Mobile Creches supports one million children through workplace childcare
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
For 57 years, Mobile Creches has provided childcare for children of working parents in India, starting with makeshift centers at construction sites and expanding to factories, tea gardens, and other workplaces.
In Gurugram, Lalita, a care worker with Mobile Creches, welcomes 48 children each morning, assessing their needs and communicating with parents to ensure a smooth transition between home and the creche. Lalita prioritises a consistent daily routine, including meals, play, and learning, to create a safe and nurturing environment.
Mobile Creches prioritizes safety through controlled access and detailed records, and also engages parents through meetings focused on nutrition, safety, and child development. The organization has expanded beyond construction sites to serve families in diverse settings, providing full-day care that accommodates parents' work schedules, unlike many traditional Anganwadis which operate for only half a day. Mobile Creches’ work in Odisha demonstrated that well-run creches can improve children’s nutritional status and health outcomes.
CEO Sumitra Mishra believes that childcare is essential economic infrastructure, and advocates for recognizing and training childcare workers as skilled professionals. By 2032, Mobile Creches aims to support 7 million children and ensure half of all childcare workers are skilled and certified, building a sustainable and equitable system of early childhood care in India.
