Gov’t to create safe space for children – to launch day and night care services

The government will soon be launching a new ‘day and night’ care programme to create a safe place for the nation’s children, and avenues for women to be gainfully employed.

This is an initiative that was conceptualised by Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud who said that the programme will assist women in the workforce to have a trusted facility for child care.

This is part of the PPP/C’s manifesto (2020-2025) under “Empowering women and taking care of children and vulnerable groups” where it commits to ‘encourage and assist in the establishment of daycare centres for working women in the social sector.

“Night care is a newer concept because I understand the dilemma of many women who work, and they have nowhere to leave their children. So, we want to make sure that the spaces, whether day or night, are safe and that the persons who are offering these services are trained.”

This announcement was made by the minister on Monday at a community outreach held at Marks Supermarket, Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara.

The programme is currently in its embryonic stage and is being rolled out through a collaborative effort of the ministry’s Women Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) training programme, and the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA).

Women participating in the WIIN child care course will undergo comprehensive training that caters to all the needs of the child.

The minister relayed that a newer concept of child care training will be implemented in early childhood development, and care for special needs children.

The CCPA’s role in the programme is geared to have trained and licenced child care providers registered with the agency. This will satisfy the standards required by the agency. By having this done, the ministry will be able to provide a list of approved ‘day and night’ care providers.

Additionally, persons interested in establishing care centres will be supported by the ministry with small financial provisions to ensure the facility is running efficiently.

Persons interested in being a part of this programme can engage CCPA’s Assistant Director, Tionna October, who will provide assistance on the application process.