Working mothers and childcare

Whether it is the friendly neighborhood playschool or the registered ones near your home or office, daycare centers in Rawalpindi are assuming importance, with more and more young mothers working.

“I am anxious about my 10-month-old son Shabbir while I prepare to return to work after an extended maternity leave. As my parents live in a different city, I do not have anyone to look after my toddler at the office,” says IT professional Sakina.

“I have been looking around for options of a daycare center for him, but there are so many things that need to be taken care of for a child. It is a difficult choice,” adds Sakina.

“This feeling is familiar among working mothers. With more women joining the workforce, balancing work and home is a big challenge. So, I decided to leave my daughter with my neighbor, who has been running a daycare center in her own house. I did not want some big fancy place for my daughter. The woman who runs the place is a familiar face for my child, so she is comfortable,” says Nazia Batool.

“I have been leaving my son at a daycare center since he was only nine months old. He is now four and a half, but he is still at daycare after school until I am ready to pick him up after the office. For me, a concerned mother, leaving the child with domestic help all day is not an option. I have heard of so many horror stories about children being mishandled by maids that I became paranoid about it,” says another woman, Najaf Ali.

“It is an informed choice that parents have to make. For just a two or three-year-old child interaction with other children is as important as nutrition, and this is not available inside a house. A Foundation Montessori school is located in the area where I reside. This has about 15 to 20 students. It is primarily a Montessori school but provides daycare center facilities for smaller children, after school,” says Saima Naqvi.

“It is quite clear that we do not want to be the ones who make the child do homework after school. We provide the child with a safe and nurturing environment, giving the child all the freedom here. We encourage children to be creative and independent. We are not here to replace parents,” says Nasreen Fatima, the owner of Foundation Montessori.

Zainab Ejaz says, “I have been leaving my daughter Zahra for more than a year at this center. It is open from 9 am to 1 pm. If I have meetings scheduled, I request Nasreen to take care of Zara a little longer. An arrangement like this could go a long way in helping women.”