Life lessons

Zhang Yan, a professor at Beijing Normal University, argues that instead of pumping more money into facilities or expecting immediate action from the government, the emphasis should be on improving parents' awareness of child safety issues.

"It's hard to change the system quickly, but it will make a big difference if parents realize they should keep an eye on their children and teach children to be more careful about the traffic and about being in a new environment," she said. "You shouldn't think all migrant workers' children should live the same life as urban children. Most are happy with the status quo."

The professor has been studying the education of migrant workers' children for about 10 years.

"Livelihood is always the priority for migrant workers, and there is nothing wrong in the children seeing their parents' real life and the hardship of making money," she said.

Cao Yin and Yan Ran contributed to this story.