As more Saudi women join the workforce, they still have a big problem to ponder: what to do with their kids during working hours? One way they use to get over the predicament is to turn to day-care centers to care for their offspring. But then again, where and who will take care of their kids poses another thing to worry about. On top of this is the fact that day care operators are now charging more fees, taking advantage of the situation. “It's difficult to find a day care unit where I know that my children will be taken care of in a loving manner,” says Haleema, a physician who has put her career on hold to take care of her two-year-old daughter. “That is a priority for me. I don't want my child to go to a place where they would be neglected, only because of my career.” Mainly as a matter of tradition, working mothers are expected to have a nanny or housemaid of some sort to take care of the children, or having them looked after by relatives. However, daycare establishments are mushrooming. Enterprising individuals seem to have found a new, lucrative opportunity to cash in on working mothers with day care centers. Most working mothers resort to day care when family members, grandparents or other relatives are out of reach. The few day care centers already in business in the Kingdom restrict their working hours to between 8:00 AM and noon. Very few of them have longer working hours, and most of them do not take children under two years of age. Only one center in the Khobar area is open from 6:30 AM to 3:30 PM. The exorbitant fees these day care establishments charge are a deterrent for many parents. “A day care I called told me that they charge SR10 per hour,” said Raima, who was searching for a reasonably priced place for her two-year-old boy. “They do not have any monthly or daily charges. If one adds up the hours, the money can be huge.” She said she wouldn't mind paying the money as long as she knows her child, whom she sends to a preschool, is going to be in good hands. “We are paying SR1,000 per month, but we have no choice,” she said. “If I have to send my kid to a place where he would feel loved and secure, I have to shell out the money.” But all that is bound to change as more centers open and competition drives the rates down. The Ministry of Social Affairs has already started receiving applications for business. Muneera Shamla, human rights manager at the ministry's women's office, said that the ministry is working with the Ministry of Education on licensing and monitoring day care centers. “It is, of course, very important that day care centers meet all the requirements when it comes to setting up facilities where kids can go when their parents are at work,” she said. “After all, it is the future generation we are talking about, and they have to be taken good care of.” Parents want places where their children are secure, and where they feel comfortable leaving them behind and concentrating on their jobs. Haleema, the doctor who stopped working, feels that good daycares with licensed teachers who have the required majors in kindergarten care, social service, or sociology are the need of the hour. “We need more places where children are in an environment not only of care and comfort but also of stimulation, new experiences and making friends with their peers,” she said. Many parents feel that good day care centers are beneficial not only for them and their careers, but also for developing the health immunity and social skills of their children. Those in favor of daycares argue that many stay-at-home moms almost never do any activities with their children anyway. Day care centers, however, have regular sports, arts and language activities. “Kids who never leave home are very sickly the first few years in school – trying to catch up,” said Sabaha, a teacher. “After being exposed to regular exercise and sports at a young age at daycare centers, they become more active and healthier.” Many other parents, however, are still opposed to the idea, with skepticism about their usefulness to children. “I feel that children shouldn't be without their mothers, or at least another female member of the family, like an aunt or a grandmother, when very young,” opined Marium. “Even if mothers have to work, they should have family members taking care of their child She points to studies showing that kids who spend 30 or more hours a week in day care are more aggressive. “My personal belief is that if the kids don't want to go to the day care, then they shouldn't,” said another working mother. “It's pretty hard if you are working, but I think if it isn't necessary, then they (kids) should have a choice. Kids need to develop at their own pace.” __
