How 'shared grandmas' come to the rescue of working parents in China

Around four p.m. on every school day, a group of red-vested senior volunteers are seen waiting at the gate of a primary school in Qingquan Community, Ningbo City, east China's Zhejiang Province. Known as "shared grandmas," they are here to pick up children for families living in the community.

Yuan Peijun, 62, is the "grandma" who inspired the heartwarming program in the community. In 2018, Yuan started to help pick up a neighboring girl who stayed at the same kindergarten with her grandson. The girl's parents were still occupied by work when she finished school, so picking up her on time was difficult for the young family who just moved into the community from east China's Jiangxi Province.

Learning about their struggle, Yuan offered to do a "small favor" when she found that they lived nearby. The favor still goes on today as both kids now study in the same primary school. The young couple has been very grateful to Yuan, and two families have developed a strong bond since.

Yuan's action attracted more elderly women to join. In September 2019, a formal program was launched in the community to arrange shifts for these volunteers. Currently, the volunteer team has 58 "grandmas," mostly in their 60s and 70s. Over the past four years, they have provided companionship for more than 600 children in the community.

"Before, I took the kids to my home. After the team was established, volunteers bring the kids to the Child-friendly Space of our community, which provides a larger place and has a lively atmosphere," said Yuan.

Located in the southeastern part of Ningbo, Qingquan Community has over 3,700 households, most of whom come from places outside the city, according to Xu Yi, deputy director of the community's neighborhood committee. He said that about 1,200 of them are dual-income families, and most of them have young children.

Primary schools and kindergartens finish hours earlier than most working parents get off work. Ideally, the responsibility of taking care of children during the gap falls on grandparents. But not all families have a grandparent who is capable of providing companionship.

"In our community's Child-friendly Space, 'grandmas' can play with these children or help them with their homework until their parents take over," said Xu.

As an organizer of the volunteer team, Xu considers it positive for community grass-roots governance. He said these women volunteers also contribute in improving sanitation, mediating conflicts, and patrolling in the community.

The initiative has been promoted in communities of multiple cities across China, including Wenzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu and Erdos, winning the hearts of its residents and netizens. Experts said the program not only meets the demand of young families and the seniors, but also helps the community make full use of its resources.

Sun Juanjuan, professor at the Institute of Gerontology, Renmin University of China, said the program is a typical sign of productive aging, which describes how older people contribute to society through different activities. She said similar programs have appeared in American schools. The elderly volunteers come to schools, shepherding students before they are picked up by their parents.

China's population is aging rapidly. By the end of 2022, more than 280 million people were aged 60 and above in China, accounting for 19.8 percent of its population, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. With skills and experience, seniors in their 60s, the largest cohort among the elderly, have great potential to continue to make contributions to society. Sun pointed out that some elderly people have the desire to show their value as well.

"A couple is now allowed to have three children in China, so the burden of taking care of them has become heavier, which generally requires the elderly to pitch in," said Sun. "Families who do not have the elderly to help out will welcome such services."

Sun said the emergence of the initiative not only proves that the elderly population should be valued, but also enriches an old Chinese saying, "Close neighbors are better than distant relatives." She added that, in modern society, residents of urban communities live close to each other, but have less interaction than before.

"Through the interaction between the elderly and the children, the bonds within the community become stronger. When residents support and help each other, the community becomes more cohesive," Sun noted.

Sun said promoting the program will be demanding for communities. "For example, the community needs to have the personnel and a place to operate the program. They need program managers, enthusiastic volunteers, and residents of similar social classes who trust each other," she added.

"To avoid safety concerns, it is necessary to clarify the responsibilities and guarantees of the government, communities and volunteers through standardized management and specific regulations," said Sun, adding that the creative model can produce positive results if managed well.