Social Development Ministry issues licences for 1,361 day-care centres

AMMAN — The Ministry of Social Development announced on Wednesday that it has licensed around 1,361 day-care centres, all of which are under its umbrella. 

The announcement came on the sidelines of a training workshop the ministry organised on Wednesday, in cooperation with the Sadaqa Organisation and UN Women Jordan.

The workshop focused on childcare centre registration and licensing for representatives of the Family and Childcare department at the ministry, according to a Sadaqa statement, which added that the workshop lasted for one day for the department staff responsible for registering the day-care centres. 

The aim of the workshop was to set up a one-stop-shop for the licensing of workplace day care centres, focusing on staff from the north and south of the Kingdom, according to the statement.

For her part, Sadaqa representative Randa Nafaa told The Jordan Times that the day-care centres ensure a better working environment, and that the centres need to be registered in line with the National Framework for Workplace Daycares, which was developed by Sadaqa and adopted by the government.

This includes the adoption of various models of workplace daycares under Article 72, which also stipulates the creation of a one-stop-shop for registering day-cares and supporting employers through tax incentives, she said, adding that these centres should be accessible to all working parents. 

The training was held as part of ongoing cooperation between the ministry, Sadaqa and UN Women to remove hindrances facing women who want to be part of the workforce, advocating for their economic rights through ensuring better access to transportation and daycares. 

The initiative, supported by the EU’s Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis, the “Madad Fund”, will include subsequent workshops that train more of the Ministry of Social Development's staff, the statement concluded.