Bangkok: Bangkok is preparing to reopen daycare centers, with plans to accept infants as young as 3 months old, in a move aimed at improving the quality of life for urban families. Today, Mr. Shanon Wangsaengboon, Deputy Governor of Bangkok, led a knowledge exchange activity to gather feedback on draft regulations for early childhood development centers. He emphasized the importance of collaboration between childcare providers and the government to effectively enhance early childhood care in the city.
According to Thai News Agency, the birth rate in Bangkok is declining, and many children, particularly those aged 0-3 years, lack access to quality childcare due to parents' work commitments and inadequate facilities. The city's 239,413 children aged 0-6 years face limited opportunities for early development. Deputy Governor Shanon stressed the necessity of beginning early childhood development at a young age, as waiting until children are 4-5 years old may be too late for optimal developmental enhancement.
The new draft regulations propose allowing preschool development centers to accept children from 3 months of age, compared to the previous requirement of 2-6 years. The regulations also aim to set appropriate care standards for each age group and consider adjusting the childcare ratio to better meet young children's needs. Additionally, there are plans to extend the centers' service hours to accommodate parents working outside regular hours, with appropriate compensation for childcare providers working overtime.
Deputy Governor Shanon also revealed plans to upgrade the quality of early childhood development centers. Of the 258 centers in Bangkok, only 39 currently have access to Bangkok's budget for renovations due to land use rights limitations. Efforts are underway to collaborate with landowners, including temples, the Treasury Department, the National Housing Authority, and the private sector, to ensure the continuous development of these centers.
Further, Bangkok is preparing to enhance children's learning quality by creating dust-free classrooms, increasing proactive child development screening and assessment services, promoting professional development for childcare providers, supporting further education to enhance qualifications, and promoting free play activities, reading, and toy lending services for appropriate early childhood development.
The draft regulations focus on three main areas: expanding access to early childhood services, improving childcare quality, and supporting parents. Revised guidelines for budget allocation aim to cover materials, utilities, administrative costs, and caregiver compensation, enabling centers to better meet the needs of modern urban society.
'Bangkok is ready to listen to all suggestions from childcare providers to improve the draft regulations for maximum benefit and jointly create a quality early childhood care system. This will ensure all children in Bangkok receive appropriate development from the beginning, a crucial foundation for future human resource development,' Deputy Governor Shanon concluded.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, through its Social Development Office, has drafted these regulations in accordance with its Ordinance on Early Childhood Development Centers B.E. 2569 (2026). A public consultation is being conducted to gather feedback from stakeholders, with 120 participants, including 20 childcare providers from each district's early childhood development center, taking part.
The meeting, held in the Ratchadaphisek Meeting Room, 3rd floor, Din Daeng District Office, was attended by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration executives, executives from the Social Development Department, executives from Din Daeng District, and childcare teachers from early childhood development centers.