During the launch of Super Nanny programme, Alisha Moopen says that children are the future of the nation and we want them to be best equipped to become leaders and healthy citizens of the community. The program, a first of its kind in the region, will comprise of eight modules that will cover baby care, childcare — physical, emotional and behavioral development, hygiene and safety, child nutrition and emergency care. These modules will be taught by childcare experts including Psychologists, Nutritionists, Educationists, Doctors and Nurses, through lectures, group activities, role playing and shared experiences….writes Wailana Rafeeq
Medcare unveiled a ‘Super Nanny’ Training Programme which will train, equip and empower nannies across the UAE, using assisted-parenting tools, in an effort to bridge the current gap in skills required for optimal childcare.
The programme, a first of its kind in the region, will comprise of eight modules that will cover baby care, childcare — physical, emotional and behavioral development, hygiene and safety, child nutrition and emergency care. These modules will be taught by childcare experts including Psychologists, Nutritionists, Educationists, Doctors and Nurses, through lectures, group activities, role playing and shared experiences.
One in four, low income women in the country are nannies with less than five percent having any formal training in childcare. Nearly 94 percent of children are brought up by nannies, spending an average of 55 hours a week with them which makes their role in a child’s life of paramount importance. A nanny, thus needs the right kind of training to do her job effectively.
“As a mother of two, I fully understand how it feels when parents have to entrust their child with another person from morning to evening,” said Alisha Moopen, Executive Director and CEO of Hospitals and Clinics, GCC,Aster DM Healthcare.
“At Medcare, we strive to identify and address real challenges faced by people and communities. The deficits we found in assisted parenting were a cause for concern. Providing a solution, our program will make nannies more confident about their work and help parents understand the role of nannies in their children’s lives. This will also improve mutual trust, and in turn build healthier nanny-child-parent relationships.”
“Children are the future of the nation and we want them to be best equipped to become leaders and healthy citizens of the community.”
Dr Malathi Arshanapali, Group Chief Quality Office CMO, GCC said: “ The program aims to equip nannies with skills to make her a super nanny. The entire program circles around the holistic approach of making sure that the nanny can bring about a physically, mentally, socially and an emotionally complete and healthy child. The program is very unique because the contents are developed by the experts.”
“Comprising of eight modules spread over one and a half days, the first module will be for the parents and seven for the nanny,” said Dr. Syed Mohamad Anees, Head of Pediatric Specialty Center at Medcare. “With this program we understand that if a nanny is well trained and safe for the child, the future of the child will be better and have great influence on the personality of the child.”
Parents can register their nannies for the program that will be delivered in an easy to grasp language along with demonstrations and handouts. The program will be followed by a feedback session to help parents assess the efficiency of the training.
A nanny is expected to be with the child all through the day to ensure that his or her needs are fulfilled. Most often, housemaids double as nannies, and consider taking care of children a part of their household chores. Without proper training and understanding of childcare, the child’s emotional and physical needs may get neglected. In turn, this could lead to problems like aggressive behavior, excessive tantrums, childhood depression, learning issues, technology addiction, poor social and communication skills and eating disorders.
The foundations of character, behavior, learning, social skills and health are laid during the formative years of a child’s life. They learn these life-defining skills by observing and emulating their parents and caregivers. Therefore, like in every other profession, a nanny needs the right kind of training to do her job effectively.
The ‘Super Nanny’ Training Program is designed to build the knowledge and skills of nannies to ensure that children get adequate emotional and physical support to grow into healthy, self-respecting, balanced human beings. The program will comprise of eight modules that will cover baby care, childcare – physical, emotional and behavioral development, hygiene and safety, child nutrition and emergency care. These modules will be taught by childcare experts including Psychologists, Nutritionists, Educationists, Doctors and Nurses, through lectures, group activities, role playing and shared experiences. One module called ‘Understanding Your Child’ is dedicated only for parents. This will help parents learn about concepts such as, the ‘power of touch’ and ‘attachment parenting’. The duration of the training is one and a half days.
Interested parents can register and enroll their nanny in the program for a small fee, and also customize the program elements based on their needs.