As hard as taking care of children 6

As soon as the motorbike stopped in front of the school gate, Ms. My Ha was still struggling with the baby carrier and the cumbersome backpack she was carrying, the teachers from Hoa Hong Kindergarten (Phu Thuan Ward, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City) came over and helped her carry baby Kim Ngan.

Ms. Le Thi Ha, teacher at Hoa Hong Kindergarten, has many years of experience taking care of children in the 6-18 month old group.

Kim Ngan was sent to Hoa Hong Kindergarten since she was 6 months old. Now she is over 14 months old, very cute and attached to the teachers. Ms. My Ha works in a state agency and always feels lucky to have a kindergarten near her house that takes care of children from 6 months old so that she can go to work with peace of mind when her maternity leave ends. Hoa Hong Kindergarten is one of the public kindergartens in Ho Chi Minh City that takes care of children from 6 months old.

N MOTHERS OF CHILDREN

Ms. Le Thi Ha, 52 years old, head of professional group, teacher of Hoa Hong Kindergarten, has worked in the field of preschool care and education for 30 years. Having worked in Go Vap District for a while before moving to District 7, Ms. Ha has been in charge of groups of children from 6 to 12 months old and from 13 to 18 months old for many years. However, because the 6 to 12 month old group usually has very few children, sometimes the whole school only has 1 to 2 children of this age, schools often group children from 6 to 18 months old in one class group to make it easier to arrange teachers, care staff, and facilities to serve the children.

Ms. Le Thi Ha said that from 6 to 18 months is the age when many children are still breastfeeding, just leaving their mother's arms to go to school, so they are still confused, teachers must have a lot of experience as well as dedication in holding, caring for and nurturing them.

"I used to dream of becoming a high school foreign language teacher, but fate brought me to the profession of preschool teacher. The more I work, the more I find that the motivation for me to do my best in this job is my love for children," Ms. Le Thi Ha shared.

In July 2024, during the summer break, the 6-18 month old class at Hoa Hong Kindergarten had 26 children registered to go to school by their parents. The day we were there, there were 22 children attending school. The teachers divided the class into groups, groups playing in the corners of the classroom, and groups playing physically. Children at this age are always on their feet, some like to push walkers, some want to play with bouncy animals, some want to climb on toys... The teachers have to accompany the children constantly to avoid the risk of them falling.

" LOVE CHILDREN LIKE YOUR OWN CHILDREN"

After a while of holding, coaxing, and guiding the children to play, teacher Hoang Thi Thu Giang, 40 years old, teacher of the 6-18 month old group, her back was soaked with sweat. Ms. Giang has 3 young children and a lot of experience in child care and education, so for many years she has been in charge of the group of youngest children in the school.

Next to Ms. Giang, Ms. Le Thi Ha sat down to rest for a while in the middle of the class, but she was still holding a little girl in her left arm, a little boy in her right arm, and two more children were asking for toys at her feet. Her hair was covered in sweat, and the teacher had no hands to wipe it away. The teachers said that it was much better now because the children cried less. If they came to school at the beginning of the school year, the children would cry all day long, and the teachers had to take turns holding them in their arms or rocking their cradles all the time, sometimes without time to drink water or go to the bathroom.

With a hoarse voice (due to long-term hoarseness and sore throat due to occupational disease), Ms. Le Thi Ha said: "Anyone who has a small child or takes care of a small child at home will know right away, always on their feet and on their toes. Especially when children are 6 - 18 months old, they are very active, they can put something in their eyes, nose, or mouth, and you have to rush in immediately. Children at this age also easily fight over toys, bite their friends, hit their friends..., so you can't take your eyes off them." You will notice that toys for children at this age must be made of soft fabric or foam; books for children are also fabric books; fabric baskets for toys are also very low, within the reach of children.

Ms. Tran Thi Tu Trinh, Principal of Hoa Hong Kindergarten, said that taking care of children at this young age not only requires teachers to be experienced and have a high sense of responsibility, but also to be agile, have good handling skills, and know how to handle situations to avoid children choking or choking on milk or porridge.

"When feeding, we also have to organize in a rolling manner, one group eats, another group plays. When it's time for the children to sleep, two teachers keep watch because when the children sleep, many situations can happen. The group of children aged 6 - 18 months also has more teachers. The school board visits the class several times every day, and when they see that the teachers are overwhelmed, they also help feed and hold the children for them. Besides the older teachers, the class always has young teachers, so that the teachers can learn and guide them professionally," said Ms. Tu Trinh.

In the classroom, Ms. Le Thi Ha, Ms. Giang and the teachers hung a slogan, which is also the message of all the teachers and childcare staff here: "Love children like your own children". Because with their own children, which mother dares to ignore the hardships of taking care of them, which mother is not happy when seeing their children grow up every day? Understanding that, the teachers are used to working at full capacity, busy continuously from 6:30 to 17:00, everyone has to bring several sets of clothes to work, because in the morning they come to school dressed neatly, by noon they are drenched in sweat, their hair sometimes covered with milk, porridge or even the children's vomit.

Children at this age are always on the go, so teachers must constantly accompany them to avoid the risk of them falling.

YEAR-ROUND ADMISSION

The Deputy Head of the Department of Education and Training of a district in Ho Chi Minh City, in charge of preschool work, said that each district, Thu Duc City (HCMC) has planned public and non-public schools, independent preschool classes, in compliance with Circular 49 of the Ministry of Education and Training to take care of children aged 6 - 12 months, 13 - 18 months (schools often combine these two age groups into one, because the number of children aged 6 - 12 months is often small). There, teachers are always trained in skills and knowledge to take good care of children, trained, and develop plans to coordinate with health , agencies, etc.

"School facilities are ready, teachers in charge of 6-18 month old classes are also ready to take care of children, instead of waiting for children to arrive to build classes and find qualified teachers. Maybe in September, when school starts, children are not old enough to go to school, but by November, children are old enough to go to school, and if schools are still capable, they will continue to accept children," said the Deputy Head of the Education Department.

Principal Tran Thi Tu Trinh said that usually for the group of children 6 - 18 months old, Hoa Hong Kindergarten enrolls students all year round. Because some children go to school for a few weeks and then often have a runny nose or fever due to teething, parents feel sorry for their children so they leave them at home and find someone to take care of them; the school will accept another child, creating conditions for other families who need to send their children...

Every locality has preschools for children from 6 months old.

In Phu Nhuan District (HCMC), for many years, Son Ca 14 Kindergarten has cared for and nurtured children aged 6 - 18 months.

In District 3, there are Hoa Mai Kindergarten, Kindergarten 6, Anh Duong non-public kindergarten, and Ban Mai independent nursery group.

In District 1, along with many other public schools, Be Ngoan Kindergarten has been trusted by parents for many years to send their children from 6 months old.

In District 7, in addition to Hoa Hong Kindergarten, there are Phu My Kindergarten, Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone Kindergarten, 19.5 Kindergarten which effectively operate groups of children from 6 to 18 months old...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vat-va-nhu-cham-tre-6-18-thang-tuoi-185240730181806019.htm