Free High-Quality Childcare Launched: Ministry Opens Day/Night Facility to Support Working Parents in Mocha, Providence, and Prospect
By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News|
PROVIDENCE, EAST BANK DEMERARA — In a major effort to relieve the financial burdens of working class households, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has officially completed a state-of-the-art day and night care and early childhood development center. The facility is specifically built to offer entirely free services to families residing on the East Bank of Demerara.
The commissioning of the new center is part of a broader government policy announced at the beginning of 2026 to scale up investments in early childhood and family development programs, with the dual goals of enhancing localized social services and boosting greater economic participation among working parents.
Strategic Relief for Three East Bank Communities
During a structural walkthrough where she engaged directly with newly appointed staff and local stakeholders, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, announced that the infrastructure is fully complete and ready to take in its first cohorts.
The facility is strategically situated in Providence to serve as an accessible central hub for three neighboring residential blocks.
“Our day/night care early childhood facility is complete,” Minister Persaud stated during her operational address. “We are asking you to register your children. This is located in Providence close to Mocha, so it serves these three communities [Mocha, Providence, and Prospect] and it’s a free service.”
After-School Care Infrastructure Completed
The center is designed to support not only infants and toddlers but also older youth who require safe environments while their parents finish out late business shifts or evening educational classes.
The building framework includes designated spaces where children from nursery or early primary schools can be safely housed and fed after regular school hours conclude. This structural addition offers parents peace of mind knowing their young children are protected from external vulnerabilities while they remain locked in at work or study.
A Twin Facility Opens at Little Diamond
The government’s childcare expansion track saw another major milestone on Wednesday, with the simultaneous opening of a similar state-of-the-art facility located in the Young Professionals Housing Scheme at Little Diamond.
| Childcare Center Hub | Target Catchment Areas | Maximum Safe Capacity Built | Cost to Eligible Families |
| Providence Center | Mocha, Providence, and Prospect corridors | Scaled for regional multi-shift intake | 100% Free Service |
| Little Diamond Center | Young Professionals Housing Scheme area | Up to 50 children accommodated | 100% Free Service |
The Little Diamond branch is built immediately adjacent to a site earmarked for a new primary school. The facility is engineered to accommodate up to 50 children at any given time, providing a safe, nurturing, and highly stimulating early learning environment that matches the modern safety codes deployed at the Providence hub. Registration portals for both regional centers are now formally open to the public through the ministry’s local field officers.
