Running a crèche is no child’s play, potential owners warned

23 September 2016

 

City of Johannesburg’s Public Health and Childcare Services by-laws came under sharp focus when Sharlene Moshidi, a representative of the Environmental Health Department in Region A, featured on a popular Sloot FM show this week.

 

Speaking during a three-hour mid-morning show hosted by Khethiwe Ntini, Moshidi took listeners through all the legal steps they needed to follow before they could open crèches in their communities.

Sloot FM is a community radio station that primarily caters for Diepsloot and surrounding areas. In the two years that it has been on air, it has significantly extended its footprint, reaching far-flung areas such as Fourways, Sandton, Kyalami, parts of Tshwane and Kliptown in Soweto. City officials in Region A have for some time been using Sloot FM’s mid-morning slot on Wednesdays to communicate important messages to residents.

Moshidi told listeners on the 9am to noon show on Wednesday 21 September that residents who wanted to run crèches had to be in possession of important documents, chief among them being a certificate of acceptability and a health permit.

“In the process of regulation, you can’t get a crèche or start a day-care centre without a health permit. Owners must also have a compliance certificate from Emergency Management Services. These departments need to satisfy themselves that the facility is compliant with the legislation,” she said.

Unpacking the by-laws governing crèches, Moshidi said play areas needed to be big enough to accommodate all the children according to their ages. “When it’s playtime, the kids need to be separated accordingly. The area where children play must be safe,” she said.

A lockable gate is needed to prevent children from leaving premises. Moshidi also explained that medical care was key.

“When crèche owners accept children into their facilities, they must make sure they have gone through basic immunisation. Our purpose, through this exercise, is to ensure that people comply with legislation. People are more than welcome to approach us for advice on health requirements,” she said.

Moshidi said to ensure compliance, the City was providing training to potential crèche owners at regional child day-care forums, which are held throughout the region on Wednesdays.