Home-based operators fear they have to close down as they cannot meet strict new regulations set by the Welfare Department, and it will impact parents who rely on these centres.
At THE height of the Covid-19 pandemic and with most parents working from home, many institution-based children’s daycare centres were told to close.
This move led parents, especially those with children under the age of two years, to send them to home-based daycare service known as taska rumah and the trend continues.
In January this year, however, the Welfare Department sent a letter to all registered home-based daycare business owners to adhere to more strict rules by their respective local authorities by January 2023.
Otherwise, the letter stated, they would lose their approval to operate from home.
If these daycare centres have to close down, parents who rely on such a service will be left in a quandary.
Among the new rules for daycare operators are getting approval from the Fire and Rescue Department as well as meeting all requirements set by the respective local councils and the Health Ministry.
Kelab Rekreasi Pengasuh Malaysia president Siti Azha said the new rules might seem sensible and good but they were not practical and would be difficult to follow.
For example, some of the local councils require home-based daycare centres to be in corner-lot houses while others also ask for the property’s layout plans which would require the services of an architect.
“The situation does not make sense financially and will result in many just shutting their business or simply going unregistered,” said Siti.
“Some local councils have no provision for home-based daycare centres at all, so they will not give us any approval.
“As for the fire department, they have their own strict rulings, such as requiring a fire exit.
“Both the local councils and fire department’s guidelines for home-based daycare centres are the same as for office and other business premises.
“We cannot fulfil the requirements because we operate from our homes.
“We have many who operate their daycare business in people’s housing project (PPR) flats and they just cannot afford to rent a corner unit,” she highlighted.
As for Health Ministry, it has various requirements on hygiene, cleanliness, nutrition and mental well-being.
Home-based daycare centres are operated legally from a residential premises with a maximum of nine children, based on the space of the house.
According to the Welfare Department portal, there are presently 420 registered home-based children’s daycare centres in the country.
However, Siti believes there are likely five times that number that are not registered.
A home-based daycare operator in Pandan Indah, Siti Asa Saad, 53, said her application to Ampang Jaya Municipal Council was rejected because she could not fulfil all the requirements now.
“I use my own house for my daycare service.
“Some of the local councils want us to operate in corner-lot units.
“However, the corner lot rental in my housing area is about RM2,500. I cannot afford it.
“The whole idea of the home-based daycare is to make it possible to operate on a small scale. This allows us to focus more on the children who are mostly babies,” said Siti Asa.
She said the local councils did not seem to have separate regulations for the home-based daycare sector.
“They have regulations only for bigger institution-run childcare centres, which earn more profits than us and capable of meeting the requirements.
“We simply cannot afford to pay an architect to help us submit floor plans,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, Childline Foundation director Datin PH Wong said Selangor had about 500,000 children.
“If we do a rough estimation, some 10% or 50,000 children in the state below the age of four are attending a taska, including home-based daycare centres.
“The home-based daycare operators are providing an important service to families, especially mothers who have to work outside the home,” she said.
“But we do need this home-based daycare sector to be better regulated. Otherwise, many will just operate illegally,” she added.
Meanwhile, Dr Suhana Koting, who sends her children to a home-based daycare centre, hopes the authorities will make it easier for operators to register.
She said the ultimate goal was to ensure that these home-based caregivers were able to provide safe care.
“I prefer to have my children’s home-based nanny continue to care for them so that I don’t have to send them to an institutional taska,” she said.
“The nanny and my family have a close relationship and we are able to communicate well. My children are given undivided attention and they enjoy good home-cooked meals.
“I pay RM1,100 in daycare fees for my six-month-old baby and two toddlers aged two and four. I find the charges very reasonable.
“It is also good that the nanny is looking after only a small number of children, as this reduces the chances of my children catching diseases such as the hand, foot and mouth disease or even Covid-19,” said Suhana, who is a senior lecturer at a government university.
Her nanny cares for five children in a spacious apartment.
Suhana urged the authorities to also look into providing more incentives for those who register their services.
“Maybe those who register can be given milk warmers, intensive training in childcare and other benefits,” she suggested.
She also hoped that the application process would be simpler and involve minimal costs, to encourage more to register.
“We mothers need a lot of community support. We want our children to grow in a safe and nurturing environment,” she added.
Numerous attempts by StarMetro to get comments from the Welfare Department were unsuccessful.