Makati puts up 2 daycare centers for working parents

MANILA, Philippines - The Makati City government has opened two daycare centers for children of working couples unable to hire nannies.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said the establishment of the child care centers was conceptualized to provide a safe and appropriate environment for children from ages two to four whose parents have to go to work and need a safe place to leave their children.

“We are very much committed to looking after the welfare and development of the children here in Makati, including the very young ones. We want to make sure that they are properly guided and well taken care of in a safe environment while their parents are at work,” he said.

The two child care centers are in Barangay Kasilawan for District 1 and in Barangay Rizal for District 2. At present, the facilities have 16 wards and 33 wards, respectively.

The centers are open from 6:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, to give parents ample time to fetch their children after work. Each child care center is managed by two trained daycare workers.

To qualify for the child care centers, a child must be a resident of Makati, has a solo parent or family with both parents working or looking for a job and no responsible adult left at home.

Applicants need to submit the following to the Makati social welfare department: an authenticated birth certificate, certificate of indigency issued by the MWSD, a Commission on Elections identification card or certificate for the parents, child information sheet and four 1x1 photos of the child.

The two and three-year-olds will be separated from the four-year-olds, who will undergo the same activities as those in the regular daycare program. Free books and uniforms are also given to the children so they would be familiar with them once they are ready to transfer to the regular daycare center.

To date, Makati has 38 regular daycare centers all over the city catering to some 4,422 enrollees – 1,961 in District 1 and 2,461 in District 2.