Modest day care center may have to move<\/p>\n
According to data from the Jakarta branch of the Central
\nStatistics Agency, the number of working women in the capital is
\n1,041,366, or about 31.5 percent of the 3,379,202 people working
\nin Jakarta. However, many working places do not provide day care
\ncenters or special rooms for breast-feeding mothers. The Jakarta
\nPost's Leony Aurora has been looking into this issue. This is the
\nthird of four articles.<\/p>\n
One thousand rupiah (less than 11 U.S. cents) can go a long way
\nat the Kramat Jati wholesale market in East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
It is enough to rent a pair of boots to brave the wet roads,
\npay the parking fee, or, surprisingly, leave a child for half a
\nday at the local day care center, where the child will receive a
\nmeal and a snack.<\/p>\n
Twenty-eight children were having their lunch -- rice, soup
\nand fried tempeh -- sitting on a mat at Tunas Jaya I day care,
\nnot far from the traditional market's gate, when The Jakarta Post
\nvisited them over the weekend.<\/p>\n
There was no smooth wallpaper, the toys were worn out by the
\ndozens of tiny hands that touched them every day and the swing
\nwas rusty and broken. But the children, aged between one and five
\nyears, had a sparkle in their eyes and ready smiles.<\/p>\n
\"We make the best of what we have, under the circumstances,\"
\nsaid Ibu Taryono, the center's executive director.<\/p>\n
The child care facility was established by the Dharma Wanita
\n(women's association) of city market operator PD Pasar Jaya,
\nsupported by the wife of former Governor Surjadi Soedirdja, in
\nDecember 1992.<\/p>\n
\"At that time, we noticed that many children of women who
\npeeled shallots were left sleeping on top of the mounds of
\nshallots,\" said Taryono.<\/p>\n
Work was not a matter of choice for these women, she added.
\n\"Many had been abandoned by their husbands.\"<\/p>\n
With an income of Rp 6,000 a day for peeling 12 kilograms of
\nshallots or Rp 10,000 for cutting the stalks off 50 kilograms of
\nvarious other spices, it is hard enough to make ends meet.
\nBabysitters are simply out of the question.<\/p>\n
The day care facility charges Rp 1,000 for half a day, from 8
\na.m. until 11:30 a.m., and Rp 2,000 for a full day, until 4 p.m.
\nPD Pasar Jaya covers the rest of the operational costs by
\nproviding a monthly grant of Rp 4 million.<\/p>\n
Up to 40 kids are taken care of by the six employees,
\nincluding two kindergarten teachers, in Tunas Jaya I.<\/p>\n
Dini, 28, makes cassava chips in the mornings when her son is
\nin the day care. After she picks up two-year-old Rian, she can
\nwatch him while doing household chores.<\/p>\n
\"It's really cheap here,\" she said. \"The only additional cost
\nis for notebooks when they (children) join the classes. That's
\nlike Rp 10,000 a year... much cheaper than sending them to
\nkindergarten.\"<\/p>\n
Tunas Jaya I has two one-hour classes for children aged three
\nto four and four to five every morning. \"We introduce colors,
\nnumbers and letters,\" said Titi, one of the teachers.<\/p>\n
\"Our children can go directly to elementary school,\" Taryono
\nnoted proudly. \"That's our added value.\"<\/p>\n
However, after 12 years of service in the community, the
\ncenter's existence is being threatened by a plan to move the
\nmarket.<\/p>\n
\"I've seen a small building with a 'day care center' sign at
\nthe back of the market,\" said Taryono.<\/p>\n
The space is very limited, Titi added. \"It's only enough for
\nthe chairs,\" she said, while the day care center already has five
\nbeds and other furniture.<\/p>\n
The new place does not have a kitchen nor a playing ground.
\nIts door opens directly to a busy street and it is flanked by two
\nshelters for street children, for boys and girls. \"I don't think
\nthey will be a good influence on the children,\" said Taryono.<\/p>\n
Although there has been no confirmation that they would be
\nmoved there, Taryono fears the worse. \"We're at the mercy of
\nwhoever's in charge. A different person means different policies
\nthat we have to follow.\"<\/p>\n
For now, the modest day care center continues giving the much-
\nneeded service, hoping that whoever is in charge will not let
\nchildren go back to playing among and sleeping on mounds of
\nshallots.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/modest-day-care-center-may-have-to-move-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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