Spending hundreds of thousands of dong to send children... to avoid the storm, finding a place is "as difficult as ascending to heaven"

Many parents in Da Nang are "restless" as their children stay home from school to avoid storm No. 12, but they still have to go to work, while childcare spots during storms are as rare as gold, with many saying they are "as difficult as reaching the sky."

Children are out of school due to the storm, many parents are in trouble - Photo: CHAU SA

Accordingly, the storm-avoiding childcare service Than Gio has also emerged to capture parents' needs.

Childcare costs more than a day's pay

On the morning of October 22, when the rain began to fall heavily, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong (27 years old, Lien Chieu ward, Da Nang ) hurriedly left her 19-month-old daughter at a private daycare center before going to work. She said she had just found a temporary daycare center for 300,000 VND/day.

"That's more than a day's salary for me, but I still have to send it because both my husband and I are factory workers and can't take time off. Last night, I asked nearly a dozen places before I was lucky enough to find one. My friend asked late, so she had no choice but to take time off work, but the company hasn't agreed yet. Finding a place to take care of children during a storm is harder than reaching the sky," said Ms. Huong.

Since the evening of October 21, when wards simultaneously announced that preschool children and students would be off school to avoid the storm, many families in Da Nang were "tense as a bowstring". In the groups of residents of the Ori Garden apartment building (Hoa Hai Van ward), dozens of parents were scrambling to find someone to look after their children. Some had to quit their jobs at the last minute, others sent their children to the homes of neighbors and acquaintances.

Unable to find a place to leave her children, Ms. Le Thi Thu Ha (An Khe Ward) had to carry her two small children on her motorbike, brave the rain from early this morning, travel more than ten kilometers to leave them at a relative's house. Halfway there, her husband picked up the two children and returned. He decided to take the day off work early this morning to stay home and take care of the children.

Ms. Ha said: "At work, many of my colleagues and I had no choice but to bring our children to work, then give them our phones to play in a corner while we worked. It was heartbreaking but we had to accept it. What could we do? No one wants a rainy or stormy day."

Ms. VA and her mother took care of children for parents during the storm - Photo: VT

Babysitting service is in high demand during storms

Understanding the needs of parents, on social networks, spontaneous childcare groups also quickly spread information about taking care of children by the day, with prices ranging from 180,000 to 400,000 VND, depending on age, even though it is not known whether it is in accordance with regulations or not. Some preschool teachers who have retired from teaching also take advantage of the opportunity to take care of children at home.

Ms. VA - owner of a private kindergarten in Hai Van ward - said that she initially planned to take the day off to rest, but after seeing many parents asking for help, she and her mother opened their house to temporarily take care of a few children. "I feel sorry for the parents, but actually everyone wants to rest during the storm," she shared.

Ms. P. (Hai Van Ward) said she is a retired preschool teacher and stays at home to take care of children. Normally, she takes care of children by the day, with a fee of 200,000 VND/child. But now, due to the storm, she has reduced the fee to 180,000 VND/child, to support parents who have no place to leave their children.

The family's apartment is used as a "classroom" during the rainy and stormy days. The couple is both the "chef" who cooks porridge and rice for children of all ages, and also the nanny. She is currently taking care of 5 children and will continue taking care of more tomorrow.

According to the announcement of the Department of Education and Training of Da Nang city, students across the city will be off school to avoid the storm from the afternoon of October 22 to October 23. Previously, most wards and communes in the area had proactively allowed students to be off school on October 22.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chi-hang-tram-nghin-dong-gui-con-tranh-bao-kiem-cho-kho-nhu-len-troi-202510221725066.htm