Factors To Consider When Choosing A Crèche

A Lagos-based mother, Omolabake Morebise, dropped off her hale and hearty eight-month-old baby, Adeogo-ola at a crèche located in a school in the Ilupeju, Palmgrove area of the state.

Returning to pick up her baby at about 10 minutes to 6:00pm, she noticed that the boy was looking pathetic, and, on inquiry, she was informed by the crèche’s caretaker that all was well, only that the baby cried all-day.

The claim that the baby cried all-day was corroborated by the school’s headmistress.

Adeogo-ola, according to her 34-year-old mother seldom cries except when he is hungry.

So not satisfied with the boy’s behaviour over the night, Morebise spirited her to the hospital the following morning, where a scan and x-ray revealed that he had a fractured leg.

When contacted, the school authorities claimed ignorance and denied complicity outright, insisting that no harm befell the infant while in their care.

Morebise is now battling to restore the boy’s health all by herself, while also enduring the trauma all alone.

Indeed, she is not alone in this kind of situation. In fact, many young mothers have at one time or the other found themselves in this kind of situation or even worse, as their children and ward begin the vital life’s journey.

This, and many other sad scenarios therefore call for a lot of attention to details in the choice of a crèche for babies, especially as quacks are equally beginning to delve into the provision of this all-important service.

According to experts, the process of socialisation, which is the entry phase to human life, is a very important and sensitive stage as children are the most impressionable. Values are easy to imbibe at the receptor level.

Socialisation takes place through multiple agencies, such as family, school, church, and peers. And as society continues to evolve, the burden of a child’s primary socialisation is not left to their parents alone.

In the past, it was the sole responsibility of women to serve as caretakers, just as they sacrificed their aspirations to accommodate their children’s material, emotional and educational needs round the clock.

Times have changed, hence these days, most families search for alternatives that would ensure that mothers effectively utilise their time between the home-front and work.

Crèche is an environment where children from the age of 0 to two are taken to in order to be guided by adults who are not their parents.

This system has grown in value over the years as a good platform for socialisation as children are groomed on scribbling, forming their first words and other basics of life before advancing to the level of proper education.

Due to its sensitivity, some parents are faced with the dilemma of finding a crèche with good facilities and personnel that can inculcate in their children their desired disciplined behaviours and learning patterns. They devote their attention in search of certain qualities before enrolling their tender ones in a crèche.

To begin with, security is of utmost importance because the mental stress of wondering about the safety of a child while at work is likely going to reduce the parents output drastically, hence the requirement of rigorous search for facilities that assure maximum security.

Cleanliness and nutrition are other factors to be considered. Maintaining good hygiene and healthy eating habits, not only impacts a child positively, but equally ensures a more conducive environment for learning. After all, healthy children are able to focus better on learning.

With these primary factors out of the way, the available facilities the crèche offers takes the spotlight. From the playground, kitchen, toys, ventilating, lighting facilities to sanitary facilities, etc.

The next question now is, how comfortable will the child be in this space? Does the facility have qualified staff who can take adequate care of infants, engage them in learning abilities like plays, songs, dance routines, rhymes, which provide cognitive benefits to a child’s early development?

According to co-founder, Greenwood House School, Dr. (Mrs.) Titilola Ekua Akinsanya, attention, affection, and appropriate learning techniques and curriculum are critical to the emotional development of children.

“That is why we ensure that children who are enrolled here grow into confident children with basic speaking and writing skills, and who concentrate exceptionally well. Kids brought up this way develop into well-rounded and intelligent individuals, who are able to mix well with others and excel in their academics. To help the children develop mentally, we have developed a routine at the crèche that encourages curiosity and performance. We focus on learning themes that help with language learning abilities such as simple rhymes, songs, numbers and alphabets.”

Abudu added that as the world is now a technology village, Greenwood is supporting this advancement with its technology-based learning at its crèche, stressing the importance of offering childcare development in an environment that is maximally secured while ensuring that parents get the best of satisfaction from the characters their children exhibit at home.

“Indeed, parents and guardians need to get it right with the type of crèche they select for their children and wards. Deciding upon a crèche for a child is no easy feat, which is something Greenwood House has recognised and as such, provides the right factors to aid the decision for parents and guardians. Every child is unique and exhibits their own unique traits, however, if the key priorities are identified and there is a school in possession of these qualities, then the job is half done.”