As of the year 2012, children aged 2 to 5 years account for 8 per cent of the total population of Mongolia. 56 thousand children out 242 thousand of these ages or three out of ten were not going to kindergartens.
It has been estimated that the number of the 1 to 6-aged children out of kindergartens will rise. Recent years, the childbirth has increased, and approximately 80 thousand babies are born a year. So, the country is facing a serious problem associated with the shortage of places in kindergartens, therefore the country has created a bill on babysitting which reflects a matter of looking after the children aged 1.6 to 3 years old at home or in office.
The draft law says the children’s care center shall employ a teacher, assistant teacher and cook, and they must be educated at the minimum level of senior high school, and be psychologically healthy. Moreover, they must be involved in a special training, and do not be involved in a criminal action.
The child care service is taken based on a request of parents or guardian, and the certificate or licence for babysitting will be issued by governors of soums and districts. Such kind of service will be financed with donations or aid from citizens, enterprizes and organizations under a tariff size which is fixed by parents and baby-sitters. The revenues earned from the service will be exempted from the income tax as well.
Officials said the baby-sitting service will bring many positive effects to the country. For instance, all children aged 1.6-6 years old will take the pre-school education, being provided with the state educational service. It is expected 6,300 baby-sitting service centers will be created, making 19 thousand new job places. 94 thousand and 500 baby caring parents will become able to be employed. In addition, the number of accidents happened to unsupervised children will decline, and the quality of children’s care will improve. The new law also can significantly reduce overcrowding in kindergartens as well.