Dear Editor
PLEASE refer to a letter captioned “ City Council withdrawing Day Care” published in the Tuesday, September 12, 2017 edition of your newspaper.
The Georgetown municipality is at a juncture where it is assessing the services provided to citizens and rearranging the way these services are delivered. Hence, merging and restructuring of departments and sections are necessary considerations if the Council is to deliver quality services and remain financially viable.
The Council took a decision to close the building that accommodated the Charlestown Day Care Centre for two main reasons: The physical condition of the building is inconsistent with standards proposed by Ministry of Social Protection for licensing of Day Care Centres in Guyana. The licensing process is to ensure that children are enrolled in a safe and infant friendly environment. The Council wants to make it pellucid, that it is not seeking to deprive citizens of this vital service, but the health and safety of the City’s children are of utmost importance.
Also, it is no longer realistic to provide this service at the present location, since the total children enrolled were 15 and staff assigned to the site were six. Further, six of the 15 children became eligible for primary school and subsequently departed. The parents of remaining children were offered places at other municipal centres of their choice. Reassigning the children has allowed the municipality to maximise human and other resources.
The Council views Day Care Services as a vital municipal service and a moral and social obligation to its valued citizens. Over the years, various categories of parents and families have utilised this service, including working parents, single parents, and parents of a single child, large families or where children were left at risk through malnutrition.
The Georgetown municipality is the premier institution of Day Care Services. The municipal Day Care Service has been in existence for over 80 years. In 1933, the South Road Day Care Centre known then as the ‘Crèche’ and character as a programme for child care for children of employees of the Council. However, because of the growing demand, this service was extended to persons outside of the employ of the Georgetown municipality.
Currently, the Council manages four Day Care Centres situated at South Road, Bourda, Festival City, East Ruimveldt and Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, with a total population of 250 children ranging from nine months to five years old.
Regards
Debra Lewis
Public Relations Officer