Spotlight falls on Jing'an's child-friendly efforts

More than 40 key public figures, including district lawmakers, political advisers and community leaders, gathered in Jing'an on August 2 to explore the district's efforts to create a child-friendly environment.

This year, the focus has been on key public needs, such as elderly meal programs, childcare services, community health and public cultural activities.

The district has planned nearly 40 events, inviting prominent pubic figures to take a closer look at these projects. The goal is to build a direct line of communication between the government and the public, ensuring that community projects effectively meet the needs of residents.

The recent meeting marked the beginning of this initiative, where representatives visited several facilities, including the children's reading space, baby room and summer classes at the Jiangning Road Subdistrict's community CPC service center.

The representatives saw children engrossed in reading on comfortable chairs and sofas, toddlers receiving free, professional care and companionship in the baby room, and students engaged in a range of activities – from technology innovations to traditional cultural experiences – in summer classes. The positive impact of these services was evident, with many representatives expressing their approval.

"Today's visit to several sites has clearly shown how effectively these initiatives address pressing public welfare issues and challenges," said Ye Tao, a district lawmaker.

Jing'an, one of Shanghai's first five pilot areas for care services for children under three, is developing a 15-minute childcare service network.

In early 2022, the Jiangning Road Subdistrict was the first in the city to launch the "Baby House" project, offering daycare services for children under three. The initiative has since been expanded to all subdistricts within Jing'an.

Childcare services are integrated into existing venues such as community centers, kindergartens and commercial complexes, aiming to support working parents and grandparents by making their daily lives easier.

For example, a "Baby House" at the comprehensive eldercare center in Jiangning Road Subdistrict features a 160-square-meter area, including a 60-square-meter outdoor playground. The facility can accommodate up to 45 children at the same time. The subdistrict collaborates with the district's education authority to manage the center and ensure high-quality, professional care.

While toddlers are cared for, their grandparents can take advantage of eldercare services at the same center.

Jing'an is also working to create new child-friendly reading spaces in local libraries, community cultural centers and other nearby locations. By the end of 2025, Jing'an aims to have these spaces established across the district.

These areas feature high-quality children's books and a variety of resources, along with a range of engaging activities such as book clubs, picture book performances, lectures and exhibitions.

Each child-friendly reading space has its own unique characteristics.

The Weiyang Academy at the Shimen Rd No. 2 Subdistrict's community cultural center highlights Han Chinese culture, with a collection of over 1,000 books on classical Chinese studies and traditional culture.

It features traditional-style reading tables designed for children, creating an elegant, old-world Chinese atmosphere. The center also hosts themed activities, including hanfu attire, Han rituals, Han dance and traditional craft workshops.

The Daning Road Subdistrict's community cultural center focuses on science education, offering age-appropriate science courses and encouraging parents and children to participate in reading and scientific experiments together.

This month, science writer Dingdingchong taught children about ancient biology and led them in interactive crafts to help them understand basic paleontology concepts.

At the Jiangning Road Subdistrict's community library, parent-child books now make up 46 percent of its book collection. The library also organizes walking tours, taking children to visit historical sites, notable buildings and industrial relics to explore local history and culture.

During the summer vacation, Jing'an opened 41 summer classes, benefiting nearly 2,000 primary school students. These classes offered a wide range of activities, including computer programming, nature science projects and various traditional crafts such as making buttons on cheongsam, hand-sculpting pottery and silk screen printing.