Private daycares and nurseries desperately want to reopen

Parents are returning to work, but daycares are still shut down to prevent any potential spread of the coronavirus. Private daycares are telling the government they want to reopen, warning that many parents may place their children in unauthorised daycare centres.

Private daycare centres say its crucial that they open soon, but their call to open in the third phase of restrictions lifts, has been rejected by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.. More than 80 private daycares and nurseries have now filed an appeal. If they wait until July 1 to reopen with schools, they say up to 20,000 daycare workers could lose their jobs and around 40% – 60% of the private centres could close due to low resources and an uptick in demand.

One operator told Thai PBS her revenue has been deprived for the past 2 months and many babysitters are struggling to make ends meet. Some daycare owners are getting short on money and may not have enough to pay their staff. While some parents are bringing their children to work, others might be opting for illegal daycare centres which could be unsafe for children as they are not regulated and workers may not be properly trained.

The president of the Childcare Development Association of Thailand told the Bangkok Post…

“Closing daycare centres imperils the lives of young children. They are pushed into potentially dangerous environments.”

SOURCES: Bangkok Post | Thai PBS