Problems of Child Rearing and Community Welfare Management : Case Studies of Four Communities in Wangthonglang District, Bangkok

Abstract

The aims of this article were to study the problems on child rearing and child welfare management in order to propose a child rearing solution to parents in 4 urban communities. A qualitative method, in-depth interviews of 26 key informants involved with child rearing in 4 communities was used. The results showed that high expense nurseries were not able to serve the communities’ needs. The nurseries with poorly organized and restrictive area were also unqualified to officially register as there were difficulties in providing assistance. The appropriate child rearing nurseries were the low-price preschool child development centers operated in a well-organized area under the supervision of community committees and supported by other organizations. Suggestion from this study was local nurseries should be operated under community committees’ control and provided low price services compatible with parents’ needs. Finally, willing elderly should be encouraged to take part in child rearing so they could earn an extra money.