In Taipei, the growth rate is the lowest in the country (less than 20 thousand children born in one year). To encourage parents to have children, the government gives a subsidy of NT$ 20,000 for every newborn. Experts in the field this bonus is not enough to actually encourage families to grow and other incentives are being investigated.

Child care

There are many public and private kindergartens and preschool's in Taiwan.

Many private preschool's offer accelerated courses to compete with less expensive public preschool's. Curriculum often encompasses subject material such as science, art, physical education and even mathematics classes. There has been a boom in English immersion preschool's. These preschool's generally employ native English speaking teachers to teach the whole preschool curriculum in an "English only" environment. There has been a question whether such young children should be exposed to all English for fear of them losing their mother tongue. The majority of these schools are part of a chain.

Rates

Child care costs range depending on the program of the school and skill level of the care giver. NT$10,000 per month is a good estimate of cost for public child care centres in rural areas, with prices soaring to NT$40,000 per month in cities.

Babysitting

Babysitting is usually a less formal arrangement then child care. For temporary or short-term child care, babysitting may be more desirable. This duty is often given to a close friend or neighbour versus a total stranger.

Online Forums, bulletin boards, or even in the yellow pages are good places to look for help. Networking and asking friends and family can also be an effective way to find someone, with the added bonus of the babysitter already having a good reference.

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