Years ago, when almost all women were housewives, raising children was their only career. But times have changed. Today, fully emancipated, raising children for most women poses its own problems. Hence, nannies and day-care centers are taking over the job.

Take Lestari for example. Every morning the young mother leaves her young child in a day-care center located in the same building as her office, where she works as an account officer. Due to the convenient location she is able to visit her child during her lunch break.

Obviously, day-care centers located in office buildings or business centers are a great help for career women, as they can take over the role of "caring parents" during the sensitive years of child growth.

Prof. Dr. SC Utami Munandar, a noted child psychologist, said one of the most vital prerequisites for a children's care center was its ability to nurture and guide a child's emotional and mental growth rather than simply nursing them in the physical sense.

Today, in Indonesia's major cities, young career women like Lestari exist in huge numbers. The latest survey by the Central Statistics Agency for Greater Jakarta indicates there are 1.47 million women who are full-time workers. Assuming 10 percent of this number has children below the age of five, then there are at least 147,000 women in need of the professional care provided by centers.

With such a huge market, it is not surprising that every children's care center is packed with these extremely young "clients". One care center in South Jakarta, for example, started off with 25 children two years ago and is now taking care of 185.

All these centers have the appropriate interior and color scheme, playgrounds, toys, beds as well as separate rooms for children who happen to be sick. Many of the centers also have pediatricians, child psychologists and nutritionists.

The activities at most children's care centers are similar. The children are first given a quick check to make sure they are healthy at about eight in the morning. Then they are allowed to play and are provided with snacks. At 10 there are some simple courses to enhance their skills and creativity.

After lunch, the children are given toilet training. Next is nap time until about 2:30 p.m. Again, milk and snacks are given before bath time at about 3:30 p.m. Afterward, it is play time until the children are picked up by their parents.

The current 35 children's care centers in Jakarta are still far fewer than Singapore's 277 centers that professionally serve the island-city's 20,000 toddlers.

In western and developed countries, children's care centers have become one of the basic necessities for young families, because unlike in Indonesia, for example, grandparents play a different role. Hence, the existence of playgroups and the like. Some fitness centers for young children have also cropped up.

In Indonesia, especially in big cities like Jakarta, Surabaya and Bandung, there is a growing need for the centers.

A recent survey by SWA magazine found that 80 percent of women respondents preferred children's care centers located close to their work place. These respondents -- with incomes of between Rp 1.5 and Rp 3 million -- said they preferred centers that had complete facilities as well as pediatricians, child psychologists and professional teachers.

While these centers admittedly can never take over from real mothers and fathers, they are a better option than leaving a child in the care of a maid. Another advantage is that a child has more friends and has an early opportunity to develop skills and creativity through the use of educational equipment, toys and games, as well as various skill-enhancing activities provided by the center's trained and professional staff. -- Burhanuddin Abe