Haryana State Creche Policy-2022

The Women and Child Development Department of Haryana issued a notification on 21st July, 2023, by introducing the Haryana State Creche Policy-2022. The following are the salient Features of the Haryana State Creche Policy-2022.

Empowering Women and Fostering Equality

This policy says that the Investments in Early Childhood Development programs have been revealed to be powerful catalysts in advancing gender equality. By recognizing the importance of sharing childcare responsibilities, these initiatives pave the way for increased female workforce participation. Liberating women from the constraints of childcare obligations not only fosters gender parity but also opens up doors of opportunities for them to pursue their career aspirations and contribute meaningfully to society’s growth.

A child’s formative years are critical in shaping their cognitive, emotional, and social development. These well-structured programs lay a strong foundation for children, equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and values necessary to become capable and productive individuals in the future.

The following are the Norms and Services of the Creche:

1. These include ensuring a nurturing and inclusive environment, day-care facilities with
   sleeping arrangements, three nutritious meals a day, age-appropriate stimulation and
   learning materials, monitoring the growth of children, providing medical check-ups and
   immunizations, remaining open for 8 hours a day, and ensuring safety and security
   through entry cards for parents and staff members.
2. The creches will also be equipped with materials for complementary nutrition, cleaning,
   personal hygiene, and medical aid, along with appropriate furniture and play equipment
   for the children’s age group and number.
3. The Creches shall remain open for 8 hours a day, for 26 days a month. The community
   will decide on the off days and timings of the creche.
4. Special care should be taken to keep the children safe and secure at the centre and Entry
   cards shall be issued to parents and staff members.
5. Adequate materials for cleaning should be provided at the centre like soap, phenyl,
   disinfectants etc.
6. Maintaining cleanliness of the toilets, dining area, activity area and all the surroundings,
   especially at the corners, is necessary.
7. The water taps should be placed at a height which can be easily accessed by the children
   independently.
8. Age-appropriate curriculum will be transacted in all creches. For this, all creche workers
   will be given training. Age-appropriate teaching learning kits focussing on holistic
   development of children will be made available.
9. Learning corners will be designed for ensuring a child friendly environment as well as
   continued learning of kids.
10. For Children aged above 3 years, theme-based worksheets will also be provided.

Essential elements of Creche and Day-care facility, Haryana

Location/Premises & Infrastructure: It is important to locate the creche in premises which are easily accessible to the children and community, structurally safe and have adequate space and infrastructure to respond to the needs of young children. Special attention should be given to ensure safe drinking water,
drainage and sanitation facilities and adequate light and ventilation. The space should be arranged in a manner that it allows flexibility in organizing multiple activities like sleeping, feeding, playing and should be creatively and attractively designed to enable a favourable and welcoming environment. In case, the current creches pace is not adequate or inappropriate then it should be shifted to a new location as per the creche infrastructure guidelines. The concentration should be more on the available government structures like primary school, community centre or a chaupal, Panchayat Bhawan etc.

Provision of Rent for creche Infrastructure:

1. For Urban settings/locations – Maximum up to INR 15,000/
2. For Rural settings – Maximum up to INR 5000/- • If there is no infrastructure available at the identified location for a creche then new construction can be done.
3. If there is no infrastructure available at the identified location for a creche then new construction can be done.
4. Human Resource Trained personnel from the local community should be preferred. Recommended child: worker ratio 1:25. Leave Provision: Provision of annual casual leave for creche workers / Helpers will be provide as per the Haryana government norms. Retirement: The retirement age for creche workers would be 58 years.
5. It is important that certain basic material is available for creche workers to discharge their activities efficiently. Focus should be given to provide low-cost, easily available environment-friendly materials which are culturally acceptable.
6. Nutrition and Feeding Supplementary nutrition for age-appropriate government guidelines should be provided with adherence for hygienic practices during storage, preparation and feeding. Locally available and culturally acceptable food items should be used to prepare the hot cooked meal as also the two snacks.
7. It is important to follow hygienic practices such as washing hands, wiping noses, sanitizing toys and all equipment to minimize infections. In addition, regular medical check-ups should be undertaken and recorded regularly in the health card. Age-appropriate immunization is necessary in close coordination with the local health functionaries.

Classroom transactions: It is of utmost importance to ensure a nurturing and responsive environment to conduct age and developmentally appropriate activities in the classroom. The worker should conduct varied activities through a balanced daily schedule which encourages children to explore and play without pressure and any restriction. A holistic approach should be adopted to ensure all domains of development which should include appropriate skills for school readiness.

Monitoring and Supervision: Regular monitoring and supervision of centre records & program activities by the supervisor with community oversight is to be ensured. The supervisor should make regular visits and provide support to the child care worker through problem solving and mentoring.

Stakeholder participation: Regular dialogue/meetings with the parents should be ensured for feedback and sharing of children’s progress. It is also essential to ensure a robust community awareness program for forging links/advocating on issues important to the community. A Creche Management Committee should be set up. Linkages with the local PHC, AWC, primary school and other institutions is critical.

Monitoring and Supportive Supervision Framework: Creche supervision and support must be done through human interface on a regular basis. It is recommended that the supervision is done at least once in a fortnight.

Governance and Convergence: Given the multi-sectoral nature of interventions, services, and line agencies required to deliver desired outcomes, the governance framework must be comprehensive and be accompanied by an accountability matrix that delineates the specific contributions of each professional agency and ministry involved. These need to be smoothly interfaced with the current policy. Regulatory, operational and financial convergence between these related schemes and programmes must be achieved for optimal utilization of resources.

Capacity Building and Accreditation: Professionalization of all ECD personnel is essential for ensuring quality of ECD service provisions and is essential for the universalization of Creches and Day-care facilities. The policy commits to professionalize the ECD sector by developing a comprehensive training and skills development plan for different levels of ECD professionals in the State along with assuring adequate remuneration and good and working environment at each level.

Information Systems: National norms for collecting most relevant and real time data for decision-making must be used to ensure effective response where progress is lagging. The use of Information Technology to improve data collection and record keeping must be encouraged to ensure limited burden on frontline professionals delivering services. Technology must also be used to enable comprehensive mother and child cards covering the full spectrum of services under ECD for regular monitoring and for accountability to all children. Special strategies need to be devised for using the information system for reaching out to children in hard to reach areas and difficult circumstances.

Mobile/web-based Monitoring: In addition to the above monitoring, State Governments will make provision for Mobile/web-based Monitoring by which the activity at the individual creche can be
monitored in real-time.

Monitoring by State Government and Independent Agencies: A uniform format may be prepared for the State and Monitoring Agencies. This will enable to ascertain that the basic minimum requirements are being met with in each creche centre. The Monitoring Agency must review the centres in all their aspects, referring to the guidelines in particular.