Ensuring safe and secure environs for your kid

Tiny tots are usually the compromised side when they have working parents. For them, their world is restricted to caretakers in ‘day-care centres’ or crèches, which have mushroomed all over the City. Parents too take their risk when leaving their child with strangers, purely based on trust.

Sacrificing a lot for the safe and secure future of their child, a lot of parents are leaving their kids in crèches. In such a situation it may not be necessary that every day care, (mostly run out of flats or small rooms) must be providing hygienic and good environment for the kid.

Therefore, Women and Child Development ministry has finalised a draft 'Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy' which will make registration and accreditation of such centres mandatory. For the first time it will put down guidelines for the curriculum and learning tools that children should be have.

“Till now, parents have been looking for cleanliness and hygiene in day care. But when government will set up required standards, then parents will definitely look for those kind of facilities also,” says Namrata Kumar (name changed), who runs a day care centre in Vasundhara Enclave. “Right now, we are trying to give a homely environment to the children – from giving food timely to making them sleep in AC rooms. I hope new rules and regulations do not demand more than the basic comfort of the kid.”

As of now, there is no regulation to monitor the quality of service being provided. So, the new guidelines will lay down requisites like the kind of play material, play space and furniture to be provided at such facilities. The policy will also specify minimum qualification required for employment at such centres.

Shivani, who has recently opened Swann Day Care Centre in Dwarka says, that registration should not be mandatory for those dealing with four-five kids. “Those centres which are catering to atleast 40 kids should be counted under government guidelines. Small centres are already working as per the demand of the parent. Their callous approach can affect the entire business.”

Another day care centre owner in Noida, Charu Mehta says, “Since parents are educated, they inspect the day care properly before sending their child. They are worried when handing over their ward. I don’t think the new guidelines will change the working of day care centres as they are already giving good services. Now we will have to pay a registration fees.”