Parents who have to work during the long school summer vacation are being forced to turn to privately-run childcare facilities, many of which are unlicensed.
The Global Times called five nurseries across the city. Four of them said they were already fully booked.
A woman, surnamed Zhang, who lives in a residential compound in Huilongguan, Changping district, has run such a nursery for two years.
In her house, which she said was around 100-square-meters, there are 12 pupils, all of whom are her neighbors' children.
"I hire two college students to tutor them and I will teach some easy physics experiments," she said, adding that the monthly fee is 2,200 to 3,000 yuan ($344-470).
Most parents choose the most expensive package which includes care from 7 am to 7 pm every day with three meals plus fruit, she said.
But Zhang admitted that she had no official approval to run a nursery.
A mother surnamed Dong, in Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng district, who has a 3-year-old daughter, said that since she and her husband are both busy, sending their daughter to a nursery is the best choice.
"But I also have many concerns, such as whether they are experienced in taking care of children at different ages. Without being approved, they may not be safe in terms of sanitation or fire safety," she said.
Zhang Yan, a professor with the School of Education at Beijing Normal University, said that although most nurseries are uncertified, the blame for their proliferation should be placed elsewhere.
"They emerge because of the great demand," she said, suggesting that schools should remain open to supervise children whose parents need help during the summer holiday.
"Schools have the best environment, and it should be their responsibility to take in these children," she said.
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