‘Kidogo Early Years’ has urged both the national and county government to allocate funds for children under four years old to ensure there is quality care given to them at childcare centers.
Speaking in Mombasa, Kidogo Associate Director of Policy and Partnerships, Susan Anzazi Mtana said quality care was crucial in the upbringing of children.
“We have free primary education, bursaries and other programs for school going children but there is limited financing for children under the age of four years,” said Mtana.
According to Mtana, some children are left in daycares or Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centers in poor conditions which affect their development.
“We have engaged county governments during the County Annual Development Plan (ADP) to ensure there is allocation for these children so that they are able to get all the facets of wholistic development,” she added.
Mtana was speaking during the Kidogo Annual Gala that was held in Mombasa on Saturday.
The enterprise celebrating 10 years of operations has trained 348 women running daycares in Mombasa on how to provide quality care for children left at their centers.
The over 300 daycare owners reach at least 50,000 children daily.
“We are in 12 counties in Kenya, Mombasa being among them. We take care of children who have not attained school going age. As Kidogo, we partner with daycare owners to ensure there are quality, affordable childcare centers in low income communities so that parents have a peace of mind while working knowing that their children are in good hands,” said Mtana.
According to Susan, Kidogo has a network of 2,000 women, reaching more than 50,000 children countrywide. She said the women are not only trained on childcare but also business.
“85% of a child’s brain development happens in the first 1,000 days so the care we give them during this time is vital. As Kidogo, we want these children to reach their full capacity by looking for women who already run daycares but have not undergone any type of training,” she said.
“We train them in line with the best standards of the nurturing care framework. We train them on nutrition, responsive caregiving, and business. We also sensitize them on issues to do with safer and stimulating environment. We also involve parents and the community through different engagements,” she added.
Janet Wasai Gibran is a daycare owner and a beneficiary of Kidogo. She says as a daycare owner and mamapreneur she has benefitted a lot from the program.
“We had trainings, got guidance on how to care for the children, and good toys for the children to play with. Nowadays, children are very happy to come to daycare because they have a lot of fun things to do including learning, inging and trying out new things. We have also been trained on first aid and health for the safety of the children,” said Gibran.
Alex Otieno is the owner of Spring Valley Daycare Center in Tudor. He said the skills he got from Kidogo help run the center.
“I joined Kidogo in 2021. As a papapreneur, I have gained skills which have improved the quality of care at my center. This has in turn increased the number of parents bringing their children to my daycare. We also formed a group which has helped us create an alternative source of income,” said Otieno.
Speaking during the gala, Mombasa County Child Health Coordinator Fatuma Dume the county will continue partnering with Kidogo to ensure not eligible to go to school get quality care needed in their upbringing.
“As the health department, we would like to see our children get the proper care they need because the first 1,000 days are crucial in shaping a child’s future and ensuring they achieve their full potential. I determines what type of person they become, not only in physical health but also mental health.
