Need for childcare centres that operate after dark

The Lil’ Star Child Care operated by Krista Education was formed in January this year after AirAsia Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes supported the idea of setting up a day care centre within its office at the RedQ building in Sepang.

FINDING a reliable, affordable and government-registered childcare centre is challenging for most working couples.

The problem is worse for parents who work long hours, on weekends, public holidays and on shift duty.

These parents mostly have no choice but to rely on unregistered home-based caregivers. This is because the majority of childcare services in the country operate only in the daytime.

The risk is that these unregistered childcare providers may expose children to vulnerable situations, abuse and harm.

StarMetro spoke to parents faced with this dilemma as well as organisations that supported parenting and careers.

Jennifer (not her real name) sends her 18-month-old toddler to an unregistered nanny for overnight stays on weekdays.

She takes her baby home on Friday evenings and sends him back to the nanny on Sunday night.

Jennifer, a lecturer who lives in Klang and travels to Subang Jaya for work, says this was the best arrangement for her and her baby due to her class schedule.

“I need to leave home by 6.30am to reach my workplace at 7.30am and if I leave any later, I will be caught in a traffic jam. My class starts at 8.30am.

“People call me a weekend mummy but it is a painful decision I had to make. Child daycare centres do not open early and I want my baby to have enough sleep.

“I see my son daily after work at around 7.30pm but I just can’t take him home because I won’t be able to send him early the next day.

“I am hoping for childcare centres with extended hours provided at my workplace as that will ease my emotional pain,” said Jennifer, who holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA).

She is reluctant to ask her employer to change her working hours for fear of backlash from her colleagues.

Tina (not her real name) decided to strap her baby to her body with a baby carrier and headed to work at 11pm when she was a trainee doctor at a hospital.

Her husband, who is also a doctor, was not able to return home on time. She was then instructed to return home by her superiors.

“My husband and I planned our shifts so that we can take turns to care for our baby because we have no maid or family nearby to help,” said Tina, whose child is now six.

She hoped that childcare services at the workplace would take into consideration those working on shifts.

“Some hospitals do have child daycare services but it is always full,” said Tina, who now lives with her in-laws.

She travels from Nilai to Kuala Lumpur, which can take up to three hours one-way on a bad traffic day.

Rita (not he real name) sends her baby to a childcare centre in a shoplot with the ratio of two caretakers to 20 children.

She chose the place because it was the nearest to her home and the centre has flexible pick-up hours.

“I leave my baby at the centre at 6.30am and return by 8pm to take the toddler home. I know it is risky with so many kids there but I have no choice,” she said.

Gina Lee, who works in the public sector, occasionally works long hours and on weekends.

She too opted for an unlicensed centre to care for her kids due to the flexible hours.

“When my nanny is not available, I will bring my kids to work but my employer is tolerant and understanding. I have my own office space and I have worked with my children there.

“I spend about RM2,000 for both my children and it is a hefty sum. I wish there is some form of childcare subsidy. A childcare centre at the workplace may not be ideal in my case because I travel from Petaling Jaya to Seri Kembangan,” said Lee.

K. Gerald says his wife works in the media industry and worked on some weekends and public holidays.

“There was once we sent our then three-year-old to an unregistered nanny on Saturday morning. When we went to pick up the child, we found him alone in the house with a 13-year-old. The nanny was away for a few hours.

“Maids are expensive and child daycare services are unavailable on weekends,” he said.

15999 Childline Malaysia project director Datin P.H. Wong said childcare centres commonly do not operate at night due to safety reasons.

Childline focuses on enabling the voices of children. Wong said the Child Care Centre Act 1984 allows day-time operations.

“There was never a hard and fast rule related to the operation hours because most parents tend to work long hours and some do pick up their children after 7pm.

“The safety of the staff who would need to go back late as well as the safety of the children who are sent in the evenings is what deters centres from operating at night,” said Wong.