The County Government of Nakuru in collaboration with the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), is in the process of establishing a daycare centre at Kaptembwo Primary school.
The County Executive for Education (CEC), Francis Mwangi, said the daycare centre would assist young mothers in the informal settlement area to leave their babies in a safe and secure place and work to augment their families’ incomes.
He said it will act as a daycare model to be replicated all over the County and ensure that babies and young children are left under the care of trained and supervised helpers.
Mwangi added that the daycare centre would also act as an affordable Early Childhood Education and Child Care centre, and the meals of the babies and children would be catered for by the county government.
He said: “The daycare centre will allow women ample opportunities to seek jobs knowing that their children are safe and at peace instead of leaving them with untrained house helps.”
Additionally, he said the daycare centre will also act as a high-quality training institution for caregivers or house helps who might wish to seek employment somewhere else.
The Education Executive commended the APHRC for their support and novel idea that will revolutionize how babies and young children should be supported for proper growth and support vulnerable families.
Moreover, he said the county government through the childcare bill was seeking to establish rules, laws and regulations governing the protection of children in the private childcare centres and daycare units.
Also, he said once the pending bill at the Nakuru Assembly gets passed it would create proper regulations and a smooth working environment for the welfare of babies who are left at other private childcare centres since currently they are neither standardized nor regulated.
