Welfare nursery marks 70th anniversary with new milestone

In honor of the 70th anniversary of its establishment, the China Welfare Institute Nursery set up the country’s first research and training center dedicated to children under 3 years old on Sunday.

The nursery, first set up by China’s Honorary President Soong Ching Ling after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, will share its experiences in training nursery staff, guiding families in child care and education, and developing and carrying out courses in nurseries across the nation.

As a forerunner in care services for infants and youngsters, Shanghai has established a system with both education and health-care services. It has also set up standards for nursery establishment and management and encourages diversity in such facilities.

“Shanghai has rich experiences in taking care of the smallest members of the population with leadership, policies and plans, organizations and teams, talent cultivation systems, financial support and supervision,” said Yang Wenzhuang, head of population and family affairs at the National Health Commission.

The China Welfare Institute Nursery is the first demonstration nursery in Shanghai and has accumulated rich experiences in care services for infants and kids, including research in family participation in early education and guidance for nurseries. It has also participated in the drafting of the country’s regulations on organizations providing childcare services for children under 3 years old.

In the past two years, it has published a series of books on issues such as effective companionship by parents, nutrition and health, and early education. Some of the books have been distributed to local families for free.

Fang Yue, principal of the nursery, said: “Babies are the beginning of life, and their education matters not only to their families, but also to the future of the country. We hope scientific research, professional training and wide sharing can improve the quality of infant care and education in China.”

Zhang Xiaomin, vice chairman of China Welfare Institute, said it’s an important part of work both for the central government and Shanghai to build up a baby-rearing and preschool education system with affordable, accessible and safe services of high quality while the institutes' nursery should try its best to be a pathfinder for the nationwide reform to build a better future.

Wang Jiarui, chairman of the institute, said the nursery is an important supporting force among all the facilities in the institute and has developed effective measures in rearing children younger than 3, which can be replicated in other places. He wishes the nursery and other CWI facilities will cooperate in further developing baby-care services in the country.

A forum was also held at the China Welfare Children’s Palace in Shanghai on Sunday to discuss scientific ways in taking care of children younger than 3 years old.