Conference on children day care services in support of working women

The Syndicate of Nurseries Owners in Lebanon organized yesterday a conference on ‘early childhood’ under the auspices of the Health Minister Wael Abu Faoor, and the presence of daycare owners from across the country and the Arab world. On the occasion, the Syndicate’s President Hana Huhu stressed the need to resolve the challenges faced by the daycares and develop their capacities and skills. She warned that the “mother who cannot find a proper and safe nursery for her child, ought to keep him/her at home rather than leave him/her at an illegal center that does not observe the basic required standards.” Huhu also emphasized the importance of nursery hunting on part of the parents in order to choose the right one. Parents should sometimes overlook the price factor in deciding, Huhu explained, because higher costs are associated with quality of services offered, adding:: “There are professional places that require an expensive operational cost which means their prices would be higher compared to nurseries that are illegitimate with poor conditions”. The subject of daycares in Lebanon has a special significance for the Lebanese. After finishing their maternity leave, working mothers starts looking for an alternative support system namely day-care centres in the case of absence of support from the extended family. It should be noted, that according to the ministry of health 2015 figures, there are some 304 operating nurseries, out of which 205 are illegal, thus prompting the ministry to launch a campaign for their closure. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Hayat, April 14, 2016)