan Yueyong believes that the childcare of 0-3 years old should be through the training of games, art, musical rhythm and logical thinking, so that children's audiovisual, smelling and touching aspects can be systematically stimulated, thereby promoting the development of the brain.

As early as 10 years ago, some kindergartens under the Mizumetian Education Group began to "test the waters" in childcare, opening a "kindergarten in the park" nursery model for 0-3 years old. With the promotion of the two-child policy, in order to meet the needs of more parents for high-quality care services, from 2020, Pan Yueyong has opened up 100 square meters of space for each kindergarten under the group, and selected outstanding teachers to participate in the childcare training organized by the National Health Commission and other departments.

With the young parents' emphasis on their children's education, Pan Yueyong firmly believes that there will be good prospects for the future development of childcare, but he especially looks forward to the local government to provide more warm support and services for the development of childcare, for example, in the tax, supervision and other aspects of governance more reflect the attention to people, to create a good childcare ecological environment, so as to drive more preschool educators willing to devote themselves to the cause of childcare.

"Everything from the beginning to the development of norms needs to play a leading role model." Pan Yueyong also suggested that local governments take the lead in building a number of childcare demonstration bases, and hold public welfare training in a combination of online and offline methods to improve the professional quality of childcare practitioners. "Whether in the community or in kindergartens, the key to scientific parenting is the concept of parents." Pan Yueyong looks forward to opening a series of parent school training for residents under the guidance of the government in the future through public activity centers such as communities or libraries, so as to enhance parents' awareness of scientific parenting and grasp the "golden 1,000 days" of children's lives.

The committee members suggested: develop inclusive childcare services and resolve the contradiction between supply and demand

In recent years, parents, especially dual-career young couples and multi-child families, have become increasingly vocal about childcare services. How to meet the needs of more "Li Yun" for high-quality childcare services? How to inspire more "Pan Yueyong" to devote themselves to childcare services? These issues are also one of the important issues of concern to cppcc national committee members.

"According to statistics, there are about 42 million infants and young children aged 0-3 in the country. Among them, 1/3 has a relatively strong demand for childcare services, and the actual childcare rate is only about 5.5%, and the contradiction between supply and demand is prominent. After the 'three-child' policy is implemented, the problem will become more serious. As a senior preschool educator, Liu Ru, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of Beijing Beihai Kindergarten, expressed the voices of many parents and preschool educators.

Liu Ru said that the current mainland 0-3 year old infant and young child care policy system is still in the stage of exploration and improvement. The strong demand for safe and quality childcare services in families has led to an increasingly prominent contradiction between supply and demand for childcare services. In her view, the current access standards and supervision mechanisms of childcare service institutions still need to be further improved, especially in the standardization and supervision of care, personnel qualifications, course quality, and fees.

How to build a flexible and diversified service supply system according to local conditions? Liu Ru "supports" from two aspects: on the one hand, in a variety of ways, actively guides and supports and regulates social forces to participate in the provision of diversified childcare services. Provide full-day care, half-day care, time-based, temporary care and other different types of services to accurately meet the individual needs of different families. On the other hand, actively use the Internet and information means to create a new "Internet + childcare" service model, carry out online expert lectures, parent classes and other services, support infant and young children's families to improve their care and parenting capabilities, so as to achieve the "family-based, government-led, community-based, supportive of social forces to run kindergartens" childcare service development ideas, and jointly promote the sustainable development of childcare services.

"On the whole, there are outstanding problems in mainland childcare services, especially in large and medium-sized cities, such as lack of site resources, low degree of specialization, and chaotic market order, which should be paid great attention to and targeted solutions." Liu Lin, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the China Private Education Association, suggested that the central departments strengthen the top-level design, and give guidance to the development planning, support policies and regulatory measures of local childcare services, reasonably formulate the proportion of inclusive childcare service institutions and market-oriented childcare service institutions based on public financial resources and actual needs, establish hierarchical and classified service standards, and promote the diversified development of childcare service institutions.

"For inclusive childcare service institutions, it is necessary to simultaneously implement supporting policy measures such as venues and charging standards, subsidy policies and budget sources; for market-based childcare institutions, it is necessary to clarify the capital access conditions and regulatory systems in a timely manner, stabilize development expectations, and maintain a healthy market order." Liu Lin also suggested breaking through the policy barriers between the health department and the education department, and encouraging kindergartens with conditions and spare capacity to carry out daycare and weekend childcare services for 2 to 3 years old simultaneously, on the one hand, expanding the source of childcare sites and improving the efficiency of public service resource utilization; on the other hand, it is conducive to establishing an integrated development system for childcare and kindergarten.

"Vigorously develop early education scientific research, apply the latest scientific research achievements such as brain science, child psychology, and physiology to childcare professional services, and actively support colleges and vocational schools to cultivate early education and childcare service talents." In Liu Lin's view, it is also necessary to establish a talent chain that matches the industrial chain of childcare services, fundamentally improve the professional level of childcare services, establish a supervision system for practitioners and relevant personnel, and promote the healthy and orderly development of the industry, so as to comprehensively build a new pattern of modern childcare services.

Source: People's Political Consultative Conference Daily (April 13, 2022, Edition 09)

Reporter: Zhang Huijuan

Layout Editor: He Chunlan Zhang Huijuan

New Media Editor: Mo Shuo

Review: Jiajia Zhou