The regulations for the opening and operation of Casitas Infantiles in companies, budgeted units, agricultural and non-agricultural cooperatives, joint ventures, political, social or mass organizations were established in Resolution 58/2021 of the Ministry of Education, published in the Official Gazette of the Republic.

In order to request their opening, the entities must carry out an economic-financial diagnosis with the objective of analyzing the existing budgetary reserves and evaluate that the income covers the expenses, so as to guarantee the sustainability of this service, explains the regulation.

All measures adopted, including the use of masks by adult staff, are for the safety of the children attending. Photo: Ariel Cecilio Lemus

In the case of budgeted units and political, social or mass organizations, it is also evaluated that they do not generate excessive expenses to the State Budget.

They must have the approval of the workers' collective and the consent of the Governing Board, as appropriate. The creation of Casitas Infantiles may not imply deterioration in the entity's efficiency indicators; income and expenses are projected in the annual Plan and Budget.

According to the Resolution, the units are responsible for the selection of the premises -they must comply with the basic elementary conditions, as well as with certain hygienic-sanitary requirements-, the furniture and the material resources required; likewise, they ensure that no significant differences are generated with what applies to children day care centers ; in the case of the material basis for study, this will be guaranteed by Education.

Likewise, the educational attention to the children is guaranteed with educators and pedagogical assistants graduated in the Early Childhood specialty, who are located in the entity's staff.

It determines that the teaching staff plans and organizes the activities of the educational process in accordance with the programs and methodological guidelines that govern the work in Early Childhood.

The Casitas Infantiles are enabled for children from one year of age, with independent walking, and up to five years, from second to fifth years of life, and will be organized in correspondence with the number, age of the little ones and characteristics of the place, by years of life, by cycles 2nd-3rd and 4th-5th years of life; or by multiple groups from 2nd to 5th years of life.

Graduates of such variant have the right to semi-boarding in preschool, kindergarten or elementary school, according to available capacities, according to the regulations.

The Resolution also establishes that the alternatives for offering snacks and lunch to the little ones may be the offer by the work center of a healthy food that meets the requirements of the age needs, ensuring the hygienic-sanitary conditions; or that the parents provide it and it is only heated at the established schedule, for which the conditions for its conservation and later consumption are created.

It may also be applied that parents, by mutual agreement, coordinate the preparation of food outside the center, delivering it to the place at the corresponding time.

The rates for charging for the service are those established by the Ministry of Finance and Prices for children day care centers; in cases where the food service is not provided, said rate must be adjusted to 50% of the established rate, taking into consideration that fixed expenses are incurred for the entity.

Source: Granma