August 10, 2026Around 95 percent of children assessed after receiving care through registered childminding services have been found ready to enter crèche, according to the Institute of Early Childhood Development (IECD). IECD chief executive Shirley Choppy says the result reflects improvements made over the past decade through national childcare standards, training, inspections and closer monitoring of homebased services.
Mrs. Choppy made the remarks during an event marking 10 years since the introduction of the National Standards for Home-Based Child Care Services and the graduation of the 15th cohort of IECD’s Pre-Registration, Sensitisation and Training Programme (PRESET). The ceremony, held at Savoy Resort and Spa on Friday, 7 August, saw 43 participants receive certificates after completing the programme.
Speaking to the media, Mrs. Choppy explained that IECD carries out a basic developmental assessment of children aged between three and four before they move from childminding services into crèche.
The assessment involves interaction with the children through simple questions and activities involving colours, cards and toys. It also looks at whether the children can communicate with the assessor, identify themselves and demonstrate other basic developmental abilities.
According to Mrs. Choppy, around 95 percent of the children assessed were considered ready to enter crèche. She said the result showed that the measures and initiatives introduced in the childcare sector over the years were bearing fruit.
Mrs. Choppy noted that children were ultimately the beneficiaries of the work being carried out with childminders, with the aim of ensuring that they grow up healthy, receive a good education and become responsible members of society. The national standards for homebased child care came into force in 2016, while PRESET had been introduced a year earlier, in 2015.
Looking back over the past decade, Mrs. Choppy said IECD had trained childcare providers, established standards, introduced the Childminders’ Excellence Award, carried out inspections and organised continuing professional development sessions to ensure that providers remained up to date.
She contrasted the situation today with the period before the standards were introduced, saying there had previously been many accidents in childcare environments, including incidents in which children had lost their lives. Mrs. Choppy said the introduction of the standards had positively affected children’s development while ensuring that they were cared for in more structured and protected environments before entering crèche. The standards cover areas ranging from supervision and child protection to nutrition, health, hygiene and safety.
Mrs. Choppy said IECD places particular importance on proper supervision, adding that the institute is concerned whenever it receives complaints from parents or members of the public involving registered childcare providers. She also reiterated IECD’s zerotolerance position on corporal punishment. “We have zero tolerance on that. Children are not supposed to be beaten. Children are not supposed to be mistreated,” she said.
Nutrition is another area covered through the training, with childcare providers receiving guidance on preparing appropriate menus and avoiding processed foods that are not beneficial to children’s health. Health and hygiene requirements include appropriate diaperchanging procedures, while childcare premises are expected to have safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and alarms. Mrs. Choppy said IECD provides such equipment as part of its efforts to ensure that children are safe within childcare environments.
The 7 August ceremony also highlighted efforts to continue developing and professionalising Seychelles’ childcare workforce. According to Mrs. Choppy’s address at the ceremony, 503 people—493 women and 10 men— have completed PRESET since the programme was introduced in 2015. “Good child care is no longer babysitting—it’s giving children the best start in life,” she said. The latest PRESET group initially comprised 47 participants, 43 of whom successfully completed the programme.
Mrs. Choppy told the media that around 15 participants in the latest cohort were already involved in childcare, including some working as assistant childminders. The remainder comprised unemployed participants and people currently working in other professions who had decided to pursue careers in childcare. Some intend to establish their own home-based childcare services.
PRESET, however, does not automatically qualify participants as registered childminders. Mrs. Choppy explained that it is the first step for those seeking to establish a service. They must then meet IECD’s minimum requirements and complete the registration process. IECD continues to work with prospective childminders by providing advice on what they need to put in place at home to meet those requirements.
The ceremony also recognised the wider push towards formal qualifications in the sector. Twenty-three centre-based childcare personnel had recently graduated from the Seychelles Institute of Teacher Education, while homebased childminders had also pursued Certificates in Child Care and Development through Recognition of Prior Learning.
Two PRESET participants, Jacintha Athanase from La Digue and Hania Brutus from Praslin, were also recognised for travelling to Mahe every Saturday to attend the training. Both intend to venture into home-based childcare.
Two male assistant childminders, Paul Lesperance and Francis Rapide, were also highlighted, with Mrs. Choppy encouraging more men to become involved in childcare.
Vice-President Sebastien Pillay presented certificates to the first group of 21 PRESET participants, while First Lady Véronique Herminie presented certificates to the remaining 22.
“Investing in our children and their caregivers today is more than just a moral obligation; it is a fundamental investment in our nation’s future,” Mrs. Choppy said.
Courtesy todayinseychelles.com
