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I am a full-time mom. Every morning, when the sunlight pours into the living room through the curtains, I am already busy in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for the family. The kids are still dreaming and my husband is getting ready to leave for work. I gently unpack the children's school bags and make sure that today's lunch boxes are filled with their favorite foods.
There was a time when I was a clerk, accustomed to the busy office life, interacting with colleagues, handling documents and emails. However, when I welcomed my first child, everything changed. Balancing family and work became difficult, and I couldn't afford to miss a moment of their growth without someone to take care of them around the clock. So I chose to quit my job and devote myself to my family.
There are times when I miss the sense of accomplishment and independence that I felt in the workplace, but when I look at my children's bright smiles and hear them call me "mom," I realize that I have chosen a different but equally important path.
With the fast-paced life of Hong Kong society and the popularity of dual-income families, child care services have become an important option for many families. These services not only provide convenience to parents, but also ensure that children grow up in a safe and educational environment. Against the backdrop of growing demand, childcare services, especially school-based childcare programs, are facing multiple challenges and development opportunities.
The main purpose of child care services is to provide a reliable support option for parents when they work or are unable to stay with their children. In Hong Kong, these services take a variety of forms, including after-school care in schools, private care centers, and support programs run by non-profit organizations. School care, in particular, plays an important role. School care maximizes the use of existing educational resources while providing a familiar environment for the child, which helps to reduce the stress that a change of venue may cause to the child.
學校的課後託管計劃<按此了解>通常包括功課輔導、課外活動和自由遊戲時間，旨在促進兒童的全面發展。不僅能提高孩子的學業表現，還能培養孩子的創造力和解決問題的能力。此外，學校託管計劃的成本相對於私人託管服務更具吸引力，對中低收入家庭而言是一個更可負擔的選擇。
However, a survey conducted by an organization found that the service quota of the Scheme was insufficient, with an average of 17 students competing for one place in a school in Shamshuipo, and some dual-income parents did not meet the eligibility criteria, thus rendering the Scheme incapable of providing effective assistance to parents in need of child care. As a result, the Scheme could not effectively help parents with childcare needs. The organizations hoped that the Government could increase the number of childcare places according to the number of children in the district and relax the eligibility criteria when launching the Scheme in the coming year. The survey found that only 10 out of 33 elementary school in Sham Shui Po participated in the Program, and each elementary school was only allocated 60 service quotas, which meant that about 17 people were competing for one service quota. Therefore, 30% of the parents could not apply for the service even if they had custodial needs.
The Scheme subsidizes students who are CSSA recipients, recipients of the full Working Families Allowance (WFA), recipients of the full level of assistance under the Student Financial Assistance Scheme (SFAS), and students whose family income limit does not exceed 55% of the median income. As the service quota is limited, priority is generally not given to families which do not meet the above four criteria, therefore, most dual-income families are not successful in applying for the service.
Child care services in Hong Kong have shown a booming trend. However, statistics show that the supply of child care services is still insufficient to meet the demand. For example, according to the statistics for 2023-24, the number of day child care places in Hong Kong is about 38,000, of which about 9,000 are subsidized places. Moreover, child care services for children aged 0 to 2 are particularly in short supply, with only one place for every 40 children of the relevant age group. This imbalance in the distribution of resources, especially in low-income areas, has further aggravated the pressure on families.
In addition, the utilization rate of the School Care Program reflects the urgency of the need. For example, the utilization rate of after-school care service for pre-school children is about 57%, while that of extended hours service is only 40%. These figures show that although child care services have relieved parents' pressure to a certain extent, there is still much room for improvement.
Child care services in Hong Kong, including school care, are facing the following major challenges:
1.** Uneven distribution of resources**: School care services are unevenly distributed among districts and schools. The demand for care in some neighborhoods far exceeds the supply, especially in low-income areas.
2. **Shortage of staff**: Qualified custodial staff are essential for high quality services, whether in school-based or private custodial care. Shortage of custodial staff may lead to variations in the quality of service.
3. **Insufficient policy support**: Government funding support and policy regulations for child care services still need to be strengthened. In particular, the limited funding for the School Care Programme may affect the quality and diversity of activities.
In order to resolve the contradiction between the supply and demand of child care services and to promote the healthy development of children, the following suggestions can be considered:
1. **Expansion of school trusteeship programs**: Governments and educational institutions can invest more in school trusteeship programs, including by providing more venues and resources.
2. **Enhancement of custodian quality**: Enhancement of the professional competence of custodians through training courses and attraction of more talents through an incentive mechanism.
3. **Enhanced policy support**: The Government could provide more subsidies targeted at custodial projects and strengthen regulation to ensure service quality.
4. **Encourage community partnerships**: Schools partnering with community organizations to set up care centers can help reduce resource gaps, especially in high-need areas.
The development and improvement of child care services in Hong Kong are directly related to the well-being of children and the happiness of families. In particular, the school child care scheme, as an important form of child care, has great potential for future development. With the concerted efforts of the Government, schools and the community, we have every reason to believe that child care services will become the best choice for parents in the future and provide solid protection for the growth of the next generation.
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