Council of Women hail new childcare centre standards

The National Council of Women has welcomed the publication of national standards for child day-care facilities, saying it is timely "that we move from theory to action".

"The improvement grant for current centres together with adequate time frames for compliance are both necessary to ensure investment in these facilities is ongoing," it said.

NCW said it supports the involvement of parents because the link with the family is crucial in particular when dealing with children of an early age.

"These standards will serve to create a new attitude and more opportunities for parents to acquire skills in an integrated approach regarding the role of parenthood and the family," the council added.

It augured the guidelines will act as an incentive for the private sector to increase participation in private-public partnership schemes in supporting or setting up childcare facilities.

"It is also important to monitor developments and to evaluate the social and economic impact of these measures and to ensure that the necessary steps are taken so that the much needed childcare centres are accessible and affordable to both women and men from all sectors of society," the NCW said.