- The UN declared October 29 as the International Day of Care and Support (2023), underlining the need to reduce, redistribute, and properly recognise unpaid care work.
- Women and girls perform a disproportionately high share of unpaid care: 426 minutes/day vs 163 minutes/day for men.
- India’s childcare ecosystem has deep roots, shaped by early reformers like Tarabai Modak and Gijubai Badheka, who promoted developmentally appropriate childcare models.
- Over time, childcare shifted heavily to private and voluntary providers—often excluding the poorest families.
Evolution of Childcare Policy in India
- Mina Swaminathan Committee (1972) stressed a holistic approach—nutrition, health, social justice—for marginalised children.
- Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) launched in 1975:
- One of the world’s largest early childhood programmes.
- 1.4 million Anganwadis serving 23 million children today.
- By 2030, India will require 2.6 million centres to support 60 million children.
- ICDS remains a crucial pillar for early nutrition, pre-school learning, and maternal health.
Challenges Faced by Childcare and Anganwadi Workers
- Low Wages & Poor Job Security: Anganwadi workers earn roughly ₹8,000–₹15,000 monthly, with limited social security, despite bearing core health-nutrition-education responsibilities.
- Weak Professional Status: They are treated as service providers, not early childhood educators.
- Inadequate Training: Limited skilling, lack of pedagogical support, outdated infrastructure, especially for under-3 care.
- Climate Stress & Urbanisation: Heat waves, flooding, and unsafe infrastructure make Anganwadi work physically riskier.
- Burden of Unpaid Care: Women’s disproportionate care workload contributes indirectly to high child undernutrition (India’s stunting rate: 35%).
- Coverage Gaps for Migrant & Vulnerable Communities: Urban poor, migrant labourers, and lower-caste groups often fall outside Anganwadi networks.
Recent Initiatives to Recognize Childcare Workers
- India Childcare Champion Awards 2025 launched by Mobile Creches & FORCES:
- Honouring frontline workers, NGOs, panchayat leaders, and grassroots institutions.
- Recognises work in migrant settlements, informal labour sites, and socially excluded communities.
- Encourages models that integrate equity, early learning, nutrition, and safety.
Policy Measures and the Way Forward
- Professionalisation of Care Work:
- Decent wages, paid leave, healthcare benefits, pensions, and career progression.
- Recognising childcare workers as essential early childhood educators.
- Capacity Building & Infrastructure:
- Revamping Anganwadi centres with climate-resilient buildings, electricity, digital tools, and safe spaces for children under three.
- Higher Public Investment:
- Current spending on childcare is 0.4% of GDP; experts recommend raising this to 1–1.5% to meet global benchmarks.
- Rights-Based Approach:
- Treat childcare not as welfare, but as a right of women and children—with universal access.
- Decentralisation & Convergence:
- Stronger coordination between ICDS, health, education, labour, and local governments.
- Empowering Care Workers:
- Inclusion in policy design, monitoring committees, and budget planning.
Conclusion
Investing in childcare workers and early childhood systems is essential for social equity, women’s empowerment, human capital formation, and inclusive growth. Recognising childcare as a public good, not an informal service, can transform the lives of millions of children and caregivers, strengthening India’s long-term development trajectory.
