Investigation and Research on the Demand of Childcare Service of Parents of Children Aged 0 - 3 under the Background of the “Three-Child” Policy ()
1. Introduction
In October 2017, General Secretary Xi Jinping mentioned in the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China that it is necessary to implement “education for children and education for learning”, and put “education for children” in the first place in the new progress of people’s livelihood (China.com.cn, 2017) . On December 18, 2017, the Central Economic Conference also made guaranteeing and improving people’s livelihood one of the key tasks, emphasizing solving the problem of infant care and early childhood education services (Ifeng.com, 2017) . On March 5, 2018, Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council proposed to increase the supply of preschool education resources through multiple channels in the proposal of the People’s Congress on the work of the government in 2018, pay attention to the care and training of preschool teachers, and use the Internet and other informatization methods to provide child care services, and strengthen supervision during parenting (www.gov.cn, 2018) . In 2021, the “Three-Child” policy was implemented. In order to optimize the population structure and solve the problem of declining birth rates, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the “Decision on Optimizing the Birth Policy to Promote Long-term Balanced Development of the Population” in July 2021, proposing to implement the three-child birth policy and supporting measures. It can be seen that the childcare service for infants and young children aged 0 - 3 has become a social work that the state and government attach great importance to. For many families, women are not willing to have three children, and the birth rate of newborns is low, driven by reasons such as the difficulty in balancing child care and work, and the rising cost of childcare. After the comprehensive three-child policy, there was no large number of births, and the three-child policy was cold. However, due to the huge population base in my country, the three-child policy has further intensified the family’s demand for childcare services to a certain extent (Liu, 2017) . Whether the infant and young child care support system is sound is the key to influencing the family’s reproductive choices, and it is directly related to the solution to the family’s worries. Under the new era background and population strategy, what kind of infant and childcare services do families hope to receive? Where are the differences in the childcare needs of different families? These issues need to be further clarified. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to provide a reference and basis for the improvement of supporting measures for family infant care under the “Three-Child” birth policy based on the understanding of parents’ demand for child care services.
2. Research Status of Childcare Services
With the government and society attaching great importance to public services, childcare service has also become a research hotspot in the academic circles. Although it started late, some research progress has been made. Domestic scholars’ focus on childcare services focuses on the supply system, the public’s demand for childcare services, the current situation and problems of childcare services, and the countermeasures and suggestions for the development of childcare services in my country.
Aspects of research on childcare service delivery systems. Zhang Qingrui proposed the reform path of early nursery public service through cross-depart- mental cooperation and service integration. First of all, it is necessary to clearly define the work authority and functions of various government departments, and promote cross-functional cooperation between various government departments; establish an early childcare association to build a cross-departmental cooperation and exchange platform; jointly develop relevant standards for the infant care industry and optimize the supervision process to build a supply system (Zhang, 2019) . In terms of research on the status quo and problem analysis of childcare services, Liu Xiaoqin and others found that the current infant care market has problems such as high cost of care, lack of supervision and legal gaps, and imbalanced supply and demand structure (Liu & Xu, 2019) . Regarding how to develop China’s childcare service suggestions, Zhang Kun proposed to build multiple action paths from the aspects of accelerating the supply-side reform of childcare services, supporting the institutionalized development of childcare services, and focusing on creating compound talents for childcare services (Zhang, 2019) .
Existing research provides the basis for this study, but by reviewing the literature, it is found that there are few studies on the demand for childcare services in the context of the three-child policy. However, the introduction and implementation of any social policy requires a realistic research basis. Therefore, the development of this research has certain practical significance, helping us understand the public’s demand for childcare services under the background of the three-child policy, and exploratively put forward suggestions for optimizing the supply of childcare services in my country, which will help the supply of the childcare service industry.
3. Research Design
3.1. Research Object
This study selected parents of children aged 0 - 3 in X District, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, and conducted a questionnaire survey on them. A total of 1867 parents were investigated, of which 1845 were valid questionnaires, and the recovery rate was 98.8%. The basic information of the survey samples is shown in Table 1.
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Table 1. Basic information of the survey samples (Total = 1845).
3.2. Research Tools
This study mainly used the questionnaire method. The research tool “Questionnaire on the Demand for Nursing Services of Parents of Children Aged 0 - 3” was independently developed by the Department of Preschool Education of Central China Normal University. The questionnaire consists of three parts, which are basic information, the current situation of family childcare and the family’s demand for childcare services for 0 - 3 years old. The basic information part includes the basic information of parents and families, the family care status part includes the family’s current situation of raising children aged 0 - 3 years, and the family’s demand for child care services for 0 - 3 years old Education costs, nursery teachers and government childcare support needs. The questionnaire was pre-tested before the formal test. After statistical analysis, the Cronbach α coefficient was 0.823, indicating that the test results were reliable. The research uses Questionnaire Star software to collect data online by distributing electronic questionnaires.
4. Analysis of the Background of Family Care for Children Aged 0 - 3
4.1. Parents’ Willingness to Grandparents to Take Care of Their Children and Grandparents’ Willingness to Take Care of Their Own
Statistical analysis was carried out on whether parents of children aged 0 - 3 were willing to let their grandparents take care of their children and whether the grandparents were willing to take care of their children (See Figure 1).
As can be seen from the above figure, 48.7% of parents are unwilling to let their grandparents take care of their children. The number of grandparents who are unwilling to take care of their children accounted for 29.1%. It shows that nearly half of the parents are unwilling to let the elderly take care of their children, and some elderly people are also unwilling to help them take care of their children, and the degree of resistance of parents is greater than that of grandparents. This may be due to the change of parents’ educational concept, thinking
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Figure 1. Parents’ willingness to grandparents to take care of their children and grandparents’ willingness to take care of their own.
that the backward parenting concept of ancestors is not conducive to the good development of children. The unwillingness of the grandparents to help take care of their children is also related to the change in their ideology, and they believe that the elderly also need to have their own lives.
4.2. Analysis of the Elements That Parents Lack in Raising Children Aged 0 - 3
In order to understand the real problems and dilemmas of parents when raising children under 3 years old, a chi-square test was carried out for the lack of elements. (The chi-square test is an association analysis suitable for comparing two or more sample rates and two categorical variables. The greater the value of X2, the greater the degree of correlation. If the P value is small, it means that the samples are significantly different between different categorical variables.) The results are in Table 2.
The study conducted a chi-square test on the factors that parents lack when raising children aged 0 - 3, X2 = 822.784, p = 0.000 < 0.05. There are significant differences in the elements that parents lack, what more parents lack is time and energy, accounting for 34.2%, followed by patience, parenting methods, knowledge and experience, social support, and family support. It shows that raising children aged 0 - 3 requires more time and energy of parents, especially for working parents, and the burden of childcare will affect the balance between work and family more. This result is consistent with the conclusion of Wei Sumei’s research (Wei, 2018) .
5. Analysis of Parents’ Needs for Childcare for Children Aged 0 - 3 Years Old
The research conducted a survey on parents’ childcare needs for infants and young children aged 0 - 3, this paper mainly conducts an in-depth investigation on the needs of parents on childcare services (age to enter childcare, overall demand, type of childcare service, function of childcare service, content of childcare service, form of childcare service, time of childcare service), childcare fees, childcare teachers, and government childcare support.
5.1. An Analysis of Parents’ Needs for Childcare Services
5.1.1. Parents’ Views on the Age at Which Children under 3 Enter Childcare Institutions
In order to understand parents’ views on the appropriate age for children under the age of 3 to enter Childcare Institutions, the study selected families with the children under 3 years old as the analysis sample. The results are in Table 3.
A chi-square test was performed on the number of parents who chose to enter the childcare institution under the age of 3 years old, X2 = 1051.079, P = 0.000 < 0.05. It shows that parents have obvious differences and preferences when choosing the age under 3 years old to enter the childcare institution, and they are more inclined to 2 - 3 years old. 83.4% of parents think that the age of 2 - 3 years
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Table 2. Elements that parents lack when raising children aged 0 - 3.
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Table 3. Parents’ views on the age at which children under 3 start childcare services.
old is more suitable to enter the nursery institution. Through previous interviews, we learned that parents think that children under the age of 2 are too young to be sent to childcare institutions, and they are more suitable for family care. In addition, 2 - 3 years old are approaching the age of entering kindergarten, so parents are more accepting. Since the vast majority of parents believe that infants and young children aged 2 - 3 are suitable for childcare, the next demand for parental childcare services is mainly for childcare services for infants and young children aged 2 - 3.
5.1.2. Parents’ General Demand for Childcare Services
Statistical analysis of the factors that parents value most when choosing childcare services, the results are in Table 4.
It can be seen from the above table that parents place the most importance on the teacher status and internal environment of the childcare institution, followed by Industry Reputation, distance from home, course content, monthly childcare fee, nature of the childcare institution, and form of childcare. It shows that nursery institutions should pay attention to teachers’ literacy, qualifications, academic qualifications and other teachers’ conditions, and at the same time establish a safe, warm and comfortable nursery environment and atmosphere. In addition, parents’ demand for these elements of childcare has reached a significant level, indicating that parents are eager for systematic and professional childcare services.
5.1.3. Parents’ Needs for Types of Childcare Services
The study divides the types of childcare services into five types, namely, community convenience trusteeship centers, kindergarten nurseries, early education institutions and parent-child kindergartens, childcare institutions in the workplace, and home-based guidance. The results of parents’ preference for the type of childcare service are in Table 5.
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Table 4. Parents’ general demand for childcare services.
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Table 5. Parents’ preference for the type of childcare service.
The study conducted a chi-square test on the number of parents choosing the type of childcare service, X2 = 1012.510, P = 0.000 < 0.05. It shows that parents have obvious differences and preferences when choosing the type of childcare services. The most preferred types of childcare are early childhood education institutions and parent-child kindergartens, accounting for 38.1%, followed by kindergarten nurseries, accounting for 37.1%. Then there are the childcare institutions of the workplace, the community convenience trusteeship center, and the home-based guidance. Early childhood education institutions and parent-child kindergartens are the most common childcare institutions on the market, and parents have relatively more understanding and contact. As one of the types of classes offered by kindergarten institutions, kindergarten nursery classes have the advantages of being professional, reliable and convenient. Based on these characteristics, parents may be more inclined to early childhood education institutions, parent-child kindergartens and kindergarten nurseries.
5.1.4. Parents’ Needs for the Function of Childcare Services
The study divides the functions of childcare services into three categories, namely, trusteeship-based, education-based, and both trusteeship and education. The results of parents’ preference for childcare services are in Table 6.
The study conducted a chi-square test on the number of parents who chose the function of childcare services, X2 = 557.278, P = 0.000 < 0.05. It shows that parents have obvious differences and preferences when choosing childcare service functions. The childcare function they value most is the equal emphasis on
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Table 6. Parents’ choice preferences for the functions of childcare services.
trusteeship and education, accounting for 57.4%. It shows that parents hope that the childcare institution can not only solve the problem of children’s care materials, but also promote children’s early development through the implementation of courses. With the progress of parents’ educational concept and the importance of children’s early education gradually becoming more prominent, parents’ expectations for nursery institutions are no longer limited to a single care and trusteeship, but to pursue the comprehensive and healthy development of children. As a result, parents are more inclined to choose childcare services that place equal emphasis on trusteeship and education.
5.1.5. Parents’ Needs for the Content of Childcare Services
The study investigated parents’ preferences for the content of childcare services in a sorted manner. The statistical results are in Table 7.
It can be seen from the above table that when parents choose childcare services, the most important content of childcare services is to cultivate children’s behavior habits, followed by exercise self-care ability, shaping good character, enhancing interpersonal communication, developing body movements, and developing children’s intelligence. This attitude of parents may be related to the age characteristics of the child. The child has not yet reached the stage of developing intelligence, and this stage happens to be the basic stage of cultivating behavioral habits. Parents can realize the importance of early good habit formation. The development of later life, learning and other aspects plays a fundamental role. Therefore, parents hope that childcare institutions can cultivate good behaviors in their children.
5.1.6. Parents’ Needs for Forms of Childcare Services
The study differentiates the form of childcare service into three types: full-time, half-day and hourly (emergency type). The results of parents’ preference for childcare service are in Table 8.
The study conducted a chi-square test on the number of parents who chose the form of childcare services, X2 = 365.612, P = 0.000 < 0.05. It shows that parents have obvious differences and preferences when choosing the form of childcare services. The most preferred form of childcare is full-time, accounting for 52.5%. The second is half-time, accounting for 30.9%. The last is the hour system (emergency type), accounting for 16.6%. From the fact that most parents choose the form of full-time childcare, it can be seen that parents expect childcare institutions to provide full-day childcare services, which is in line with the reality of
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Table 7. Parents’ preference for the content of childcare services.
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Table 8. Parents’ preference for childcare services.
most families with dual-income workers and can minimize the burden of parenting on parents. One-third of parents choose the form of part-time childcare, which may be based on the parents’ own work patterns, parents’ expectations of being able to spend a certain amount of time with their children, and other reasons. In addition, some parents choose the hourly childcare form to solve the problem of caring for family emergencies. The main responsibility for child care is still the family, so they value the flexibility and emergency response of this form.
5.1.7. Parents’ Demand for Time in Childcare Services
According to the opening time of the nursery institution, it can be divided into three situations: weekdays, weekends and flexible appointments. The results of parents’ preference for childcare service time are in Table 9.
The study conducted a chi-square test on the number of parents who chose childcare hours, X2 = 770.437, P = 0.000 < 0.05. It shows that parents have obvious differences and preferences when choosing childcare service time. The most preferred daycare time is working days, accounting for 60.5%, followed by flexible appointments, accounting for 31.3%. The last is the weekend, accounting for 8.2%. The reasons for choosing working days are similar to choosing the full-time form of childcare, mainly to reduce the parenting pressure of working hours for parents. The choice of flexible appointment time may take into account the actual situation of the family, and it is mainly for the convenience of the family. A small number of parents may choose to take care of their children on weekends because they have the time and energy to take care of their children on weekends.
5.2. Parents’ Needs for Childcare Fees
In view of the above statistical results, parents mainly tend to choose two types
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Table 9. Parents’ preference for the timing of childcare services.
of childcare: early childhood education institutions, parent-child kindergartens and kindergarten nurseries. Therefore, the analysis of parents’ monthly expenditure on childcare is mainly based on these two types of childcare services (See Table 10).
For full-time childcare, parents believe that the monthly expenditures of early education institutions, parent-child kindergartens and kindergarten nurseries are mainly below 4000 yuan, accounting for 96.5% and 96.2% respectively. For half-day childcare, 95.3% and 96% of parents respectively believe that the monthly cost of early education institutions, parent-child kindergartens and kindergarten nurseries is less than 2000 yuan. As far as hourly childcare is concerned, 81.5% and 84% of parents respectively think that an hourly fee of less than 100 is more appropriate. It can be seen that the charging standards of the three forms of childcare are divided into steps. Therefore, when formulating charging standards, nursery institutions should take parents’ tolerance for different forms and types of childcare fees as an important indicator, and at the same time take into account the quality of childcare services and provide childcare services with fair prices and high quality.
5.3. Parents’ Needs for Teachers in Childcare Services
5.3.1. Parents’ Expectations for Teacher Literacy
The study investigated parents’ expectations of childcare teacher literacy in a sorted manner. The statistical results are in Table 11.
From the above table, it can be seen that the qualities that parents value most in nursery service teachers are love, patience and responsibility, followed by understanding, respect and trust in children, being able to take good care of children’s lives, being able to communicate well with parents, and being good at Organize teaching activities, harmonious relationship between teachers and children, and good Mandarin. It shows that parents believe that teachers’ professional philosophy and morality are the primary qualities that teachers should have, and relatively speaking, they have low expectations for teacher education and teaching. This may be because for children aged 0 - 3, learning knowledge is not the primary task, and parents pay more attention to the healthy growth of children’s physical and mental health. Therefore, it is even more important for teachers to establish a secure attachment, harmonious and friendly relationship with children.
5.3.2. Parents’ Demand for Teacher Qualifications
According to the professional characteristics and work nature of nursery teachers,
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Table 10. Monthly spending allowance of parents for childcare services under different childcare forms.
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Table 11. Parents’ expectations for teacher literacy.
the qualifications that nursery teachers should have include but are not limited to the following five types, namely, nursery teacher certificate, family education instructor certificate, Kindergarten teacher qualification certificate, nutritionist certificate, and doctor certificate. The expected outcomes of parents for nursery teacher qualifications are in Table 12.
The study conducted a chi-square test on the qualifications of parents’ expectations of nursery teachers, X2 = 1283.502, P = 0.000 < 0.05. It shows that parents have obvious differences and preferences for the qualification requirements of nursery teachers. Parents think that the primary qualification of teachers is the Kindergarten teacher qualification certificate, accounting for 35.3%, followed by the nursery teacher certificate, accounting for 25.3%. Then there is the family education instructor certificate, accounting for 21.9%. The reason why parents think that childcare teachers should have the qualification certificate of kindergarten teachers may be that childcare for children under 3 years old belongs to the field of early childhood education, so childcare teachers should also obtain this qualification. Secondly, the nursery teacher certificate is a professional certification for the life care, nursing and education of infants and young children
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Table 12. Parents’ preference for childcare teacher qualifications.
aged 0 - 3, so it is also one of the qualifications that parents expect teachers to have. Thirdly, the demand for parent education has also gradually expanded with the change of parents’ concept and the rise of family education status, which explains to a certain extent the demand for parents to expect teachers to have a family education instructor certificate.
5.4. Parents’ Need for Government Childcare Support
It can be seen from Table 13 that the overall score of parents’ demand for government childcare service support is significantly higher than the median value of 3, indicating that parents’ overall demand for government childcare service support is relatively high. This is in line with the current situation of growing childcare needs (Wang, 2016) .
Specifically, parents have the highest demand for increasing their parents’ paid parental leave, followed by the government’s strengthening of the supervision of early education institutions in the market, and the third is that parents want to be able to arrange parental leave flexibly. According to the “Labor Law” and the “Labor Protection Regulations for Female Employees” issued by the State Council, the current legal maternity leave in my country is 98 days. However, with the full implementation of the “three-child policy”, many places in my country have made adjustments to extend maternity leave (Shebao.southmoney.com, 2022) . Since there is no unified parental leave system in my country, maternity leave assumes the function of parental leave in a certain sense. But for maternity leave itself, it is for the needs of women’s physical recovery after giving birth. Although there are requirements for childcare, it is not the main purpose of this leave. Parental leave is a vacation shared by parents to take care of infants and young children. It can be seen that parents have an urgent need for parental leave, and hope to flexibly arrange and allocate parental leave according to the actual situation of family and work. In addition, parents’ high demand for government intervention in the quality supervision of early education institutions is closely related to many problems existing in current early education institutions. Studies have shown that early education institutions have problems such as low market access thresholds, obvious utility, and uneven quality (Gao, 2009) . From this, it is not difficult to understand that parents hope that the government will strengthen the supervision and management of early childhood education institutions in the market.
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Table 13. Parents’ demand for government-supported childcare services.
6. Suggestions for Reasonably Meeting Parents’ Childcare Needs
6.1. Multi-Party Joint Efforts to Build a Childcare Service System
The traditional childcare model that is attached to the family, especially women and grandparents, has become one of the family’s problems. According to the “Survey Report on the Status Quo and Demands of Early Childhood Education” released by the All-China Women’s Federation, 76.1% of parents believe that the government and society should play a leading and supporting role in the provision of early childhood education services (China Family Education Society, 2011) . Consistent with the findings of this study, the parents’ demand for government childcare support reached a significant level. Therefore, under the current situation of serious shortage of childcare supply, the government should actively provide childcare support and build a childcare service system for children aged 0 - 3. The construction of the childcare system involves multiple subjects such as government, market, society, and family (Yang, 2017) . Therefore, the government should clarify its role of overall leadership, set up management agencies, coordinate departmental relations, and strengthen division of labor and cooperation, such as advocating social capital to enter the childcare industry, and forming a system pattern of multiple supplies; guiding the education department to enter the community to provide public welfare childcare lectures for families; carrying out research projects on early childhood development and childcare with colleges and universities to provide support for the supply of childcare services. In a nutshell, China should speed up the provision of public childcare services that are government-led and multi-partnered.
6.2. Optimize the Allocation of Childcare Resources, and Take the Lead in Building Childcare Services for 2 - 3 Years Old
At present, the supply of childcare services under the age of 3 in my country is seriously insufficient, and the demand for childcare for families has surged (Wang, 2016) . However, the construction of the childcare service system for children aged 0 - 3 in my country is still in its infancy, and there is insufficient resource allocation in terms of financial investment in early education, teacher team construction, and supervision and management mechanisms (Hua, 2018) . Therefore, in the face of the sharp contradiction between the increasing and diversified needs of parents and the lack of childcare service supply, At present, my country should adopt the principle of precise development and take care of the majority, optimize the allocation of childcare resources, and take the lead in building childcare services for 2-3 years old to meet the childcare needs of most families. At the same time, it also accumulates practical experience for the country to gradually promote the development of childcare under 3 years old. As a result, kindergarten nurseries, early education institutions, parent-child kindergartens and other types of childcare institutions can give priority to the development of childcare services for 2 - 3 year olds, and set the age of childcare reasonably according to the actual situation of the family and the childcare needs.
6.3. Equal Emphasis on Trusteeship and Education, Flexible Setting of Childcare Forms
The accurate positioning of the childcare function is the key to the sustainable development of the childcare institution and meeting the needs of the family (Tian & Wang, 2017) . Therefore, in view of the needs of most parents, childcare institutions should take into account the two functions of Trusteeship and education, so as to ease the burden on families to take care of their children, and at the same time promote the early development of infants and young children. In terms of the content of childcare services, it is recommended to focus on cultivating children’s good behavior habits, exercising self-care ability, promoting interpersonal communication, and developing physical movements, etc., supplemented by intellectual development, to promote children’s all-round development. In addition, according to the needs of the families within the radiation range and the characteristics of the nursery institutions themselves, the forms of childcare should be flexibly set up to form a form of childcare service that is organically composed of full-time, half-day, and hourly systems.
6.4. According to the Type and Form of the Childcare Service, Set the Childcare Fee Reasonably
Different types and forms of childcare services have different fee settings. Therefore, when setting the cost of childcare, the types and forms of different childcare services should be considered, and the financial burden of parents should be taken into account. For example, kindergarten nurseries, early childhood education institutions, and parent-child kindergartens, for full-time childcare, the charging standard is recommended to be controlled below 4000 yuan per month; For half-day childcare, the charging standard is recommended to be controlled below 2000 yuan per month; For hourly childcare services, the charging standard is recommended to be controlled below 100 yuan. Government departments and market mechanisms should reasonably set the childcare fee standards, taking into account the needs of parents and market conditions, and strive to allow more families to obtain childcare services.
6.5. Cultivate Professional Nursery Teachers with Qualifications and Literacy as the Starting Point
A high-quality teaching staff is an important guarantee for the sustainable development of childcare (Dong, 2014) . The survey found that the status of teachers is one of the most important points for parents when choosing nursery services. Therefore, the government and nursery institutions should pay attention to the professional development of teachers, and strengthen and expand the number of nursery teachers with qualifications and literacy as the starting point. In terms of qualification access for nursery teachers, relevant access standards can be formulated, requiring relevant qualifications such as preschool teacher qualification certificate, nursery teacher certificate, etc. At the same time, formulate an assessment mechanism for professional quality, promote the development of teachers’ professional concepts, professional knowledge and professional ability, internalize teachers’ morality, and improve teachers’ knowledge and skills in education. In post-employment professional development, provide multi-channel and multi-level learning conditions, encourage teachers to participate in training, and build a professional nursery teacher team.
7. Conclusion
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the childcare needs of the target groups of the comprehensive three-child policy, to understand the needs of different parents for childcare services for 0 - 3 years old, and understand the shortcomings of supporting services related to the three-child policy, and to provide national The adjustment and optimization of childcare policies provide alternative paths and ideas. The study found that parents’ demands for childcare services for children aged 0 - 3 are diversified and multi-level, and many families have concerns about having second and third children because the supply of public childcare services cannot meet their current needs. To this end, the government can start by optimizing the supply of childcare services to meet the current public demand for childcare services, reducing the pressure related to having three children, helping implement the comprehensive three-child policy, and promoting the long-term development of the family, economy and society.
Subject Project
2022 General Projects of Philosophy and Social Science Research in Jiangsu Province Colleges and Universities (No: 2022SJYB1650); 2022 “Gusu Education Talents” Project Independent Project: Study on supply and demand of 0-3 years old infant public nursery Service in Suzhou (project number: RCZZ202250).