IMPACT
Children Reached
1 Million
On ground impact across 20 states through networks
20,000+
Creche and Angandwadi Workers trained
Part of experts group to improve National Creches Scheme
Community Members
5 Million
Childcare Centres
5,000+
Pioneers to run creches on construction sites
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1970 - 1980
Early struggle
Secured entry on worksites, with little financial support and amenities from the contractor: We asked for a temporary shelter with a roof for 80-100 children, Rs 500/month to cover salaries of 4 creche workers.
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‘MC Model’, 8 hours a days, 6 days a week
With the help of doctors, pedagogical experts, child development and nutrition specialists, a Daycare programme emerged that integrated nutrition-healthcare, education-community awareness.
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Extending services to the slums
​With a relocation of slum bastis by the Delhi Government to far-flung Seemapuri, Mangolpuri, etc., we set up ‘permanent’ daycare centres in these resettlements, deprived of all amenities.
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1969
Pioneering an intervention in the lives of children
The first creche began its life to the rhythms of sledge hammers and cement mixers. It had children, a rather lost creche worker, a few toys, a charpai and a tent that kept falling down. From this simple act sprang the exploration of a small group of women into the lives of migrant, unskilled workers and their children.
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It’s official
16 December 1969, Mobile Creches was registered, as a Society, with seven members signing the Memorandum of Association, which included, at that early stage, extension training of childcare workers.
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1981 - 1990
First creche funded by government
The Central Social Welfare Board lent support from 1980-1984; the amount was small and norms rigid.​
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MC has a home, Raja Bazaar
In December 1988, we moved into our office in Raja Bazaar. Joshua Benjamin and Mahendar Raj were the architects; Sardar Gurbaksh Singh was the contractor; Dr. Sone Bhatia led the fundraising.
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Garnering FORCES, 1989
A national network, co-founded by us, to advocate for childcare and maternity support for poor working women, and highlight the neglect of children, poor health indicators, and gaps in law and policy.
1991 - 2000
3-6 year old recognised by
the Constitution of India
With the 86th Amendment, we had the Fundamental Right to Education, but the under-sixes were excluded; however, ‘ECCE’ gained entry to the Constitution.
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Mandating creches at construction sites
Thanks to advocacy by MC and allies, the Construction Workers Act, 1996, included the provision of a creche.
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The Dwarka Model, 2000
MC’s one-to-many partnership with middle to lower rung builders: small contributions; pooled funds and children from many sites; linkages with ICDS; workers’ registration with the Labour Welfare Board.
2001 - 2010
Community based creches, 2003
At Khanpur, and then other locations, MC’s ‘permanent’ daycare centre was replaced by creches run by local, MC-trained women, to make childcare affordable and accessible, and build community ownership of the issue.
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Integrated Child Development Services for ALL
After the Supreme Court order on the ‘universalisation of ICDS’, in 2003, MC joined the Right to Food Campaign to lobby for nutrition, care in the early years, and ICDS for all children.
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The Commonwealth Games 2010 Campaign
MC hosted a network of 15 organisations, to push for minimum wages, decent living conditions and creches on sites.
2011 - 2019
Anganwadi cum Creche arrives
Ministry of Women and Child Development identified MC as a technical resource to pilot and set up Anganwadi cum creches in M.P., Rajasthan and Delhi and train government functionaries to run AWCCs​.
Right to ECD
The Alliance, with MC's involvement, aimed to create a bottom-up legal framework with essential elements for establishing rules and structures necessary for a justiciable Right to ECD.
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Training goes national, 2014-2019
Training partnerships for day care and creches in vulnerable settings like brick kilns and shelter homes in Rajasthan, Telangana, and Delhi.
2020 - 2025
Landmark Shift of the Decade
Entered rural and tribal areas to establish and scale the rural creche model for the first time
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Haryana State Creche Policy
Haryana became the first state in the country to introduce creche policy! So far, 165 creches are operational in 16 districts in the state. Target is to open 500 creches.
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5 Government Partnerships
Signed agreements with state governments of Haryana Karnataka Odisha Telengana and Daman & Diu to provide technical support for scaling public funded creches.