Creche House Selection

The site selected for setting up creche should be located centrally within the community, which would be easy to access by children and community members.

The house selected for creche centre should be adequately lit and properly ventilated to ensure a safe, healthy, and comfortable environment for children.

The house should have a separate kitchen with adequate space for storage.

It is also recommended to have play area for children inside the creche.

In addition, it should have a separate area for children to sleep. If the creche doesn’t have a separate sleeping room, the playing area should be big enough to accommodate both playing and sleeping areas.

It is advisable to have a courtyard either inside or outside the house (particularly in rural areas) which should be well protected using fencing to ensure child safety.

Preferably, the house selected for the creche should not be the shared residence of the caregivers, as this may lead to misinterpretation within the community and create challenges in maintaining clarity of roles and responsibilities during creche hours. However, in the absence of any suitable alternative space within the community, the caregiver’s home may be considered as an exception.

The functioning of the creche requires regular access to water for multiple activities and chores. Therefore, it is important that a reliable water source is available close to the centre. Houses with a piped water supply may be given preference.

The creche premises should preferably have a functional electricity connection to enable the use of lighting and fans (ceiling or wall-mounted), thereby ensuring a safe and comfortable environment for children and caregivers.

The houses selected for running creches could be of three types —a) Pucca, b) Kachcha, c) Community Hall. In all the three cases, it is recommended that a formal rent agreement be executed prior to setting up of the creche. The sample rent agreements have been attached below for the reference –

The safety, including the infrastructural safety of the creche site is of paramount importance and must not be compromised at any cost.

It is essential to ensure that there is no open water body within 50m distance from the creche site. If there is any such water body, it should be fully covered to ensure the safety of the children.

The creche centre should not be located near the main road, which may pose a safety risk for children attending creches.

Availability of a toilet is a mandatory criterion in the selection of a creche site. The selected house must have access to a functional toilet—either within the premises or in close proximity. Ideally, the creche house itself should be equipped with a functional toilet to ensure hygiene and promote appropriate sanitation practices among children. If the identified house does not have a functional toilet, the matter must be discussed with the owner and resolved prior to operationalizing the creche. Provision of a functional toilet should also be explicitly included as a clause in the rent agreement.