It has been three months since the city released new regulations on nursery facilities. According to a report by Kankanews, some recently registered childcare nurseries have commenced operation, with upgraded amenities to ensure better safety and health standards for toddlers.
In the wake of several child abuse cases of last year, the Shanghai Education Commission updated regulations this May to evaluate the running of relevant facilities. As the first set of regulations of its kind to be implemented in the country, the new terms standardize conditions concerning mainly: food safety, hygiene, and staff members’ qualifications.
Image via Kankanews
The new regulations first trialled in Pudong, Xuhui, Jing'an, Huangpu and Minhang districts. Any individual or corporate from these five districts can submit their applications and set up new nurseries once they meet the listed standards.
Since the introduction of these regulations, childcare and nursery administrators across the city have received more than 200 new applications for amenities to be certified. Nonetheless, only 11 of these nurseries are in full operation, having passed official assessment.
"It is quite hard for an application to be approved," a manager at one of the newly-opened childcare center Gymstar, told Kankanews. “We were asked to adjust our management multiples times before we finally secured the certification. For instance, we didn't take security issue into consideration. Now we have hired experienced security personnels to protect the kids.”
Surveillance cameras are installed in the key areas of the facility and are linked to the childcare and nursery administration centers. Image via Kankanews
With the success of these trial runs, application for assessment will subsequently open to registered nurseries across the city starting August 1. For better transparency, parents will also be able to find out more about certified institutions via official online platforms in the foreseeable future.
[Cover image via Pexels]
