Kindergarten returns children, parents in "crisis" having to work and take care of children

Ms. Ngoc Ha, in Thu Duc ward, Ho Chi Minh City, said that she began to face "crisis" days when her child finished summer school at kindergarten on August 15.

Several days before, Ms. Ha had searched everywhere for a short-term childcare facility but could not find one. Private facilities only took children who were officially enrolled in school; life skills courses and after-school childcare at the end of summer had either ended or were not accepting new children.

Ms. Ha's husband works in the old Binh Duong and only comes home once or twice a week, so she has to take care of her young child alone.

This morning, August 16, the first day my child is off school, is also the day I have an appointment to consult on insurance for customers.

At first, Ms. Ha planned to leave her child with a neighbor, but then the neighbor had to go back to his hometown for something urgent. Ms. Ha even thought of the option of "locking the door and locking the child in the house".

In the end, she decided to bring her child along to the customer consultation meeting even though she knew it would be inconvenient to talk and look after the child at the same time. Then at noon, she had to take her child to the company.

Ms. Dang Thi Trinh, in An Khanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, has been struggling with “mother-child care” for the past week since her 5-year-old daughter was absent from summer school at a private preschool. She also looked for a few short-term childcare courses, but at the end of the summer, no one accepted her.

Trường mầm non trả trẻ, phụ huynh khủng hoảng vừa làm vừa giữ con - 1 — Scene at Ms. Trinh's house while her child is on summer vacation waiting for the new school year (Photo: D.T).

The job is flexible, Ms. Trinh asks to work online 1-2 days a week. She admits that she can't concentrate on her children at home, sometimes she gets so stressed that she can't control herself.

One day, she left her child at a neighbor's house and drove more than 10 kilometers from work at noon. Seeing the children quarreling with each other, and the battlefield in the middle of the house, the mother felt like all her energy was gone. The neighbor couldn't stand it anymore, so Trinh had to take her child to work.

Not to mention, the child goes to work with his mother, so he eats irregularly and does not take naps, making him more tired and cranky. Mother and child "wrestle" with each other from morning to night, Ms. Trinh just wants her child to go to school as soon as possible.

Ms. Trinh's daughter is about to start first grade, so she will start school on August 20th. She will soon be free from the situation of working and looking after her child 24/7. However, the first two weeks before the school year starts, her child will only attend one session, so she is still waiting for her grandmother to arrange to come in and help.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Trung, in Long Truong ward, Ho Chi Minh City, said that next week when his 5-year-old child finishes summer school, he will run back and forth about 80 kilometers every day to pick up and drop off his child.

Every day, starting at 5am, he runs nearly 20km to his uncle’s house in An Phu Dong ward (old district 12). From there, he goes back to work in old district 7, and in the afternoon, he goes back up to pick up his children before returning home.

The most difficult situation is that it is rainy season in Ho Chi Minh City, traveling long distances with small children is very inconvenient and dangerous.

"My husband and I cannot find a safe place to take care of our child for the next 10-15 days, and our grandparents in the countryside are both old and cannot come to help. We can only leave our child with our aunt during the day and pick her up at night," said Mr. Trung.

In the summer, parents with young children in Ho Chi Minh City will have to manage their children's care at the beginning and end of summer according to the childcare schedule of kindergartens.

In particular, the end of summer is the most difficult time for families when private educational institutions or summer life skills courses have all ended. Places are focused on renovations, cleaning and preparing for the new school year, so they do not open new courses or accept childcare at this time.

So, even though they know the schedule, many families are still passive in taking care of their children. Many families live with the situation of both working and taking care of their children, leaving them with whoever they can find on any given day... These things always come with risks of unsafety for children.

Trường mầm non trả trẻ, phụ huynh khủng hoảng vừa làm vừa giữ con - 2 — Preschoolers in Ho Chi Minh City will return to school on August 25 (Photo: Hoai Nam).

According to the schedule of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, the summer activities in 2025 at preschools in the area will take place from June 16 to August 15.

So, at this time, kindergartens have finished organizing summer classes for children, children are on leave from school waiting to enter the new school year on August 25.

According to the school year plan framework of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, students in grades 1, 9 and 12 will return to school on August 20. The remaining grades will return to school on August 25. Schools will simultaneously start the new school year on September 5.

During the summer break at home, schools advise parents to pay attention to children's safety such as avoiding accidents, drowning as well as paying attention to children's nutrition and sleep.