New Taipei public child-care centers celebrated their “double tenth”
New Taipei City reached a new milestone on public child-care policy. New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu attended the opening ceremony for Xinhe public child-care center at Xindian District in the morning of 10/9/2013, and he witnessed the grand opening for the New Taipei City’s 20th public child-care center.
Chu said that New Taipei City was the first city in Taiwan to establish public child-care center, and with all the city’s previous efforts, the 20th one was formed, which also stimulated other cities in Taiwan to follow. Currently there were 35 public child-care centers totally in Taiwan, and 20 of them were in New Taipei City. He hoped that the nation could altogether promote the good policy, and by setting up high quality public centers and improving private ones’ quality and quantity, young parents could stop worrying about their children at work, and more child-care related jobs could be created as well.
Chu also indicated that New Taipei City’s public child-care centers also celebrated “double tenth” when Double Tenth National Day was about to be celebrated because the 20th center was just set up. Each public center built upon idle space had two functions: parent-child playground and child-care environment. Those parent-child playgrounds had served more than 200 thousand people, and had become new meeting points for families in the community.
Chen Suchun, Deputy Minister of Social and Family Affairs Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare indicated that when she attended the opening ceremony for Bao’an public child-care center in Shulin last time, she saw the government transformed the parking lot into the center and the pillars into a tree house with tree trunks just like magic, and the transformation was really liked by kids. She said that Mayor Chu’s efficiency in building 32 public child-care centers was really impressive, and she fully supported New Taipei City to promote public child care on the behalf of the Central Government.
Chu checked all the facilities in Xinhe center each by each, and he squatted to kindly talk to kids next to a sandpit area. Some kids put some sand on the mayor’s hands, and showed the mayor how to use sand sculpture model; it was full of happiness.
The newly opened Xinhe public child-care center was located inside the Xinhe Elementary School at Xindian District, and it was the 2nd public one in this district, which could take care of 45 aged 0 to 2 kids. The parent-child playground had a special feature - an indoor sand sea park with 2 different kinds of sandpits which allowed kids to have fun in the sand without weather constraints.
Social Welfare Department of New Taipei City indicated that two information meetings would be held at 10 am and 2 pm on 10/12/2013. People could sign up for them starting from now until 5 pm of 10/17/2013. If registrants were more than the openings, a draw would be executed at 10 am on 10/19/2013. It was scheduled to begin to accept child-care applications starting from 10/28/2013, and parents were welcome to join our Facebook group, so they could instantly have all the New Taipei City’s public child-care center information and related child-care welfare information.
New Taipei City Council members Chen Yongfu, Jin Zhongyu, Liu Zhezhang, Chen Yijun and Xu Zhenghong all attended the Xinhe’s grand opening to express their support, and show their wishes.
