Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has announced that the government will explore ways to provide direct support for daycare centres across Guyana in the upcoming national budget.
Speaking at his weekly press conference, Jagdeo reminded that this was a campaign promise aimed at easing the burden on working mothers. He explained that various models are under consideration, including tax breaks, co-investments, grants, or vouchers.
“We’re also going to be in the new budget looking at ways how we support daycare centres throughout Guyana because this is a promise we made… whether we do it through a taxation system, we co-invest, or we give a grant, or we give a voucher, we are still examining which of these methods we’d be using,” Jagdeo said.
His statement comes as the government continues to expand its investments in childcare facilities. This past August, President Dr Irfaan Ali commissioned the country’s first Day and Night Care and Early Childhood Development Centre at Anna Catherina, Region Three. The $93.8 million facility, which offers 24-hour care, has been described as a transformative initiative that will allow parents working night or day shifts to access safe childcare services. A second such centre is expected to be constructed in Region Four at $94 million.
President Ali has also made it clear that the establishment of these facilities forms part of the government’s broader poverty reduction strategy. By providing reliable childcare, he said, mothers who previously had to stay at home to care for their children will now have greater opportunities to enter the workforce and improve their household income.
Meanwhile, in another effort to strengthen early childhood care, the government issued $200,000 grants to early childhood centres across five regions in June. The initiative is designed to help these institutions upgrade their services and raise childcare standards.
