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. 

Volunteer Diaries: A Beautiful Experience!

Back after a four day gap, I could spot similar faces again. They as usual had a lit up face and nothing seemed to matter to them. Seeing children everywhere, giggling and gaggling enjoying their childhood, fearless of the outside world, always cheers and boosts me up.

 

I go there to inculcate in them teeny-weeny bits of knowledge, but at the end of the day it’s not always them who end up learning, I am also able to learn various things from them. The way they do what theywant to do and don’t allow anyone to force them onto something, speaks of their levels of concentration. If they want to draw, they would only draw and likewise in other areas such as Maths, Colouring, Hindi etc. Spending those 2 hours with them always turns out to be a whole new experience, each and every time.

These words have been written by Manan Kedia who is a student of Standard XI at DPS RK Puram. As part of his summer vacations, he is volunteering at the Mobile Creches Day Care Centre at Raja Bazaar, New Delhi.

Volunteer Diaries

Day 1 (1st June, 2013)

It was an amazing experience. I managed to spend some time with the children at the centre and could help a bit in teaching Hindi to children of 5+ years of age.

I came across a girl named Radhika. It was very interesting to notice her enthusiasm to study. While teaching the other children of the same group there would be a voice from the other side of the table saying "didi ho gaya, kya ab main koi aur shabd likh sakti hoon?" I turned around and saw it was Radhika. This happened at least 3 times. I felt so happy looking at that and this indirectly motivated the rest of the children to learn.

There was a lot of happiness in the centre, among the children.

Day 2 ( 3rd June, 2013)

It was again a very interesting day for me. I read out a story to the 'Non-Formal Education' children in the age group of 6-12. The children themselves selected a book that had many short stories.They repeated the lines that I read out and tried to enact them.

During the drawing session, there were plain sheets being distributed for them to draw. Then I came across a girl named Ishika and her lovely drawing -  One can see the hidden talent in her. She made birds, sun, butterfly, balloons and the overall pictures were also very scenic. If all goes well in the future she can become one of the most talented artists.  

Day 3(4th June, 2013)

This was also the pay day - a day when the field/creche workers come to the Head Office for their salary. It was an amazing experience but to be honest I also missed being at the center with the children as I came to see the Pay Day activities in the great hall with the creche workers. One could see the excitment on all the faces. People were dancing, singing, playing the dhol and having an amazing time. I'd also want  to that there are many good dancers there. Their facial expressions while dancing are amazing. The best part is that in the starting they were shy but once they started one could never say that they were ever shy. 

Today in the center, the children were learning paper folding and they made boats, fans, topi. They enjoyed the most while making boats. Whenever I would ask, "ab kya bana rahe ho" they'd say, "nav(boat)" then again " didi hum fir nav rahe lekin choti si "and then  they coloured it ". 

These words are written by Udita Narayan, whose studying Applied Psychology in Amity, Noida. She's currently a volunteer with Mobile Creches.

Crane crushes 4-year-old playing at building site

Crane crushes 4-year-old playing at building site
Times of India
The Buildings and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 stipulates that if the company employs more than 50 women, it should provide rooms for the workers. Some of the larger construction companies ...


A young child dying in an accident on a construction site is indeed very tragic!! 

What is equally disappointing is that in the article there is no mention of words like Creches, childcare arrangements, etc. The newspaper report only mentions that “there should be provision of rooms for workers under the Buildings and Other Construction Workers’ Act”. 

People continue to be unaware about what Creches are? What are some of it’s key components? The need for creches? Etc. The general understanding of a Creche is limited to a woman sitting with a group of young children. 

We wish the newspaper reporter highlighted the role of crèches a bit more. And hope for the media to pick up the issue of Creches and their need, to create mass awareness around the same.
Only then there will be social change possible!!