Government allocates funding for exploratory committee to establish day-care centres

Good news for working parents who have struggled to find baby sitters for their children as Government is allocating funding for an exploratory committee to establish day‑care centres near major hubs of employment around the country.

The initiative gives parents the opportunity to focus on their careers, while their children are being cared for in a safe nurturing and educational environment throughout the work day.

This is being done in cooperation with United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women or UN Women. 

This comes after the International Finance Corporation recently made an announcement that the lack of quality, affordable and reliable childcare services in Fiji is causing public and private employers to lose over 12 work days per employee every year.

Mark One Apparel is already paving the way for other businesses by starting an in‑house day care centre for it employee’s children.

Mark One Apparel had earlier gathered statistics that of their 400 women employees, 20 miss work everyday due to childcare responsibilities.

Mark One Apparel Director Mark Halabe says the facility is designed to care for 30 children and it has officially been open for two months.

He says currently they are taking in children who are three years and above.

Halabe adds they charge $5 per child from the staff and $10 per child for those that are not working at Mark One Apparel.

A lecturer from Australia comes in to oversee the centre regularly and a local staff trained by Australian Pacific Technical College run the centre with two apprentices.

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