National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) Hospital remains committed to fostering a supportive workplace, with a core focus on balancing employees’ work and life needs. As part of this commitment, the hospital has repurposed the Zhixing Building in the Xinmin campus to establish a childcare center for staff’s children. This facility provides convenient, high-quality childcare services to healthcare workers. Supported by funds from the Executive Yuan’s “Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program” for establishing child-friendly spaces, the childcare center offers a safe environment for children under two years old, enhancing recruitment and retention of staff by alleviating childcare concerns.
After 2 years and 9 months of planning and renovation, the center officially opened today (26th) with a ceremony attended by Ministry of Health and Welfare Department of Social Affairs Secretary Tien Ji-Wu, Deputy Director Chou Hsin-Yi from Yilan County Social Affairs Bureau, NYCU Hospital Superintendent Yang Chun-Hao, Deputy Superintendent Chou Ying-Cheng, Chairman Lin Yi-Hao of the New Taipei City Infant and Childcare Development Association, and Chairwoman Kuo Shu-Chuan of the Yilan County Association for Infant and Early Childhood Education, among other representatives. Superintendent Yang emphasized that the hospital is dedicated to creating a quality childcare environment, hoping that this initiative will ease the transition for staff returning to work and make NYCU Hospital an attractive, family-friendly employer.
Superintendent Yang further noted that the childcare center enables faster workplace reintegration for medical staff after childbirth and fulfills the hospital’s social responsibility. Besides the government subsidies, the hospital has invested additional funds to enhance the facilities, providing a high-quality childcare environment that meets the developmental needs of infants and toddlers under two years old, thereby offering real support to medical staff and their families.
Wen-Yu Wu, a staff member and beneficiary, expressed her gratitude, noting that her second pregnancy resulted in twins and that public childcare options are limited in Yilan County, making it challenging to secure public childcare placements. The childcare service provided by the hospital significantly eases her parenting stress. She highlighted the convenience of the hospital location and the affordable fees, aligned with public childcare standards, allowing her to better balance work and family, reducing both childcare stress and economic burden and substantially enhancing the value of a supportive workplace.
Set to begin operations in October, the NYCU Hospital childcare center will be managed by the New Taipei City Infant and Childcare Development Association, which has extensive experience and excellent ratings in corporate and public childcare services. The center includes three activity rooms, a health room with nursing facilities, a washroom, and a separate kitchen. Parents can use a dedicated mobile app to stay updated on their children’s activities in real time, enhancing timely communication between the hospital and families. The first cohort will accommodate 36 infants and toddlers, with a teacher-child ratio of 1:4, surpassing the regulatory requirement of 1:5. The hospital is also applying for subsidies from the Ministry of Health and Welfare to establish Yilan County’s first government-subsidized, privately operated childcare center for staff’s children, with monthly fees aligned with public childcare standards in Yilan, reducing financial strain and supporting a work-life balance.
This childcare initiative not only enhances employee benefits but also supports families with dual needs for childcare and employment, underscoring the hospital’s forward-thinking approach to talent management. In the future, NYCU Hospital will continue to implement more family-friendly measures, allowing healthcare staff to work confidently while maintaining a balanced family life, further strengthening the hospital’s competitive advantage as a quality employer.
