Shortly after Erica Lam found out she was pregnant with her second child, submitting a day care application for her unborn daughter became a top priority, as places at Hong Kong childcare centres were insufficient to meet demand.
Even though Lam, a nurse in her early forties, tried to secure a place early, her daughter Ho-yan only managed to enrol in day care services operated by the Sheng Kung Hui church’s St Christopher’s Home, a social welfare group, when she turned eight months old.
Meanwhile, her elder son, born in late 2020, had not been able to secure a place. The boy’s grandparents helped care for him during that period.
To raise two children and give them a good quality of life, Lam and her husband could not give up their jobs. Sending Ho-yan to day care helped take pressure off their shoulders.
“Childcare service is essential for working parents like us. The government encourages childbirth, and we have two children,” Lam said.
