Kudumbashree - Success Story of Sneha Daycare Centre

Taking care of little ones and earning livelihood: Success Story of Sneha Daycare Centre

Micro Enterprise promotion and development is one of the significant strategies of Kudumbashree Mission to facilitate economic empowerment of the poor. The Mission developed specific strategies analyzing the requirements of enterprises. This constitutes trainings, partial financial support marketing support and hand holding support to the enterprises. These kinds of supports are applicable for both existing micro enterprises and new ones. The Mission gives priority on the concept of Local Economic Development (LED) – local production, catering to local consumption to increase the economic activity within the local areas for micro enterprise development. In order to facilitate this concept, we ensure the involvement of the community and LSGs to analyze the market demand and the development of products and services accordingly. 

The concept of day care service of children has good scope as a service sector enterprise. Nuclear families and working parents bring in good scope for day care centres. Reliability and safety is a concern in choosing a Day care Centre. Trained teachers and care takers in right proportion as per the children’s availability is required for setting up a good day care centre.  

Sneha Day Care Centre

Sneha day care center unit is a joint venture by 5 members from 3 NHGs (Athulya, Sangamam, and Vanitha) in Pulpally Gram Panchayath of Wayanad district of Kerala in 7 February 2013. Smt. Deepa Haridas is the President and Smt. Leena Sasidharan is the Secretary of the unit. The Day care centre comes under service sector. The Day care centre was started in RME Scheme. Rs 5,00,000.00 was the total project cost.

Evolution of Sneha Day Care Centre

In 2013, Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission conducted a General Orientation Training for Pulpally and Mullankolly panchayaths. Smt. Deepa participated in that training and in continuation with the General Orientation Training, she went for Entrepreneurship Development Programme as well. In the Entrepreneurship Development Program only she came to the conclusion of starting a Micro Enterprise with Daycare. Smt. Deepa with a strong desire for getting a livelihood for gain her daily bread, in the EDP she found 4 more ladies with her wavelength. Because of her life practice she become an entrepreneur.

Day care activities and play school activities are the main activities of Sneha Day Care Centre. Rs 35000 is the average monthly turnover of the micro enterprise unit.  Smt. Deepa’s fulltime involvement, prime location, low budget project etc are the reasons for the success.

Challenges Faced

Social Media’s influence: During 2018 beginning, some videos and news spread over social media that, the mismanagement of Daycare centers and its staffs in some other state in India. This news created a bad impression on Daycare sector across Kerala. It badly affected their business. Out of 25 children around 12 children left the daycare during this period. And the parents of the remaining children, talk with the other parents then they came back after 2 months. As they had only practical knowledge and proper skill training for the Entrepreneurs, it was also a challenge faced by Sneha Day Care centre.

The could overcome from the challenges they had been facing and it is the happiest moment for them. If not, they were planning to shut down the project. Because the revenue was not sufficient during the period. “The only needed capital for starting and continuing a Micro Enterprise is the self-confidence”-this is Smt. Deepa’s message to aspiring women.

At Sneha Day Care Centre, the Kudumbashree women are looking after the children as their own. Their lives had changed and got bettered and improved after the launch of the enterprise. By taking up the right opportunity at the right time, these women had proved that there is nothing a self-confident woman cannot do.