NEW DELHI: To provide comprehensive childcare in a safe and secure environment, the centre on Tuesday rolled out standards and protocols for setting up creches that will help foster the overall development of children in the country.
The idea behind coming out with the standards for setting up and management of creches is also to ensure women-led development and also to help it emerge into a new service sector that could provide job opportunities to women.
The Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry, which has formulated the standards, has also advised states and UTs to adopt them.
The protocol lists mandatory CCTV and access to it to parents/guardians so that they can monitor the crèche remotely from even their workplaces as one of the key safety features.
The national minimum standards and protocol for creches (operation and management) stipulates that these facilities may be provided from the age group of six months onwards and can be set up in office space, residential apartments, society, schools, hospitals, cooperative offices or any other place as per requirements.
“It is ideal to have crèche near the homes of children or the place of work of the parents/guardians so that parents/guardians can be contacted in case of emergencies,” said the document.
The ministry, which has listed 21 key points to be considered for setting up such creches, has said that these crèches should preferably be on the ground floor; timing should be demand-based and mutually decided by the crèche administration and parents/guardians as also the food provided to the children.
It also focuses on maintaining hygiene inside and outside the creches and providing safe drinking water.
Play materials and toys are to be provided to children along with audio-visual equipment wherever appropriate and feasible to stimulate age-appropriate learning and cognitive development, the document said.
The needs of specially-abled children should also be kept in mind; it is listed as one of the key features.
It also mentions that the crèche should provide age-appropriate educational activities to boost the child's holistic development.
The other safety features listed display essential and emergency numbers and also mandate that local police stations, women and child development/social welfare department, and the labour department have information about the location and details of the creches for safety purposes and information to be maintained by these offices.
“User charges may be collected by service provider based on services offered,” the document said.
The standards also list that apart from the crèche administrator and supervisor, parents of preferably three beneficiary children should be part of the creche administrative committee.
It also lists the number of staff, their qualification and prerequisites for hiring them, which include that the crèche supervisor should have a minimum class 12 pass while the helper should have a class 10 pass.
Apart from having medicine and first aid kits, these creches should maintain their records along with the visitors’ register.
Among the indicative items for setting up creches, the standards mention a weighing scale, ordinary/digital thermometer, growth monitoring device, height chart, fire extinguisher, torch, etc.
The protocol defines a creche as a care centre that provides a safe and nurturing environment for children while their parents or guardians are at work. These facilities prioritise the children’s health, offer supplementary nutritious meals, and maintain a secure and safe environment.