Cuba’s State and Private Kindergartens

Cuba's State and Private Kindergartens
November 10, 2014
Irina Pino

HAVANA TIMES — When my son turned one, I was unemployed. Thanks to a
government official my husband knew, however, we managed to find a day
care center (Circulo infantil) for him. That was at the end of the 90s,
when private day care had not yet been authorized. I started to work
shortly afterwards.

Even though he was already 14 months old, my kid still couldn't walk.
Since the day care centers weren't taking infants, as they had in
previous decades, I had to wait for him to learn how to walk and stay
upright before leaving him there.

When he was finally admitted into the State day care facility, things
were fairly complicated. He wouldn't adapt and we had to pick him up at
noon every day. He would spend the day crying, missing us. This is
normal for small children who are taken away from home.

The care offered by the staff was anything but professional. They would
yell at the kids and some even spanked them (without the parents finding
out, of course). When I went to pick up my kid, I would sometime notice
that they had washed his hair – something I didn't take well to. I had
told one of the daycare workers there not to bathe him, let alone wash
his hair. She would tell me she hadn't, that she had merely moistened it
with a towel to freshen him up.

One day, I arrived unannounced and saw what they did. They would take
the kids that were a little dirty and plunge their heads into basins out
in the patio to wash them with cold water. Then, they would dry them up
with any old towel. My son was often sick. He once had a severe case of
diarrhea and we had to treat him with secnidazole, a medication that was
only available in hard currency at the time.

At my workplace, I was told that a kid had once drowned by accident at a
kindergarten, after his head had been plunged into a cleaning bucket in
one of the rooms. In another kindergarten, they found that the staff was
taking half of the food given to the children. Though none of these
incidents were reported on by the press, they got to me and put me on
the alert. I even gave one of the teachers gifts so her attitude towards
my kid would change and she'd look after him better. That woman scared
him. You could tell he was afraid of her: whenever you mentioned her, he
made a face as though he'd burst into tears at any moment.

In addition, the dreadful condition that one was rooms in the upper
floor was in (its windows and doors were broken) put the children at
risk. On several occasions, I spoke with the principal and explained the
situation to her, but she was always evasive, alleging that they had
practically no funds to repair the building. The kindergarten, located
on 5ta and 20, Miramar (an embassy area), contrasted with the other
well-kept and newly-painted buildings.

The children were allowed to play out in the courtyard, but the games
were not didactic. Romping and running around was all they did.

Recently, I visited a private day care, where my friend's daughter
spends the day, and I was able to see how the business operates. The
discipline, the learning games, the extreme cleanliness of the locale
(where you has to take off your shoes at the door and children are given
special footwear), the beautiful posters on the wall, the toys, tables
and chairs, coloring books and many other things designed to ensure the
little ones are properly cared for there, make most parents willing to
pay 15 CUCs (US $16.50 a month).

The daycare worker teaches the children to be polite: to say hello and
thank you and share toys, social norms they will require in the future.
She also organizes singing competitions, games, and poetry recitals.

There, she not only looks after but also instills the children with
spiritual values. The children love the delightful atmosphere of the
place. Even on weekends, they ask their parents if they can go to aunt
Elena's, as they lovingly call her.

Source: Cuba's State and Private Kindergartens - Havana Times.org -
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=107236