Working mothers wary of day care centers
Working mothers wary of day care centers
According to data from the Jakarta branch of the Central
Statistics Agency, the number of working women in Jakarta is
1,041,366, or about 31.5 percent of the 3,379,202 working people.
However, many offices do not provide day care centers or special
rooms for breast-feeding mothers. The Jakarta Post's Leony Aurora
has been looking into this issue. This is the second of four
articles.
When Selvy Nurida got pregnant two years ago, the number one item
on her to-do list was finding a proper day care center for her
new baby.
"My friends at the office were shocked. 'How can you put your
baby in day care?' they asked me," said the 35-year-old mother
recently.
"It (such a center) sounded to them like an orphanage," she
said with a big smile.
Child care centers, apparently, are not popular among working
women with babies in the capital. The more common practice is to
hire babysitters, despite stories told of some of them being
unprofessional, and negligent, as well as the horrid possibility
of kidnapping.
"I can't trust someone to be alone with my boy all day," said
Selvy.
For its supporters, day care offers several obvious
advantages. "Toddlers learn to make friends and share with
others," said Lusia Indah Kurniawan, operational manager of
KeenKids day care at Park Royale apartments on Jl. Gatot Subroto,
Central Jakarta.
Moreover, said Titik Alwachi of Sylva day care center in the
Manggala Wanabakti building, Central Jakarta, the facility allows
mothers to continue breast-feeding when they return to work after
three month's maternity leave.
Children also learn discipline, said Farida, whose daughter
goes to Mitra day care in the Bulog II building in Kuningan,
South Jakarta, near the Ministry of Industry and Trade where she
works.
The typical day of a child in a day care center starts with
morning activities, including drawing, singing, or outdoor games.
After lunch, the children take their nap together, snuggling
up in their comfortable bunk beds. In the afternoon, they have a
snack, bath and play some more while waiting for their parents to
pick them up.
"They learn to sleep on time, they don't need a lullaby and
they can eat by themselves," said Farida.
Harry Setiarto of Mitra, which was established in 1986, said
that many working mothers would like to put their kids in day
care centers but often stumbled upon location.
"A day care center should be set up near or in office
complexes," he said.
Lusia could not agree more. "However, many office buildings in
Jakarta were not designed to have such centers," she said.
KeenKids was opened in 1996 at Wisma Dharmala in Sudirman,
Central Jakarta, but had to move three years ago due to lack of
space and tenants complaining about the "cooking smell".
To encourage offices to provide on- or near-site child care
centers, the United States has created a tax credit for
employers. The law, passed in 2001, stipulates that a 25 percent
tax credit is available for employer expenses related to child
care activities.
There is currently no such policy to groom on-site day care
centers in Indonesia. Law No. 13/2003 on manpower stipulates that
employers should give the opportunity for employees to breast-
feed their babies during work hours, but there is no standard on
required facilities.
"Thanks to the day care center, I can be more focused on my
work to know that she is well-cared for and that if anything
happens, I can easily come by," said Farida.
How expensive is a day care center exactly? Is it true that
it's cheaper to hire a babysitter?
Babysitters' salaries range between Rp 450,000 (US$49.31) and
Rp 1 million a month. Employers are expected to provide a
uniform, a room, three meals a day, and an annual bonus.
KeenKids day care center at Park Royale apartments on Jl. Gatot
Subroto, Central Jakarta, 5717502.
Cost: Rp 1.1 million per month for babies between three and 18
months
Rp 1.35 million per month for toddlers between 18 months
and five years.
Time: 7:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Facilities: three meals, doctor's visit once in two weeks,
dentist's visit once in six months.
Mitra day care center at Bulog II building in Kuningan, South
Jakarta, 5204277.
Cost: Rp 20,000 a day or Rp 400,000 a month for Indonesians
Rp 25,000 a day for foreigners
Time: 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Facilities: one meal, one snack
Sylva day care center at Manggala Wanabakti complex, on Jl. Gatot
Subroto, Central Jakarta, 5720188.
Cost: Rp 25,000 a day
Time: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Facilities: one meal, two snacks, doctor's visit once a week.