Daycare center, an option hardly considered in Bangladesh by parents even a few years ago, has become a necessity as number of working mothers are increasing rapidly.
To support working parents and help look after their children many day care centres have recently emerged in the city which mostly aim at giving quality care and offer secure environment that provides good learning opportunities for the children.
Bromley Bee Early Years, located in city’s Gulshan 1, is a UK - Bangladesh joint venture providing childcare for children aged between six months to six years. They work within the framework of Early Years foundation stage (EYFS UK) focusing on developing the prime and specific areas of each child’s learning.
The children spend their time learning through the employment of a variety of educational techniques. Every aspect of childcare from meals to hygiene to educational activities is supervised at the centre. There is also an outdoor space where the children can explore nature.
Sporsho Daycare Centre and Preschool established in 2013 at Uttara ensures the daylong care and safety of the children of working parents. An age-based curriculum for the children of daycare and an individual curriculum for pre-school kids are followed at the centre.
At the centre children remain involved with different activities, including painting and pasting, imaginative play and story, arts and crafts. “We focus on the mental development of children and provide all the necessary care required for the babies aging from six months to eight years,” said Siddiquatul Hoque, Director and Principal of Sporsho Daycare Centre and Preschool.
Stepping Stone Preschool and Daycare, run by five retired teachers of International School Dhaka (ISD), focuses on enabling learners to work independently at his/her own pace and ability. Their aim is to stimulate social, emotional, physical and cognitive well-being of learners to enable the holistic growth of the child.
“The children are taught different skills including fine motor skill and gross motor skill. We emphasize on teaching the kids practical life skills that prepare them to cope with any situation in a new environment,” said Sharmin Farooq Rita, Chairperson of Stepping Stone Preschool and Daycare. The daycare is located at Gulshan 2.
ABC Early Learning and Daycare Center, having a capacity of almost 45 kids, is located at Niketan. It was founded in 2017 by Sonia Akram who studied Early Childhood Development in Australia. “A framework of Early Childhood Development (ECD) is followed here that focuses on the achievement of five developments including physical, cognitive and social-emotional development among children. This daycare center has also recently launched training programs on early childhood development.
Kids Leadz Preschool and Daycare Center, located at Uttara, started its journey in 2010. They run a pre-schooling program for children aged from 18 months to five years and socialization program for special children. The kids spend their day being involved in different activities within a routine, including story-telling, music, arts and rhymes activities,” said Lina Ferdows, founder of this daycare.
ChildCheer Early Childhood Development Center located at Bansree, along with their main concern, early childhood development, also provides day care facilities for kids aging from six months and eight years. The kids aging from six months to two years spend their entire day learning, through 26 types of plays.
All the plays have different names and objectives and they are important for the overall development of a child. “Our intention is to introduce them to the academia and teach practical life skills through plays, explained Farhana Rashid, Founder and Executive Director of ChildCheer Early Childhood Development Center.
Although no actual estimate on the total number of daycare facilities could be known, the number of daycare centers in Dhaka could be around 100.
Most of the daycare centers had to close down temporarily due to the pandemic. But the daycare centers are currently running in full swing maintaining proper health guidelines as everything is getting back to normalcy. In fact, some owners informed that they had to reopen due to the request of parents as the children have become restless after being confined in their home for a long time due to the pandemic.
Apart from the commercially established centers, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWCA), some businesses, particularly garment factory owners, banks and NGOs also provide daycare facilities to their employees.