House maids Vs day care facilities
Jan 11, 2008
SOME parents swear they can never take their children to day care centres because children are mistreated. Yet others have found solace in these centres because they are assured of their children’s safety.
By Charity Kalebbo
SOME parents swear they can never take their children to day care centres because children are mistreated. Yet others have found solace in these centres because they are assured of their children’s safety.
“Whenever I take my baby to the day care she returns with flu and cough. Now I think the maids maybe the better devil,†says Stella Kabatangare, a mother of two, who is against the idea of taking children below three years to school.
“I can say I was forced to take my child to a daycare centre by the horrible behaviour of maids. I had hired over six maids in two months but my baby did not look healthy. Then one day I returned home impromptu and found my sixth maid slapping my baby. That was it with maids. I decided my baby would go to a day care because I was sick and tired of maids,†says Rachel Nakajju a mother of three. Nakajju said although it was expensive having all her three children in school, her calculation was that having two maids was even more costly than taking the children to daycare. “If you look at the hospital cost coupled with the money you pay the maids per month you may find that you save by taking your children to a good day care,†she said.
Nakajju explained that although good day cares are hard to come by, there are a few that really do a perfect job.
Ordinarily a six-month-old baby should be home with their mother. Unfortunately the job dictates that the mother leaves her baby as early as three months. Moreover, it is increasingly hard for parents to find good maids with whom to leave their children. So where is the solution?
There are several options numerous parents have tried out, one being a relative who comes and lives with the family and others being nursery and day care centres.
Although some parents complain that in day care centres, children pick up all kinds of diseases, this does not apply to all of them.
When asked about children’s safety and ensuring children do not contract diseases from school, Sylvia Gasisi, the Director of Babies Nest Kindergarten in Nsambya, said supervising the teachers and children and ensuring safety and health is key.
She says the people working there must have a passion for children. “I was prompted to start a kindergarten because of a maid who threw a stick at my last born. By the time I came to the rescue of my daughter, blood was oozing from her back. The doctor says we were only lucky the stick did not hit her backbone because she would have become lame or died,†she said.
From that incident Gasisi made up her mind she wanted to help other parents who were going through difficult situations similar to hers.
The story behind why someone started the day care centre may help you determine whether they will look after your child. You should also know what activities are planned for the children.
According to the Ministry of Education guidelines, children below four years are not supposed to be given a lot of school work. They should be left to play and parents should only take their children to schools with a license from the Ministry.
Ruth Nabasa of Jack and Jill, Kabalagala says, a good day care should have enough space for the children to play. It must also provide a balanced diet in the children’s meals and develop a child’s skills. Of course there are many things to consider but once you have decided to take your child to “schoolâ€, let it be the right school.
NOTE:
A day care is a place where infants are looked after. A day care normally enrols children of four months to three years.
A nursery school is a pre-primary education centre where children are introduced to reading and writing and learning about their environment.
A kindergarten is a combination of a day care and nursery school.
SOME parents swear they can never take their children to day care centres because children are mistreated. Yet others have found solace in these centres because they are assured of their children’s safety.
“Whenever I take my baby to the day care she returns with flu and cough. Now I think the maids maybe the better devil,†says Stella Kabatangare, a mother of two, who is against the idea of taking children below three years to school.
“I can say I was forced to take my child to a daycare centre by the horrible behaviour of maids. I had hired over six maids in two months but my baby did not look healthy. Then one day I returned home impromptu and found my sixth maid slapping my baby. That was it with maids. I decided my baby would go to a day care because I was sick and tired of maids,†says Rachel Nakajju a mother of three. Nakajju said although it was expensive having all her three children in school, her calculation was that having two maids was even more costly than taking the children to daycare. “If you look at the hospital cost coupled with the money you pay the maids per month you may find that you save by taking your children to a good day care,†she said.
Nakajju explained that although good day cares are hard to come by, there are a few that really do a perfect job.
Ordinarily a six-month-old baby should be home with their mother. Unfortunately the job dictates that the mother leaves her baby as early as three months. Moreover, it is increasingly hard for parents to find good maids with whom to leave their children. So where is the solution?
There are several options numerous parents have tried out, one being a relative who comes and lives with the family and others being nursery and day care centres.
Although some parents complain that in day care centres, children pick up all kinds of diseases, this does not apply to all of them.
When asked about children’s safety and ensuring children do not contract diseases from school, Sylvia Gasisi, the Director of Babies Nest Kindergarten in Nsambya, said supervising the teachers and children and ensuring safety and health is key.
She says the people working there must have a passion for children. “I was prompted to start a kindergarten because of a maid who threw a stick at my last born. By the time I came to the rescue of my daughter, blood was oozing from her back. The doctor says we were only lucky the stick did not hit her backbone because she would have become lame or died,†she said.
From that incident Gasisi made up her mind she wanted to help other parents who were going through difficult situations similar to hers.
The story behind why someone started the day care centre may help you determine whether they will look after your child. You should also know what activities are planned for the children.
According to the Ministry of Education guidelines, children below four years are not supposed to be given a lot of school work. They should be left to play and parents should only take their children to schools with a license from the Ministry.
Ruth Nabasa of Jack and Jill, Kabalagala says, a good day care should have enough space for the children to play. It must also provide a balanced diet in the children’s meals and develop a child’s skills. Of course there are many things to consider but once you have decided to take your child to “schoolâ€, let it be the right school.
NOTE:
A day care is a place where infants are looked after. A day care normally enrols children of four months to three years.
A nursery school is a pre-primary education centre where children are introduced to reading and writing and learning about their environment.
A kindergarten is a combination of a day care and nursery school.