RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL CRECHE SCHEME
YEAR OF COMMENCEMENT: NOV 1954
CHILDREN REACHED IN 2017-2017: 1300
TOTAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN REACHED: 15000
FUNDING PARTNER: Grant received from Ministry of Women and Child
Development, Govt. of India through Indian Council for
Child Welfare, New Delhi.
INTRODUCTION:
The Council is a pioneer in providing Early Childhood Care in India.
In 1954, a Balwadi Programme was started in
order to provide health care, nutrition and pre-school
education for children of 3-5 years, belonging to the weaker
economic strata of the country.
In the initial stage, the Council ran 14 Balwadis. In 1976, the
Government of India introduced a special scheme
called Creche, focusing on the needs of pre-school
children of working and ailing mothers. The Council, then,
converted its Balwadis into Crèches and expanded the
programme to 110 Crèches in the various Districts of Tamil
Nadu. With the commencement of ICDS and expansion of
ICDS in Tamil Nadu, the need for Creches has gradually
declined, restricting the number of Creches run by the
Council to 52. ICCW, Tamil Nadu runs a total of 52 Crèches in
6 Districts at present, providing holistic care for an
average of 1300 children daily.