For millions of women, the hardest part of pursuing employment or carrying on their jobs is to find a safe and secure place to keep their children while at work.

Take the example of 32-year-old Nusrat Jahan. She thought of joining a school as a teacher when her first child was about two and a half years old. However, she was worried about where and with whom she would leave her child during working hours.

The nearest government-run daycare centre was located in Mirpur 10, around seven kilometres from her house in Gabtoli. The private centres she found near home were either too expensive or unable to provide the extra care needed for her child.

“I had to give up the idea of taking up a job because I had to think about my family and my children,” she told this correspondent.

Nusrat’s experience reflects a broader reality faced by many working mothers, who are often forced to leave their jobs or put their careers on hold because reliable childcare facilities remain out of reach.

According to the 2024 Labour Force Survey, 2.36 crore women are in the labour force, while there are only 64 government daycare centres across the country with a capacity to serve only a little over 4,000 children.

Moreover, securing a place in a daycare centre can take months. Some government-run centres are located in institutions that are effectively inaccessible to the general public. Others receive little publicity, leaving many parents unaware of their existence.

A staff member at the Secretariat daycare centre said that since the Secretariat is a restricted area, it is not actually open to everyone. In addition, there is immense internal demand. For example, they sometimes receive 70-80 applications against 50 seats, making it impossible to accommodate everyone.

Women’s rights activists said daycare facilities should not be viewed simply as a programme for women empowerment. The pattern of rapid urbanisation now requires more of these facilities.

Tania Haque, a professor of women and gender studies at Dhaka University, said the necessity of daycare centres arises because, when a woman goes to work, the question of who will look after her child becomes a major challenge.

Every woman faces this issue, regardless of her social status.

“In the past, joint families were more common in Bangladesh. Now, the number of nuclear families has increased significantly. For a working mother in such a setting, childcare becomes a huge challenge.”

Child rights expert Laila Khondakar said Bangladesh lacks reliable national data on daycare centres.

Dhaka is home to millions of working families, yet affordable daycare facilities remain scarce, while high-quality private centres are beyond the reach of many households, she pointed out.

ACUTE SHORTAGE

Of the 64 government daycare centres, 44 with 2,830 seats operate with their own revenue, while 20 with 1,200 seats are funded under projects by the Department of Women Affairs (DWA). They provide daycare services to 4,030 children aged between 15 days and six years during office hours.

At the revenue-funded centres, families from low-income groups pay Tk 100 per month for a child’s care, while middle-income families pay Tk 500. An additional Tk 500 each is charged as admission fee for children aged six months to six years.

One-time admission fee at the project-run centres ranges between Tk 200 and Tk 500. However, monthly fees vary by age and parental income. Parents pay Tk 200-2,000 per month for children aged 4-12; Tk 150-1,500 for children aged 12-30 months; Tk 120-1,200 for children aged 30-48 months; and Tk 100–1,000 for children aged 48-60 months.

These centres provide services to support children’s physical and mental development, with a focus on balanced nutrition, primary healthcare, pre-school education, indoor games, and recreational activities.

Officials at DWA and public daycare centres in Dhaka told this newspaper that applications for admission often exceed their capacity.

“There are many working mothers in the city, and we struggle to accommodate them most of the time,” she said.

Asked about the shortage, Shaila Sharmin Zaman, director general (additional secretary) at DWA, said the government has taken steps to expand daycare facilities.

“Currently, a project to establish 60 daycare centres is being implemented,” she said.

Officials also pointed out a common misconception: all public daycare centres are officially open to everyone but many believe they are only for children of government employees.

In Dhaka, at least 14 centres are located inside government establishments, including the Planning Commission, Bangladesh National Library, Rajarbagh Police Lines, Samabaya Bhaban and Bhumi Bhaban.

Rahena Begum, who lives in Agargaon area, said she was unaware that several government-run daycare centres in her neighbourhood were open to all at affordable rates.

“They should run awareness campaigns about it,” she said.

Limited access to public daycare facilities compels many families to turn to private centres, which are significantly more expensive -- sometimes five to seven times costlier than public ones.

Officials at Safe Day Care in Pallabi said they charge Tk 6,000 per month for full-day care and Tk 5,000 for half-day care for children aged six months to six years. The centre operates from 7:30am to 7:00pm.

At Le Petit Child Care Center in Gulshan, the fee is Tk 9,400 a month for full-day care and Tk 8,000 for half-day (five hours) care. It enrols children aged six months to 10 years.

THE WAY FORWARD

Noting that daycare centres must be of good quality and affordable, Tania said, “If costs are too high, the centres will not be accessible to all women.”

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad President Fauzia Moslem said one of the key indicators of women’s empowerment is their financial earnings and economic independence.

“Daycare centres are a crucial part of this, and government support and technical assistance are essential.”

Responding to a lawmaker’s query in parliament on September 8, Women and Children Affairs Minister AZM Zahid Hossain, said that no one can be satisfied with the current state of daycare centres. Their number is far below the actual need.

He further said initiatives are being taken to meet the growing demand for daycare centres. The ministry is contacting various government agencies and corporate offices, asking them to allocate space for such centres.

“The public organisations concerned will provide space in their buildings free of cost. We will supply furniture and daycare service providers. This can be described as an inter-agency partnership…

“Our target is to set up at least 150 new daycare centres in Dhaka city, Savar, Tongi, Gazipur, and Narayanganj,” he added.