jueves, 5 de mayo de 2016

Private Kindergartens Are Growing In Numbers

Private Kindergartens Are Growing In Numbers / 14ymedio Yosmany Mayeta
Labrada

14ymedio, Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, Havana, 28 April 2016 — Kids play in
the living room with pieces of legos, wooden toys and some soft toys.
The place is bright and two specialized assistants keep each infant
under their watchful eyes. Behind the door, the license of the
self-employed owner hangs in a frame. Due to the deterioration of
state-owned day care centers, private kindergartens are growing in
number, supported by the new law.

The Government proposed to reverse this situation at the 55th
anniversary of the founding of children's day care centers. To achieve
this, it not only seeks to significantly expand the capacity, but also
totally renovate many of the sites and raise the quality of staff
training working in such a sensitive sector.

At the end of 2014, 1,078 private kindergarten were running under state
control with an enrollment of 139,878 children. As of the middle of last
year, at least 49,000 families who had applied for an opening at one of
these centers still had not gotten a response, according to insight
provided by the National Director of Preschool Education for the
Ministry of Education, Maria de los Angeles Gallo Sanchez.

The official, however, said that each year the enrollment for day care
centers increases with more than 2,000 openings, although she
acknowledged that there is insufficient growth to meet demand in the
country. Various specialists consulted by this newspaper believe that
issue is also one cause of the country's low birth rate.

In 1978, the global rate of fertility in Cuba fell below the 2.1
children per woman and in 2012 reached a worrying rate of 1.69, a figure
that it threatens to turn Cuba into the ninth most aged country in the
world. But even that fall in the birth rate has not eased the problems
for families seeking to access a place in the day care centers.

In order to be enrolled at this level of education, a child needs as an
indispensable requirement that her mother is actively working. However,
complying with that requirement does not guarantee a space. Municipal
commissions charged with allocating spaces analyze each case and grant
the opening in correspondence with the demand for economic and social
development of the territory.

Once the opening is obtained, the family must pay an almost symbolic
monthly fee for the service, which in the case of very low-income
households may be practically null.

Carmen, the electric company worker, is one of the cases of mothers who
have not yet succeeded in getting access for her daughter to one of
these state-own centers. "I filled out the application when the baby
girl was six months old, so that she would be able walk, feed herself,
and say a few words at the time of admission, but so far I have not
received a response."

With a salary that barely exceeds 500 Cuban pesos a month (about $20
US), Carmen is thinking of opting for a place at a private house
dedicated to the care of infants. It would be a significant economic
sacrifice but she says she will feel "more calm" because "there are many
well-prepared people that have left the State sector because of poor
conditions and have built their own child care businesses."

At the end of June 2015 there were 1,726 people devoted to work as
"child care assistants" in the non-state sector in the country, and 34%
of them are in Havana. They range from more modest places, like that of
Juana Núñez, a retired teacher who has opened one of these private day
care centers in her home.

"I'm retired and now I care for 12 children," comments the lady, who
lives in Arroyo Naranjo. "Here I teach them how to walk, talk, eat
alone, in addition to the basic school subjects for their age," she
explains while showing some books with illustrations, learning games and
colored crayons she has for the children to use.

The monthly fee for hiring the Juana's services is a 20 convertible
pesos ($20 US), the monthly salary of a professional. Despite the high
price, the caretaker says that she does not have enough room to respond
to the high demand. "Sometimes parents arrive and assure me that they
can pay more, but I have no space," says the educator.

The more expensive places are also almost full. A private kindergarten
under the direction of Cárdenas Yaquelin is located on the central 23rd
street in Havana. On-site employees have degrees in their respective
specialties and give courses in language, theatre, and other skills. In
addition to that they are proud of their nursing services.

The place is divided into three rooms according to the age. "Each area
can have up to 10 to 12 children with their caretaker and their
assistant. The infant room is air-conditioned and has an educator with 3
certified nannies. We take infants from their first month," details
Cardenas.

The prices for a service like that can reach up to 80 convertible pesos
a month, according to the service agreement, which may include lunch,
snacks, uniforms and transportation.

However, Cardenas is not accepting new candidates until she does some
renovation to expand the place. "The only thing I am hoping for is that
after the end of my investment there will be a baby boom and clients
will come in abundance," she speculates. But in the Cuban case, the
stork seems to be unreliable. The most popular nest–the State-owned day
care centers–lack the space and conditions to respond to an eventual
increase in births.

Translated by Alberto

Source: Private Kindergartens Are Growing In Numbers / 14ymedio Yosmany
Mayeta Labrada – Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/private-kindergartens-are-growing-in-numbers-14ymedio-yoasmany-mayeya-labrada/

No hay comentarios:

Publicar un comentario