Training for day, night care personnel to commence soon

The government through the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security is moving ahead with the construction of day and night care early childhood centres and training of personnel to man the facilities will begin shortly.

Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud made the disclosure during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), on Thursday last.

Some$100 million was earmarked in budget 2023 for the construction of day and night care early childhood centres to further support parents in the workforce.
 
“That training will commence within a month and this follows on the heels of the budget announcement that we are going to be constructing day and night care early childhood centres,” the minister related.

Minister Persaud said the ministry is in the planning and design stages for the centres that are to be constructed.

The centres aim to create a safe place for the nation’s children, and avenues for women to be gainfully employed. The initiative will also ensure access to trusted facilities for children.

“That should get underway soon but we have to train persons in existing institutions. Manual and policies are being worked on right now and we will be rolling out that shortly,” she disclosed.

In the meantime, the ministry is ensuring existing centres are operating within the required standard.
 “We’re also following up on the heels of licensing [and] registering existing day care facilities to ensure that they’re compliant with basic minimum standards,” Dr Persaud noted.

The centres being constructed are part of the ministry’s Day and Night Care Programme which is being rolled out through the collaborative efforts of the Women Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) training programme, and the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA).