Mobile Creches For Working Mother's Children for Working Mothers Children (MC) was an idea born out of compassion for children, indignation at their plight and the determination to drive change. The first Mobile Creche was set up in 1969, at a construction site near Rajghat, in Delhi. And the idea spread: from building sites to urban slums; from childcare services to training; and advocacy.
The main activities are:
Childcare at Construction: MC's enters a construction site and creates a little space of safety and security for little children. While the mothers and fathers are at work, MC makes sure that their children get to eat, learn, play, build relationships and grow, in an environment that is conducive to their overall development through two models:
(a) Direct delivery of Daycare: covers four prime components: Nutrition, Health & Hygiene, Early Learning & Education and Community Awarenes. In FY15, 4,549 children were reached through direct delivery of day care at 28 construction sites.
(b) Facilitation of Daycare services: Provides initial training and set-up of new Daycare centres. MC shoulders the responsibility for ongoing community programmes, supervision and motivation, and knowledge building of the workers.
(c) Day Care Tripartite: In FY15 MC evolved another channel to deliver childcare at construction site's through NGOs. Day care facilities are provided and run by other NGOs, under MC's supervision. MC provides the training and helps set up the day care programs. The model was successful in reaching out to 450 children during the year. MC reached a total of 10,939 children in FY15. Childcare in Urban Slums: MC works in seven urban settlements of Delhi reaching a population totalling 40,000. Partnering closely with the community, MC strives to bring change in childcare practices, build capacities for the provision of childcare services and raise informed demand for state services to improve the overall situation of the young child.
Till FY14 it reached children through two interventions:
(a) Parent Development Program (PDP): The focus in FY15 shifted from Family based interventions which they followed earlier to PDPs as they want to sensitize families to act on a collective level. MC created parent groups and had sessions with them on safety, protection, cleanliness, nutrition on ECD. Fathers too are playing an active role in these groups.
(b) Community based caches: MC, with support of stake holders like community, government and parents runs creches and provides affordable, quality childcare options in the neighbourhood. Currently MC is running 30 creche units in four urban settlements and has reached out to 1,146 children under the age of six. MC trains women to run their own craches too.
Other Programs: include empowering the youth, women & the community, training of child care workers, providing training to build management skills for running craches to other NGO's. It has also actively engaged with government functionaries and conducted training programs for them.
