THE DEMAND for children’s day care facilities continues to outstrip Government’s ability to cater to that demand.
Minister of Family, Culture, Sports and Youth Stephen Lashley said that based on the applications coming to the Child Care Board, there was a significant demand to satisfy.
However, he pledged Government’s commitment to the task of expanding existing nurseries and developing new ones.
While speaking at the reopening ceremony yesterday of the Child Care Board’s Ellerton Day Nursery, the minister revealed that late last year the board and the National Housing Corporation (NHC) completed a tour of a number of nurseries to look at the possibility of extending some of them.
The minister attributed this demand to the provision of efficient, yet affordable, day care services by Government.
Lashley said: “The extension and renovation of this nursery are indicative of Government’s unswerving commitment to good day care facilities. Government nurseries are not merely child-minding centres but represent ‘a home away from home’ for children whose parents and relatives cannot care for them during the day.”
The renovated facility at Ellerton was completed with the help of the Barbados Children’s Trust (BCT), which assisted the Child Care Board.
Maureen Graham, the board’s chairman, called on corporate Barbados to follow suit.
“We keep talking about the waiting list of 3 000. The figure seems to be constant because as the children move up more are being registered, and we cannot accommodate them even though there is a need. We would appreciate it if corporate Barbados and non-governmental organizations can partner with us so that we can try and see how best we can do something towards reducing that number,” she said.
Graham announced plans for future collaborations with the trust, which will involve extensive work to be done at the Nightengale facility, where the main building will be refurbished and a children’s village created.
“With the help of the BCT, we will create a day care facility for children with disabilities, where we can move our children who are at Haynesville into this newly outfitted building customized for their needs,” she said.
Meanwhile, BCT director Yvonne Brewer explained that for the next 18 to 24 months the trust would be solely focused on the creation of the state-of-the-art facility at Nightengale.
For the time being, Graham explained that expansion work on existing nurseries would start initially at the Sayes Court and Marion Hall facilities after discussions with the NHC. (LK)