24 Hour Childcare Centers: The Need of the Hour

chillibreeze writer — A S

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It's 4pm, time for Arya's mother Pooja to leave for work, a BPO in Gurgaon. But this was a part of Pooja's routine three years ago when she had not quit her job. She quit after Arya was born. With nuclear families becoming the norm in India, it's very common for working women sacrificing their career on the altar of motherhood and family. Pooja says she could have continued working had there been a 24-hour childcare facility available as her husband Anand also does not have fixed work timings.

With a surge in the number of jobs due to IT boom, many people are now taking up call centre and ITES related work. But it's a race against time for such married working women who have erratic work hours. If such parents have a nuclear family, then going the family way becomes their last priority. Availability of a 24-hour childcare center acts as a boon for such couples. Most of the day-care centers wind up the day's work by 7.30 pm. And in today's corporate culture, leaving work by this time is not so easy, keeping the commuting time in mind apart from grappling with cut-throat competition and unrealistic deadlines.

It's time for day-care centers to evolve and extend their timings. Getting a 9-5 job in private sector with a hefty pay package is a luxury these days. At times, those in corporate world may have some engagements after normal work hours. But looking at the childcare center timings, they often cannot be a part of the program. And when the mother cannot manage the demanding work schedules, she quits. Most of the couples are opting for a single child today and rearing a single child has its own problems especially when parents do not have enough time to spend with the child. This is when childcare centers come to the aid of such parents."Leaving a child in the childcare center is better than keeping him at home with a nanny. At a childcare center, a child will learn to interact with other children. You cannot always trust a full-time maid at home," says Manoj Babu, owner of the only 24-hour childcare center in Delhi, Care Plus.

A child is safer in a childcare center than at home with a caregiver, especially when there is no adult to monitor them. Another advantage of keeping a child in a childcare center is the cost factor. Keeping a nanny can prove to be heavy on the pocket. At times, it's sad to see when highly qualified working women leave their jobs after a child as looking after the family and children becomes their first priority. A promising career comes to an end, resulting in the loss of income generated by the women community. This trend also prevents women from reaching the higher rung in their profession. Though a 24- hour childcare center is not common yet, it's bound to become so. For cities like Bangalore and Mumbai, 24-hour childcare center is not a new thing, though it will take some time to be a part of the mainstream society.

 

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in May, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

 

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—About our writer: AS has over six years experience in the newspaper industry. Editing and writing on varied topics are her strengths. At present, she is working with a leading newspaper in Delhi and is armed with Print Journalism PG diploma from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi. She would like to take up content writing, article writing, report writing, newsletter writing, research-based writing and editing.

 

 

 

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