THE MOBILE CRECHES LOGO

The Mobile Creches Method!

We practice Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) that's practical, holistic and inclusive. The backbone of our method is:

Picture of creche from outside

Safe Space: We ask builders to donate space, materials and resources for creches. In places where public services do not work we mobilize people to work with local leadership to facilitate those services and teach women how to set up creches in their homes.

Multi Purpose Classrooms: We divide classrooms into three areas: Creche (for children 0-3), Balwadi (for children 3-5) and Non Formal Education (NFE for children 6-12). 

A Balwadi Class in progress

An NFE class in progress

• The babies in the creche are stimulated with colorful mobiles, songs, cuddling and interactive play. 
• Balwadi activity for preschoolers encourage social, cognitive and motor development through games, puppets, stories and more.
• The oldest children, in the NFE group, learn the rudiments of reading and math with a special focus on preparation for exams and transitioning to formal school.
• Alumni of Mobile Creches between 6-18 years, stay engaged through the school scholarship programme, library and hobby clubs and the street theatre groups.  

Curriculum on a Shoe-String: Because routine and repetition helps kids learn, we use a theme based hands-on learning methodology we call Prakalp whereby all activities in the centre, be it counting to storytelling, revolve around specific themes (e.g. 'Myself' or 'Rain') each quarter. What we don't have we improvise: colorful mobiles made of waste paper, painted pebbles, clay animals and cardboard cutouts. Flashcards and worksheets are often handmade by our teachers.

Rice and Pulses for lunch

Nutrition: Hungry kids can't learn. We provide nutritious meals that consist of staples such as lentils, rice, greens, milk, soya nut and sprouted grain, both enabling children to focus, and encouraging parents to practice low cost nutrition at home and contribute to supplies in the centre. We also provide prophylactic doses of vitamins A & C, iron and calcium.

A child being immunized

Systems for Hygiene, Health and Growth Monitoring: Meeting the minimum standard for hygiene is a challenge in a slum or a construction site. Systems demand that our childcare workers check children behind the ears and under the nails; wash their hands frequently; properly dispose of stools and treat drinking water. 

• We make diapers out of clean cotton scraps and leftover cuttings donated by garment factories. 
• We monitor each child's growth closely in the early years to nip malnutrition in the bud.
• Our centres become community hubs that connect health agencies to the unreached- for free check ups, immunizations and treatment through referrals.

A Community Health Camp in progress

Parent, Community and Childcare Practices: Mobile Creches services young children by empowering the community around them. We provide platforms for parents to come together and build a common understanding, in their context- on hygiene, feeding, schooling, childcare and their right to basic public services- through community meetings, one on one counselling on breastfeeding and weaning foods, issue based campaigns, street theatre, children's fairs, women's self help groups, adolescent clubs and so on.   

The Mobile Creches Way!

We do things first: We focus on children under 6 to lay the foundations right. It costs a society less to intervene early than to treat the effects of neglect when the child grows older.

Our area of focus remains the children under six

We reach the unreached: We care for migrant children on sites, our creches release the older child providing sibling care, our training and advocacy effort reaches the child in remote villages with no access to public services.

A migrant child at a construction site

We educate educators and care givers: Childcare is a huge unmet need for the working poor. To meet this need we build awareness that links the issues of poverty, gender, jobs and skills; we change attitudes to give priority to childcare; we train local women from within marginalized communities to create viable childcare options.

Mothers and caregivers being imparted training

We build on what exists: We recycle materials, source expertise from the volunteer pool and mobilize families to access public services and infrastructure. Communities trust us because we listen and adapt to them. Increasingly our model depends on the participation of local people.

Participation of community is important for us 

We combine care with advocacy: Our first-hand experience with marginalized children gives us insights into how policies, laws and programmes work on the ground for them. We engage with communities to build pressure from the bottom for services and protections that are due by law. And we work with NGOs to lobby with the government to translate policy commitments and electoral promises into action.

We advocate for their betterment

Volunteer Diaries: A lifetime experience!

The Mobile Creches summer camp at Sector-38, Gurgaon center was the most wonderful experience for me as a volunteer. Watching and interacting with the children was a great learning and helped me realize the importance of the smallest things. Here’s my amazing experience of the summer camp:

Day 1:

The first day of the summer camp at the Mobile Crèches center was a very joy filled experience. The children were given small pieces of paper and sheets with drawings made on it and were told to stick the small colorful pieces of paper on the drawing provided to them. With no rules to bind their imaginations, the children made the plain white paper into a colorful rainbow.  I interacted with the children as they worked and discovered how quickly they accepted a person into their groups. Not one kid was left alone. The day’s activity ended with the girls singing an inspirational song on Girl Child.

Girls singing the song: ' Bitiya hun bitiya main tara banoongi'

Day 2:

On second day the children portrayed theatrical skills. They dressed up as various animals and danced to the songs sung by the staff and the children themselves. Bharat, who is better known as Bum Bum sang a song based on personal hygiene. His enthusiasm towards everything was very pleasing to watch. The staff then raised various educational slogans as the children repeated after them. The children also put up a brilliant play based on Akbar and Birbal.

'Jungle Friends'

Day 3:

The 3^rd day was spent making toys out of well-moistened mud. I sat with children with my share of the mud and watched the children create beautiful toys while I was still wondering what to make. Sapna, the most talkative and active one, out of the girls made a wonderful ‘chullah’.

'Clay workshop in progress'

Day 4:

The 4^th day saw the children teaching me how to make a wonderful plane, boat and a flower just by folding papers. I was fascinated by how talented these children were despite them not having any sort of formal education. On interacting with them, I learnt more about each one of them. They talked about their hometowns and their likes. I was immensely touched when the staff and the children made a flower for me made out of paper.

Day 5:

On the 5^th day of the camp, I worked with the older children and helped them prepare a chart on the evolution of education over the years. Their eagerness to do any kind of work and complete their task was really touching. They did not fight if another person got what they wanted; they happily accepted what was being offered to them and they did their activities with all smiles. They might not be great artists but their willingness and efforts were more than enough to make the chart a perfect piece of art. 

Day 6:

The last day of the summer camp concluded with the exhibition of the children’s craft works, final performances of the songs, dances, acts and drama. The centre had been beautifully decorated and the excitement of the children was so evident. They performed the jungle song on the beat of music instrument by the staff. They wore paper butterflies on their shirts. Children sang, danced and showed their skills happily.

'Exhibition of Efforts'

The children at the Mobile Creches centre have taught me that despite the hardships of life, one should stay up and have a big smile. The dedication of the staff is amazing. They are so patient and have taught the children the very basic things in the most fun ways possible. Every moment spent with the children brightened my day and I’m really thankful that I got an opportunity like this.

These words have been written by Qudrat Singh who is a student of standard XII at G.D. Goenka World School, Gurgaon. As part of her summer vacations, she volunteered with Mobile Creches at the Unitech Resort Centre in Sector 38, Gurgaon.