Conference seeks solutions to support after-hours childcare

The conference, themed “Solutions for After-Hours Childcare for Workers, Public Employees, and Laborers,”  aimed to discuss and propose policies for supporting childcare services, especially for children of workers in HCM City’s industrial zones.  Photo baotintuc.vn

HCM CITY – A survey found that 42.8 per cent of labourers work overtime, creating a demand for after-hours childcare, said Vice Chairman of the District 7 Labour Federation Trần Cộng, at a conference held in HCM City.

The conference, themed “Solutions for After-Hours Childcare for Workers, Public Employees, and Laborers,”  aimed to discuss and propose policies for supporting childcare services, especially for children of workers in HCM City’s industrial zones.

The survey also found that the need for after-hours childcare is highest during the summer, followed by Saturdays, Sundays and outside regular working hours from 5:30pm to 7pm .

Moreover, the cost of after-hours childcare from 5:30pm to 7pm rises with demand, and is higher on the weekend.

The head of the women’s affairs committee of the HCM City labour federation said that currently, public schools struggle to meet the childcare needs of labourers.

Liên said: “Since employees often have to work overtime until around 7pm to 8pm every day, public schools cannot accommodate childcare during these hours because it exceeds the working hours allowed by labour law and there are no provisions to support it.” 

After-hours childcare until 5:30pm may also not be enough because workers might work later, often from 6:30pm to 10 pm or even throughout the evening, she added.

Many parents said they find it more convenient to send their children to family members or use childcare with daily payments than public preschools because it offers flexibility with drop-off and pick-up times and is useful for urgent needs.

Hà Thanh Hải, Deputy Head of the District 7 Department of Education and Training, said that public preschool teachers find it difficult to provide childcare after 6pm because of concerns about maintaining their own health and ensuring good care for the children. 

Meanwhile, most workers finish their jobs at 6pm and often have to work overtime until 8pm.

According to his survey of public preschool teachers, their schedules are very demanding, requiring them to be at school before 6:30am to clean, arrange, and prepare for the children’s arrival.

In the afternoon, preschool teachers often leave later than 5:30pm because they have to wait for workers and employees to pick up their children, he added.

In addition, Hải said that the current overtime pay for teachers providing childcare outside regular hours is low at only around VNĐ30,000 to VNĐ50,000 per hour, leading many teachers and caregivers with families to have no interest in offering childcare outside these hours. 

Many solutions were discussed, including recommending that the city set policies for using public assets for after-hours childcare and allowing local authorities to hire fourth-year early childhood education students for Saturday childcare.

The conference was organised by the HCM City Labour Federation and District 7 on August 8. – VNS