The caregivers practices are divided in to 8 thematic areas based on their regaular routine and set of practices were kept under each thematic area.

Video credits : Chottanagpur kalyan Niketan, Simdega

Thematic Areas

1. Common Practices
   
2. Child Care
   
3. Food & Nutrition
   
4. Health
   
5. Safety & Security
   
6. Hygiene & Cleanliness
   
7. Child Engagement
   
8. Record Keeping
   

Common Practices

a) Treats every child fairly irrespective of their caste, creed, colour, gender, age, religion, socio- economic background.
b) Appreciates each child for their participation, engagement and efforts by clapping, gestures, etc.
c) Ensures children are attended at all times when they are at the center.
d) Opens and closes centers on time every day as agreed by the community in different seasons.
e) Cleans the center every day after opening, before children turn up and keeps the place ready (mats/toys, etc.) for children to sit.
f) Keeps the center organised (things/items) & safe for children throughout the day, especially before & after children's activities and meals and before closing the center.
g) Arranges the materials in the kitchen & storeroom in an organized and neat manner.
h) Receives the children with smile from parents in the morning and inquire about their current health status.
i) Hand overs the children safely to parents or designated guardians at the time of closing the center.
j) Ensures the windows are open (wherever applicable) and lights are turned on.
k) Enables conversations throughout the day with the children.
l) Informs any planned leave well in advance (3 days or before) to the supervisors. In case of sudden leave, helps in arranging the substitutes.
m) Maintains, handles and keeps the anthropometric equipment properly. Supports the supervisors in taking measurements of children.

Child Care

a) Assists children who struggle with feeding by sitting with them.
b) Promotes and encourages the mothers to be in the creche till the child gets adapted to the creche.
c) 3. Interacts with children throughout the day with politeness, patience, and love and avoid practicing any form of corporal punishment (beating, pinching, scolding etc.,)
d) Responds promptly and sensitively to children’s toilet needs.
e) Attends crying children in the creche with care and sensitivity.
f) Physical handling of children like lifting, picking up, holding need to be gentle and proper with both hands.
g) Engages regularly with parents to discuss child’s attendance and health status.
h) Ensures that the child is dressed appropriately according to the seasons (summer, winter, monsoon) through dialogue with the parents regarding this.

Food & Nutrition

a) Boils water the day before, cools and filters the water before giving to the children.
b) Procures vegetables at least twice a week, ensuring they are not stored for more than 3 days.
c) Keeps the egg in the egg storage container with proper air circulation around.
d) Follows "First In, First Out" (FIFO) approach for utilization food grains and rice.
e) Checks all food items at the time of delivery for leakages and damages.
f) Washes vegetables thoroughly before cutting and mixing them into khichdi.
g) Prepares semi-solid khichdi without spices/masala, including 2-3 vegetables ensuring at least 1 green vegetable.
h) Uses 4ml top up mustard oil with each meal given to each child including special nutritional meal.
i) Checks and segregates the eggs for brokage, dirt over shell or any droppings.
j) 10. Conducts floating test before boiling the eggs every day. Segregates the spoilt ones and records.
k) Tastes the small portion of cooked food to ensure the desired taste and quality every time.
l) Serves the khichdi with lemon drops.
m) Gives adequate drinking water to the children frequently.
n) Encourages the mothers of the children below 2 years to visit the creche for breastfeeding.
o) Ensures multiple servings of food as per the appetite of the children.

Health

a) Provides 2 extra meals with oil topping to the children as per the Special Nutrition Care (SNC) list.
b) Informs parents, supervisors and ASHA workers if any sickness/emergencies immediately.
c) Provides food (at least khichdi with egg) to the mothers/guardians of sick children (mothers or guardians collects the food from the center).
d) Creates conducive environment, sets up a sleeping area, facilitates and ensures adequate sleep duration (at least 60-90 minutes) of the children.
e) Provides first aid (no medication) for minor injuries using first aid kit and informs parents, ASHA and supervisor immediately.
f) Co-facilitates and supports supervisors in organizing monthly CMC meetings to discuss nutrition, health, their relevant need-based matters/topics/issues.

Safety & Security

a) Communicates with the parents to check child’s pockets for coins, toys, junk food before handing over them.
b) Ensures the corners, gates & walls are blunt and smooth, posing no harm to the children.
c) Keeps fire extinguishers, blankets, sand buckets away from children’s reach and easy to access in case of emergency.
d) Checks for any water logging in and around the creche premises and take support from supervisor and community to resolve the issue.
e) Checks the materials and flooring to prevent fungal growth during the rainy season and make the materials (dry ration, bedding and linens) get exposed to the sunlight regularly.
f) Covers the gaps in the doors, windows crack in the walls and holes in the floor to prevent entering from snakes and insects. Be vigilant in protecting the center from the entry of cats, dogs, hens, snakes or other animals and insects.
g) Keeps the safety gates (kitchen & entrance) always closed, ensuring safety of the children.
h) Keeps the knives, scissors or any sharp objects in the kitchen/storeroom at an appropriate height away from the reach of children.
i) Ensures that heavy objects are kept appropriately and away from children's reach.
j) Ensures fire safety by putting off LPG stove knobs and cylinder regulator every time after use. Put off the wood fire using water after every time and use.
k) Properly covers raw materials, cooked food, and water container with lids and ensure the same during mealtime.
l) Serves the cooked meal at lukewarm to the children. Check the heat of the meal by tasting it and by testing it on the dorsum (back) of your palm.
m) Keeps hot utensils away from children during mealtimes.
n) Uses mosquito nets fixed firmly on all four sides, tucked under mattress throughout every time during sleep/nap time.
o) Ensures the children below one year of age sleep on their back, not on their side or stomach during nap time.
p) Checks and enquiries about any visitor apart from parents verify the supervisor and ensure the entry of mandatory details in the visitor register.
q) Places all the toiletries away from children’s reach.
r) Checks for broken and small toys and removes those regularly.

Hygiene & Cleanliness

a) Washes the play materials daily to keep them clean.
b) Disposes of the feacal matter of the children safely.
c) Cleans the toilet everyday, flushes it after every use.
d) Cleans all daily-use items such as utensils, handwashing bucket, tub, dining mats, and bibs after use.
e) Cleans the kitchen slab, gas stove, and playing area, tables, door knobs, daily, keeping all utensils in a fixed place.
f) Promotes mothers to wash hands before breast feeding and providing feeding to the children.
g) Dusts mattresses, bedsheets, and mosquito nets before every use.
h) Washes bedsheets weekly and mosquito nets once a month.
i) Washes hands before and after cooking and feeding children.
j) Washes/disinfects hands after cleaning a child’s nose and washes hands after assisting with toileting.
k) Washes towels, handkerchiefs, bibs and aprons regularly.
l) Grooms the child everyday by combing, checks/trims nails weekly.
m) Encourages children to eat food with their hands.
n) Ensures children's handwashing before and after meals.
o) Ensures the children washes their hands after toilet usage.
p) Ensures no spitting inside the creches and its premises. Prohibits use of any tobacco and alcohol in and around the creche.
q) Disposes of leftover food properly every day.
r) Maintains two separate bags for nose-cleaning clothes: one for unused clean clothes and another for used ones. Disposes of used nose-cleaning clothes daily.
s) Uses dustpan and closed dustbin for disposal of waste material.
t) Drains out used water from the kitchen and from the wash area safely.
u) Maintains adequate self-hygiene (trimmed nails, clean clothes etc.).

Child Engagement

a) Engages in physical activities with children every day. Example: Walking, throwing balls, jumping, picking ball/blocks, etc.
b) Sings rhymes everyday with actions and expressions. Preferably in local language.
c) Converses with the children using play materials. Example: Talking about & around the materials.
d) Narrates short stories in local language. Picture cards/puppets may be used for this purpose.
e) Distributes toys/play materials and engages children age appropriately.
f) Gives ample opportunities and encourages all children to participate in activities while keeping individual's pace and interest in mind.

Records Keeping

a) Records the attendance of children and self-everyday in the attendance register.
b) Records total attendance and meal count (entry after every meal) daily and monthly in a register.
c) Covers and keeps all the registers including child card properly at a place easy to access and protects from getting damaged.
d) Maintains cashbook entries regularly in the register.
e) Communicates the requirement of eggs and other materials at least two days in advance to the supervisors.
f) Maintains a register to enter the egg spoilage & usage on daily basis.

Caregivers Practices can be downloaded here