ON August 6, we raised the problem of job loss faced by women and single mothers who are the head of the household.

As previously reported, women are among the worst affected when it is reported that 72.2% of the number of job losses to date.

In these challenging times, many women have to work to help their husbands cover the cost of living and family expenses.

This makes many people have to send their children to a registered care center or nursery, and some have to send it to an unregistered care center to get a cheaper price.

Many mothers complain to us about the high cost of sending their children to day care centers for example ‘Baby’ RM350 to RM450, RM300 for children aged 1 to 3 years, RM280 for children aged 4 to 6 years and RM150 for half a day for school children .

Therefore, to reduce their burden, Puteri UMNO Malaysia proposed as follows.

1. Establish childcare centers for civil servants in ministries, and staff in all Government Linked Companies (GLCs).

2. Encourage the private sector to create the same center in the building or nearby as appropriate.

3. Introduce a special assistance package to parents who have to send their children to a nanny if the employer is unable to provide the facility.

4. The Ministry through the Department of Social Welfare is asked to provide guidance and facilitate registration for childcare centers according to the standards set.

It is hoped that the government takes into account all these views and proposals to reduce the burden of pressure and thus maintain the well-being of low-income people (B40).