Policies take shape

According to this year's Government Work Report, in response to the demand created by the full implementation of the second-child policy, China will accelerate development of a range of care for infants and younger children, encourage the private sector to run child care and early childhood education centers, and provide better protection for toddlers.

In April, the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued a guideline to promote the development of infant and child care services.

It is aimed at giving shape to and improving related policies, laws and regulations, and motivating the private sector to participate to help meet demand.

A child care services legal framework, which will cover both urban and rural areas, is expected to be established by 2025, according to the guideline.

However, according to Cui, from the demographics institute in Shandong, concerns remain about factors such as industry standards, fees and security.

Though Gu was excited to learn that the government is encouraging the sector's development, she called for regulations to be issued as soon as possible.

"At present, there are no uniform standards for child care centers in Beijing," she said, adding that her center operates in accordance with standards designed for public kindergartens.

"We should have specific standards for things such as sanitary conditions, indoor air quality and the location of child care centers."

Cui urged the government to strengthen the supervision of child care institutions, increase funding, and play a leading part in rolling out market standards, regulations and laws to ensure the sustainable and healthy development of the sector.

Shanghai has taken the lead in this field. In April last year, the city announced policies to improve services for children age 3 and younger.

The policies, which were issued by 16 departments - including education, civil affairs, industry and commerce, healthcare and family planning, and the food and drug administration - are aimed at establishing a management mechanism for child care services, promoting their development and encouraging more support from society in general.

As of May, Shanghai had established more than 170 new child care centers, which can provide services for over 6,400 children.

In addition to first-tier cities, many provinces have stepped up efforts to improve child care services.

The central province of Henan, one of the most populous regions, plans to open, renovate or expand 1,000 nurseries in its urban and rural areas so they will be able to accommodate more children.

Meanwhile, the province has poured nearly 1.5 billion yuan ($218 million) into supporting child care projects.

Experts have suggested that more efforts should be made to provide qualified staff members for child care agencies and kindergartens, stressing that the establishment of facilities for children age 3 and younger will be crucial for the full implementation of the second-child policy.