Parents are scrambling to find childcare.

ITINERARY OF THE ISLAND

At the end of May, when their children in grades 1 and 2 went on summer vacation, Ms. Nguyen Thi Cam Tien and Mr. Ngo Van Phuoc (residents of Ba Diem commune, Hoc Mon district, Ho Chi Minh City) reorganized their responsibilities. Ms. Tien works full-time, from 7 am to 7 pm, with only one Sunday off a month. Her husband can handle work remotely and doesn't have to go to the office regularly. Therefore, for the past three weeks, Mr. Phuoc has been working at the office while also acting as a babysitter and "teacher" at home.

With the kids on summer vacation, the house is always bustling like this, leaving parents juggling work and childcare.

Having spent the whole day looking after children, we truly understand the hardships faced by preschool teachers. Looking after one preschooler from morning till night is exhausting. Just chasing after the children, feeding them, and comforting them when they cry is tiring. Preschool teachers working from 6:30 am to 5:00 pm, looking after 20-30 children, is incredibly demanding.

Ms. Cam Van (pharmacist, working in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City)

"It's fun, but it's a real headache. I'm looking forward to the day my child can go to summer school," Mr. Phuoc said. "Normally, I just drop my child off at school and then I can go home to take care of work and prepare meals. But now the kids are home full-time, causing trouble all day. I'm sweating while working and cooking. After playing with toys or reading for a while, they turn to watching TV, iPads, and phones. I have to focus on work, so I have to let them watch for a while. The children are so active; sometimes they play together and then cry, fight, or snatch toys, and I have to step in to mediate," Mr. Phuoc shared.

Whenever he goes to meet clients in person, Mr. Phuoc has to bring his children along. Clients see the father with two kids and immediately understand the story of the summer. When the office holds a meeting, Mr. Phuoc also has to bring his two children, find a corner in the office for them to sit and read or color, and wait for their father to finish the meeting before taking them home. "Everyone with young children has experienced this situation of having to bring their children to work at least once," the father in his 30s expressed.

In the midst of the hectic struggle of juggling work and family responsibilities, when Mr. Phuoc and his wife saw a teacher offering summer tutoring classes three times a week for children, they immediately enrolled them. On Saturdays and Sundays, he also enrolled his children in extra English classes, and arranged for them to attend roller skating, drawing, and martial arts classes three times a week. Although this meant splitting their time, having to pick up their children from each class every few hours, and spending at least 5 million VND a month on these extra expenses, Mr. Phuoc and his wife reluctantly agreed. Mr. Phuoc hoped that having a learning and playing environment for his energetic children would reduce their screen time – which is harmful to their eyes and increases the risk of obesity – and that it would also give parents more time to focus on their work.

ONLY WHEN YOU SEE YOUR OWN CHILD DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE TEACHER'S FEELINGS?

Ms. Cam Van (42 years old, a pharmacist working at a pharmacy in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City) is counting down the days until June 17th - when her child's preschool in District 5 will begin its summer childcare program.

The eldest child is in 4th grade, and the youngest is only 4 years old. For the past three weeks, Cam Van and her husband have been taking turns looking after the children. Her husband works from home and takes care of the children from morning until 12:30 noon. Then, when it's time for his afternoon work shift, he takes the two children to his wife's pharmacy, where she sells goods and takes care of the children until late afternoon.

"Before the summer break, my husband and I went to the bookstore to buy more toys, preparing for the weeks the children would be home. But no matter how good the toys are, the children get bored after a while. They need someone to play with; if adults don't soothe and play with them, they'll overuse TV and phones. The youngest is very mischievous and needs constant attention. Sometimes, when the pharmacy is busy, we have to let the children watch TV so we can sell our products," sighed Ms. Cam Van.

Parents come up with all sorts of ways to keep their children entertained while they're at home during the summer months.

By mid-June, public kindergartens (and some private ones) will resume childcare. To alleviate the stress of juggling work and childcare during the summer, Ms. Cam Van enrolled her youngest child in school immediately. At the same time, she also enrolled her eldest daughter in evening classes for math, Vietnamese, and English, as well as extracurricular activities, so her daughter could have time to play and socialize with friends.

"Having looked after children all day, we understand the hardships faced by preschool teachers. Looking after one preschooler from morning till night is exhausting. Just chasing after the children, feeding them, and comforting them when they cry is tiring. Preschool teachers working from 6:30 am to 5 pm, looking after 20-30 children, is incredibly demanding," Cẩm Vân confided.

THE COMPANY IS LIKE A NURSERY SCHOOL

Ms. NT (residing in Thao Dien Ward, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) works as an interior designer at a company in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. Since her two children started their summer break (the older boy is in first grade, the younger one is 3 years old and in preschool), Ms. NT has had to ask her boss for permission to be 30 minutes late for work each day. "Their maternal grandparents live in District 1, so every morning my husband and I wake them up, prepare breakfast, and get everything ready to take them to their grandparents' house before going to work," Ms. NT recounted.

Every afternoon, NT's husband comes home first, picking up their eldest child from the maternal grandparents' house. NT finishes work later, goes to the maternal grandparents' house to pick up the youngest child, takes care of the children's meals and baths, and then rushes through housework. "The hardest days are when one of the children is sick; the maternal grandparents can't take care of both, so I have to bring one to the office, looking after the child while working. Luckily, my boss is Vietnamese and also a parent of the children. Understanding the situation during summer vacation when there's no one to look after the children, he makes arrangements for employees to bring their children to the office – when there's nowhere else to send them," NT recounted.

During the summer holidays, NT's company is packed with children, like a daycare center. Some employees have to send their children back to their hometowns to stay with their grandparents for two months because they can't manage to look after them all. One mother, unable to find summer classes for her children, had to bring both of them to the office. "I've registered my older child for tutoring classes at a private tutor's house, and I have my husband pick her up at lunchtime. I've also registered my younger child for summer classes at a preschool. These classes officially open in just a few days. My husband and I keep encouraging each other, saying, 'Let's just keep going…'," NT confided.

Many options for sending students during the summer.

In Ho Chi Minh City, from June 17th to August 16th, many public preschools began their summer activities. These activities are organized based on the needs of parents and caregivers, the voluntary participation of teachers, and the facilities available at each school. Schools organizing summer activities all provide specific announcements to parents for registration.

Many private primary schools have announced diverse summer activity plans for students. Private preschools in Ho Chi Minh City typically only take a few days off for summer break, then continue operating throughout the summer, ensuring 100% of children receive full daycare. Parents can refer to the publicly available information on the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education's online portal at https://pgdmamnon.hcm.edu.vn/congkhaicosogiaoduc to verify which preschools operate with proper licenses and legal documentation.

Several public primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City also organize summer day camps with a variety of beneficial activities. For example, Hoa Binh Primary School (District 1) has announced its plan to enroll students in its summer day camp (organized for 6 weeks, with diverse subjects including physical education, sports, arts, and creativity, with a fee, starting from June 17th).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mua-he-tre-nghi-hoc-phu-huynh-quay-cuong-tim-cho-gui-con-18524061319321972.htm