Creche Caregivers Selection

The caregivers for creches should be selected considering the following criteria -

It is advisable that the creche caregivers selected should have prior experience of handling small children, as they will be responsible for handling 15-20 children at a center.
We should ensure that the caregiver to be selected is active and capable of performing routine physical tasks such as carrying water from a distance, etc.
Caregiver selected should be open to learning and willing to work with children. In addition, they should not indulge in any addiction.
The caregivers should be a woman and belong to the same village or settlement. She should have the trust and confidence of the community. This will ensure that the parents are comfortable sending their children to creche.
The creches that are going to be operationalized may cater multiple hamlets or communities within a village or settlement. It is to be ensured that there is an appropriate representation while selecting the caregivers.
The selection of creche caregivers presents a valuable opportunity to support women from within the community who may benefit from gainful engagement. Therefore, while maintaining the required standards of quality and capability, priority should be given to women from economically or socially vulnerable backgrounds during the selection process.
Out of the two caregivers, at least one must be literate—able to read and write with comprehension and perform basic arithmetic operations such as addition and subtraction—to ensure accurate and reliable record-keeping.
In the selection of creche caregivers, preference should generally not be given to candidates from relatively affluent families. However, in the absence of other suitable and eligible options, they may be considered.
During the selection of caregivers, their roles and responsibilities should be thoroughly discussed. Based on this understanding, women from village or settlement may nominate themselves for the position during the community meetings.
Any woman with a known history of practicing discrimination in any form should be selected as a caregiver, as inclusivity and equitable treatment of all children are non-negotiable principles of the programme.