The only district in Ho Chi Minh City that does not provide childcare for children aged 6-18 months.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - In Ho Chi Minh City, only one district does not offer childcare for children aged 6-18 months, while the remaining 21 districts and Thu Duc City have all implemented widespread childcare services for this age group.

This information was mentioned at the Ho Chi Minh City conference summarizing 10 years of implementing the program to accept children aged 6 to 18 months, which took place on the morning of December 31st.

In the 2014-2015 school year, Ho Chi Minh City was the first locality in the country to pilot a project to accept children aged 6-18 months at 13 preschools in 8 districts, including District 7, 12, Binh Tan, Tan Phu, Thu Duc and the districts of Binh Chanh, Nha Be, and Cu Chi.

Childcare for children aged 6 to 18 months at Mang Non 1 School, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: Quyen Hoai).

In the first year, each district piloted the program in 1 to 2 public preschools with a total of 175 children. In the 2015-2016 school year, the city further expanded the pilot program to four more districts: District 9, District 11, Go Vap District, and Tan Binh District.

Over the past 10 years, 21 districts and Thu Duc City have organized childcare for children aged 6-18 months. To date, District 4 is the only district in Ho Chi Minh City that has not yet implemented childcare for this age group.

As of the 2024-2025 school year, the entire city will have 241 preschools that care for children aged 6-18 months. This includes 133 public schools, 58 private schools, and 50 independent daycare groups, with public schools accounting for 55.1%; private schools 24%; and independent daycare groups 20.9%.

On average, each group has 12 children, with the teacher-to-child ratio meeting regulations and one caregiver assigned. The total number of children enrolled is 2,593; the number of teachers caring for children aged 6-18 months has increased from 52 in the first year to 546 in the 2024-2025 school year.

According to a report from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, the total cost for implementing the program to accept children aged 6-18 months in the city is nearly 21,735 billion VND. Of this, nearly 17,199 billion VND comes from the state budget, and over 4,536 billion VND comes from social contributions.

To support the teaching staff, Ho Chi Minh City has implemented Resolution No. 01/2014/NQ-HĐND (dated June 14, 2014) of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council on supporting preschool education with a support level of 35% of the basic salary due to the nature of the work. The total budget for implementing this support policy is over 55 billion VND.

Ms. Le Thuy My Chau, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, affirmed that accepting children aged 6-18 months at preschools is a major policy of Ho Chi Minh City, demonstrating a deep concern for the comprehensive development of children from their first months of life.

Ms. Chau stated that, following the initial review of the 10-year project, Ho Chi Minh City will continue to maintain, expand, and develop this model to meet the needs of parents. To effectively implement this model, according to the Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, relevant units need to focus on investing in facilities and equipment, emphasizing the mobilization of resources from society; and effectively carrying out public awareness campaigns to ensure everyone understands and is aware of this model.

In addition, preschool education needs to continue conducting professional development courses and organizing visits and exchanges with model schools to share and learn from each other in caring for children of this age.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/quan-duy-nhat-o-tphcm-khong-giu-tre-6-18-thang-tuoi-20241231150659902.htm