Working parents in Little Diamond and surrounding communities now have access to expanded childcare support with the opening of the $170 million Little Diamond Day/Night Care and Early Childhood Development Centre.

The facility was officially commissioned on Wednesday by Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud. It brings day and night care with early childhood development in a model designed to support both children and their parents.

Procured through the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), the centre was delivered as a fully furnished and operational turnkey facility through a partnership between the BNTF and the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.

Minister Persaud said the facility represents more than physical infrastructure, noting that early childhood development is critical to a child’s growth and development.

“When we look at this facility, it’s so much more than a space. It is the merging of very important concepts of care, and that is providing day and night care and early childhood development for children, and yes, by extension, the parents,” the minister said.

The centre accommodates 50 children during the day and 50 in the evening.

Night care services are expected to begin next month, providing support for parents who work long hours, including those from single-parent households.

The minister said the model was developed from an understanding of the challenges faced by working parents and the need for children to be cared for in a safe environment.

“We want them to be able to work and do so with a mind that is free from worry when it comes to the care of their children. We want them to know that their children are safe,” she noted.

Caregivers at ministry-operated facilities are trained in childcare and early childhood development through government programmes offered at no cost to participants. The next level of training will focus on special needs education.

The Little Diamond centre will provide an environment where children can grow, learn and develop in accordance with their developmental milestones, while giving working parents greater flexibility in managing their professional and family responsibilities.

Minister Persaud said the partnership with the BNTF will continue, with plans for another facility this year and further expansion to Regions Two and Five, with the long-term objective of establishing such a facility in every region.