In search of suitable crèche

FUNMILAYO AREMU and ADEOLA OTEMADE report that parents face a dilemma in putting their babies in crèches and day care centres due to the risks involved despite, in some cases, approval and supervision from appropriate government agencies while also noting the increase in unapproved centres, while continue to operate uninhindered.

Janet (not real name), a civil servant, recently moved to a new site with her husband and was faced with the need to get a crèche for their nine-month-old baby in order to resume work without stress. After a little search, she found a place in the neighbourhood, but the place looked a little untidy and in bad condition, which she found at unsuitable for her baby.

However, the need to beat traffic and report in her office punctually, coupled with the urgency of the situation made her enrol her baby there.

After some months, she noticed that her baby’s sleeping pattern had changed drastically and he had started falling sick. So, she took him to another crèche about five kilometres away from her home. Ironically, after a while, she observed the transformation in his sleeping habits had changed, while his health also improved.

This discovery set Janet thinking about the two crèches. Was the change in her baby’s condition a coincidence or was there something more to it?

Many mothers, from their experiences often believe there is something fishy in such situations.

Unfortunately, searching for a crèche for a baby is a necessity. Mothers, out of this necessity often look for places to keep their babies when they go to work. Those who are lucky often have their mothers playing the role of nanny. Those who don’t have their mothers around have to find a place and someone to fill the gap, a service that creches hope to provide.

In the early formative years of children, the environment in which they learn and grow is of paramount importance and could affect them adversely or positively.

Sunday Tribune investigation, however,  revealed that there are two categories of crèches; the standard crèche and the sub-standard ones often patronised by those who could not afford the cost of the standard ones due to the current economic situation.

Sunday Tribune discovered that the current economic situation was the reason some people opened substandard crèches and day care centres in their private houses for pecuniary gains, not for the love of children. During a visit to one of the neighbourhood crèches, it was discovered that the facility was in a bad state which might not be conducive and safe enough for young children.

 

The kind of environment our children need

However, despite the economic hardship, some mothers could afford to enrol their children in crèches with good facilities and safety measures in place. Sunday Tribune spoke with them to find out what informed their decisions factors.

According to Mrs Esther Agbaje, a businesswoman, some things have to be taken into consideration before she could enrol her child in any day care centre.

“I have to make sure it is a safe environment with safety measures in place and proper hygiene observed. I have to be able to trust the crèche and not worry about my child’s safety.

“There have been rumours of some second-rate day care centres giving babies sleeping pills so that they sleep all through the day till their parents come for them. So, I have to really trust the employees before I can enrol my child in any crèche, no matter how beautiful or attractive it may look,” she opined.

For Mrs Kuforiji Adedoyin, a make-up artist, she is very particular about her child’s welfare and cannot enrol her at a substandard crèche.

“My child attends an accredited day care where I have access to monitor her activities 24/7. Aside from security cameras and communication books which we get to access everyday as parents, there are good facilities in place to ensure the children are well engaged physically.

“I feel that aside getting a good day care for one’s kids, one also have to pay attention to the employees too (the guardians). Are they certified in child care? Are they passionate about their jobs? Also, how many babies are in their care at a go? It shouldn’t be all about having a lot of kids enrolling. It has a lot to do with every child’s individuality and peculiarity. They have to be tendered and nurtured with full attention”, she explained.

Regulation and supervision

Regulations of crèches differ from state to state. In most states across Nigeria, they are either under the supervision of Ministry of Education or under Women affairs ministry. For example in Kwara State, crèches and day-care centres are under the supervision of the Ministry of Women Affairs. The procedure is for the creche operator to notify the ministry, which will then its official to visit the site or locations of applicants after which an approval is given if all requirements were fulfilled.

Requirements include space for playground, amusement and training and instructional items and utensils, among others.The visit of the ministry officials is also used to determine category of the site and appropriate registration fees. There are three categories, namely category A which attracts a fee of N20,000; category B attracts N15,000 and category C attracts N10,000, while the applicants must obtain a registration form for N2,000.

These conditions and requirements are similar to what happens in Ekiti State, except that crèches and day care centres are under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and a sum of N80,000 must be paid into the coffers of the ministry as inspection and application fees.

Also, apart from the stipulated fees, the ministry also requires three years tax clearance and an approved building plan from the proprietor before the final certificate would be issued.

In addition, only six months initial approval is given, which could be renewed or withdrawn depending on the level of compliance by the proprietor.

 

What we do in creche

In order to ascertain what running a creche entails, Sunday Tribune spoke with some crèche owners. Mrs Alright Seember of Sese Cradle in Oluyole area of Ibadan, Oyo State, explained that it is not just about the business of operating a creche love and passion about the welfare of babies must be paramount.

“First, you need to know and love the day care business; you have to be passionate about babies. You need a good facility that has running water, good toilets, safe environment, freezer, good ventilation, a good team of staff, people who are willing to work and take care of babies, your team of staff must be mentally and physically fit for the job.

“There are also a lot of procedures and requirements to meet before a crèche can be run. It includes licensing and obtaining a permit from the state government, registration with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), educational requirements; training and certification, infrastructure; fun activities and equipment like safety, toys, good toilet and good location. There is also staffing requirements which is the number of babies to a minder,” she elucidated.

According to Oyekanmi Iyabo, who also runs a crèche:“there are lots of things to put into consideration before starting up a crèche; the crèche is supposed to be a second home. The environment must be friendly, those who run crèches should have a mother-like spirit, you are dealing with tender lives and one must see them as one’s own children.

“To run a crèche, you need a licence from Women Affairs, Ministry Of Education, people from welfare would come to check where the crèche is situated, and if the environment is clean, well-ventilated, beautiful, and with lots of toys. It’s really hard work, and it is only a passion-driven soul that can run a crèche,” she said.

For Temmy Adedehinbo, running a crèche entails passion for the job, as she believes some are into it because they feel there is money involved.

“The individual that wants to run a crèche should be a mother and a person driven with passion. Some are into the business because of the money involved. But it’s more than that. The lives of the babies are in your hands. The parents trust you enough to entrust their babies with you.

 

 Risks of substandard crèches

Mrs Seember believes that parents run the risk of enrolling their children in substandard crèche. “Some of the risks parents get are abuse, infection from dirty environments and unclean practices, lack of care and attention.

“In my crèche, beating or abusing the babies is not allowed; on no account are the staff allowed to use negative words on the kids. We also do our very best to make sure the babies have a clean and healthy environment to avoid making them fall sick, washing our hands after cleaning them up and washing our hands before feeding them.

“We make sure we give them care and attention. We pay close attention to what mood the baby comes into the crèche with; we have four children to a minder, that way, we are able to take care of the babies.

“Caring for these little ones is usually not easy but having the right mind set, environment and team makes it easy,” she explained.

 

• Additional stories by Biola Azeez and Yemi Ayeleso