5.6.5 Childcare facilities for staff and faculty
In 2025, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) provided accessible childcare facilities for staff and faculty through the Sirindhorn Child Development Center 7, operated under the HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Ongkharak. This childcare facility was in place and operating throughout 2025.
The childcare facility supports SWU personnel with young children by providing a safe and supportive environment where their children can receive appropriate care, lunch provision, and early childhood learning and developmental activities at no additional cost. This service helps staff and faculty members balance their professional and childcare responsibilities while supporting their continued participation in university teaching, research, administration, healthcare, and other duties.
Sirindhorn Child Development Center 7
The Sirindhorn Child Development Center 7 provides childcare services for infants and young children aged 3 months to 3 years, covering an important period of early childhood when working parents often require regular and reliable childcare support.
The center provides an appropriate and secure childcare environment. Children are cared for by teachers and childcare staff, while activity rooms are air-conditioned and equipped with fully padded floor areas. CCTV cameras are installed in every room to enhance safety and provide an additional level of supervision.
As part of its childcare provision, the center also provides lunch for children, supporting their nutritional and daily care needs while they are at the center. Together with regular supervision and developmental activities, this provides a more comprehensive childcare environment for university personnel with young children.
These facilities enable SWU personnel with infants and young children to access childcare support within the university environment, helping reduce the practical challenges associated with combining employment and childcare.
Public Promotion and Discounted Childcare Access for SWU Personnel
The Sirindhorn Child Development Center 7 not only provides childcare services but also publicly promotes the availability of the service and discounted childcare fees for members of the SWU community.
The center's admission information for children aged 3 months to 3 years explicitly states that SWU students and personnel receive a THB 500 discount on childcare fees. Public promotion of this benefit ensures that eligible university personnel are aware of the childcare support available to them and demonstrates that SWU personnel are specifically entitled to access the service at a reduced cost.
The THB 500 discount for SWU personnel helps reduce the financial burden associated with childcare and improves the affordability of the service for university employees with young children. Accordingly, staff and faculty have paid for access to the childcare facility, with a discount for SWU personnel, rather than free access. (view source)
Pediatric Clinic and Child Health Support
In addition to childcare services, the HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center, of Srinakharinwirot University, operates a Pediatric Clinic on the first floor of the Medical Center. The clinic provides healthcare for children from birth to 15 years of age, complementing the University's childcare provision with child health and developmental support.
Services include general pediatric care, health examinations, vaccinations, growth and developmental assessments, parental guidance, and specialist pediatric care. A Well-Child Clinic also provides routine growth and developmental monitoring and age-appropriate vaccinations.
The availability of pediatric healthcare alongside the Child Development Center strengthens SWU's broader support system for personnel with children by addressing both childcare and child health needs. (view source)
Free Early Childhood Learning and Development Activities
In addition to regular childcare, the Sirindhorn Child Development Center 7 provides early childhood learning and developmental activities at no additional cost. These activities are designed to strengthen age-appropriate skills and support children's physical, emotional, social, cultural, and cognitive development.
The provision of these free developmental activities adds educational and developmental value to the childcare service. Children are not only cared for and supervised while their parents perform their university duties, but also have opportunities to learn, interact with others, develop age-appropriate skills, and participate in creative and cultural learning experiences without additional activity fees.
On 10 January 2025, the center organized activities for Thailand's National Children's Day 2025. The Director and administrators of the HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center presented gifts to the children and encouraged them to continue learning and developing their abilities. (view source)
On 5 November 2025, the center organized an experiential learning activity for young children as part of the annual Loy Krathong Festival. Children learned about Thai arts, culture, and traditions through age-appropriate activities including traditional dress, krathong-making, traditional games, and other creative learning experiences. (view source)
Together with lunch provision, these free learning and developmental activities demonstrate that the center provides more than basic childcare. It offers a supportive environment that addresses children's care, nutrition, learning, and developmental needs, while enabling their parents to continue fulfilling their professional responsibilities.
Supporting Staff and Faculty with Childcare Responsibilities
The Sirindhorn Child Development Center 7 forms part of SWU's institutional support for staff and faculty members with family responsibilities. By accepting children from as young as three months of age, providing a safe childcare environment, providing lunch, and offering early childhood learning and developmental activities at no additional cost, the center provides practical and comprehensive support for university personnel with young children.
SWU further improves access to childcare by publicly communicating the THB 500 childcare fee discount available to SWU personnel. This makes the support visible to eligible employees while helping reduce the financial burden associated with childcare.
The University's childcare provision is further complemented by pediatric healthcare services at the HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center, providing additional support for children's health, development, and well-being.
In relation to the Childcare Facilities for Staff and Faculty – Year 2025 criterion, the Sirindhorn Child Development Center 7 provides clear, publicly available evidence of the existence of childcare facilities for staff and faculty at SWU. The center provides childcare for children aged 3 months to 3 years and publicly promotes discounted childcare access for SWU personnel.
The center operates as a paid childcare facility with discounted access for SWU personnel, while providing additional support through lunch provision and early childhood learning and developmental activities at no additional cost. This distinction demonstrates that although the core childcare service is not free, families receive additional child development support without additional activity fees.
Together, the childcare facility, discounted access, lunch provision, free developmental activities, and complementary pediatric healthcare services help SWU staff and faculty members balance their professional and childcare responsibilities, demonstrating the University's commitment to providing an accessible and supportive working environment for personnel with young children.