By Norrasyidah Arshad
SHAH ALAM, Nov 13 — Operators of childcare centres are asking the government to provide subsidies to ensure they can continue to run their business and help to take the load off parents.
The Selangor Daycare Association president Mahanom Basri said that without government assistance, many operators in the state will face financial stress in terms of their ability to pay their workers caring for newborns, as costs have risen.
If subsidies are not provided, childcare operators would be left with no coice but to incease their fees, leading to more burdens on parents.
"Subsidies, may they be from the Federal or state government, are truly important. Even though they may be temporary, at the least operators can have enough to pay their workers' salary, and expenses like utility bills and food," she told Media Selangor.
Mahanom added that the cost of running childcare centres rise yearly, taking into account the increasing prices of rent and daily necessities.
“Rent hikes, grocery price hikes ... everything costs so much these days. Assistance must be given so that operators can keep providing this vital service, not just for working mothers, but for the positive impact it will bring to the country's economy," she said.
Unfortunately, many professional women have made the difficult decision to quit their jobs to become stay-at-home mums because they worry for the well-being of their children, and especially if they have special needs children.
“There are childcare centres that have already closed down because they are unable to meet their monthly expenses. At the same time, women are telling me they have resigned from their positions at work because they cannot find suitable minders for their children.
"These women are high-potential individuals. It is a loss to the country."
Mahanom also pointed out that goverment subsidies might curb the current trend of childcare operators refusing to accept caring for infants under a year old.
She said the 1:3 carer-to-child ratio decided by the government means operators now need to hire more workers, and they come at a minimum rate of RM1,700 each.
"So let's say — if the childcare fee of a place is below RM600 or RM700, how are the operators going to be able to pay their workers? They simply won't have enough. This is the reason why childcare centres no longer want to accept infants as they require a lot more attention and care.
"We also know that it is only the privately-run centres that are willing to take in infants; government-run centres like Kemas and Permata don't."
As a consequence, Mahanom said, private centres are often the first to receive brickbats whenever there is a case involving a young child, when in actual fact, many of them are finding it hard to keep running their business.
Currently, there are more than 1,000 childcare centres registered with the Social Welfare Department (JKM) although the actual number of operators cannot be determined.
Recently-published reports have stated that between 35 and 40 per cent of registered centres have stopped providing care for infants under a year old, while many others have never provided that option.
