Child care in Manila

Hi Armand!
In my humble opinion; working parents here usually get a house maid (a yaya in local language/ Filipino) near their places, but many would get people from provinces, as they are more industrious, reliable and most importantly loving and honest (but not all), but educational attainment wise, they perhaps the least, because in reality people who at least finished middle school here might ignore this kind of job (some, yes will accept).
Day care center like in western countries is no ordinary here, but I guess in no time it might be a trend, or perhaps little did I know few are operating already, as the local people also need it here nowadays.
if day care center is a trend here already, company or proprietor in line with this business might get people who have proper training or experience at child care or even those who have attained short courses specializing at care giving, as the government is giving plenty of short courses or skilled program (3 to 6 months) to its people who are not capable of going to universities.
For foreign people perhaps they can post at websites, as even people who don't go to school maximize the benefits of the internet, or a much reliable friend's referral, and it's up to them to impose the qualifications they always wanted.

Hi there, just like the post above daycare system is uncommon here in philippines. What we have is a babysitter or what we call yaya.You are lucky if you can find kind, honest and responsible and at the same time educated enough for you to communicate in english well. You can get one in agencies here but its better for you to find direct so you can avoid extra fees. Just make sure that the person is thrusthworthy and dont have any criminal records. You can check bacground though with the legal docs. like NBI or Police clearance.  Best regards...

Thanks for your contribution!

Harmonie.

[Moderated: please post in the Jobs section]

if you live in Makati, you may be able to find day cares. my son is 4 and goes to the Golden Values School. I know that they also provide daycare services.

Day cares are a bit expensive for locals here in Manila but I guess it is still very affordable for expats. Getting a nanny is also a good option, you may ask your company HR if they can assist you with this matter since they may be able to know agencies which can provide nannies who are trained and trustworthy.

if you go to 'The Fort', you'll see a lot of expats with nannies for their kids. They can even afford to have a nanny for each kids. so you may consider getting a nanny since it is a convenience that you can easily afford here in the Philippines.

yeah, tough choices. I dont trust yaya's, i've had several bad experiences but of course that can't be said for everyone. Thruthfully though, it is commonly accepted that you will have a high turnover of maids and somewhere along the line you may get lucky enough to find "the one" in the meantime though, it can be hard to trust them with your children. I think if the kids are older its easier, but leaving toddlers and babies I wouldnt recommend. Ive witnessed so many things with my own eyes, and however they may be to your face the minute you are gone most of them will be texting or gossiping and arent watching the children or caring for them to your expectations. Once again, this is not all of them. Everyone says dont leave a maid in the house alone, lock up your valubles, etc etc.. for me personally, if I cant trust them not to steal from me how can I trust them to look after my children? I know its tradition here, but I would be looking for a daycare or pre-school instead.

Hello All!


I am new to Manila and looking for daycare options for my toddler.

While I was searching this on this forum,came across this post.

I have similar questions for (working) expat mothers/parents who do these search.

We visited Gymboree at Greenbelt 5 yesterday. It is  a good place for fun and activity.  However, they do not have day care facilities.  Their annual fees are(114,000Pesos) for a 3 days a week 2 hour activity session.

Are there any other preschools and daycare  that you can suggest?
I am looking for a full day, safe and educated environment for kids under 4 years of age in Manila( Makati or Fort Bonaficio)

Thanks a bunch!

Hi Armand. You asked about 5 or 6 questions on child care.  I'll try to answer each question in 1 or more posts, otherwise, this post would be a very very long one.

I think the most common childcare system (for preschool aged kids and younger) in the Philippines is hiring a stay-in nanny or "yaya".  Depending on the child's age, their duties involve all or some of the following: bathing / cleaning, feeding, playing, helping the kids take naps, teaching.

WHERE TO FIND ONE:
You can either hire an agency or get a referral from your friends' competent house help. When hiring through an agency, you have to read the contract carefully and ask questions. They claim they do background checks, but usually it's the yaya who acquires and submits to the agency her NBI and Barangay Clearances.  Same with x-rays and other health testing.

I have gone through 2 agencies already. The first one charged me a huge flat rate (can't recall how much exactly), and I could change yayas, up to 5 changes for the next 6 months, if the current one does not work out. I rejected the first one after less than a week and asked the agency for a replacement.  I was surprised when they told me that I need to pay PhP900 for each change.  What if this second one doesn't work out either in a week?  I felt like being scammed.  I just didn't get the replacement. That was the most expensive 1 week rate for an incompetent nanny I've ever paid. Lesson learned.

The second agency charged a smaller flat rate. I could have 5 replacements for 6 six months. They do not charge for replacement, as in the first agency. But they do require you to pay PhP800 upfront, which you would later on deduct from the nanny's first pay. I was the one who paid for x-rays. But the nannies didn't work out.  The longest period that one stayed was for 4 months.  Usually the reason they give for leaving was a family member was sick and she needs to leave to take care of him / her. Or her husband does not want her to work.

You, the employer, are required by law to pay for the employer's share of SSS, PhilHealth, and PagIbig contributions for your yaya, the employee. Despite the higher than usual rate for yayas / house help hired through employment agencies, the agencies are not the ones who pay for these required contributions. You will have to payout between PhP300-500 a month to SSS, PhilHealth, PagIbig for your share, and send these monthly to the payment centers and offices of various government agencies mentioned. Some employers also shoulder the house help's contribution. It depends on you if you want to do the same.

More about my experience on hiring nannies, when I have some free time . . .

Hi FilAmericanMom,

Thank you for your contribution !

Priscilla

Nanny referrals from friends' competent help are not fool proof.  As another poster mentioned, you might have to go through several referrals to find "the one".  We've gone through several referrals and we haven't found the one. Actually, our worst experience with a nanny is through a referral.  She spread head lice to everyone in our household. The referrer claimed said she was experienced, but the nanny was so incompetent.  Her worst offense was letting my 3 year old piggy back on her while going down the stairs. I tried running after them but the nanny was fast.  My daughter did slip and did fall back when they reached the dining room where there was soft carpet.  I'd rather not think of what could have happened to my little girl if she fell back and hit the stairs. She could have been paralyzed.  We fired that nanny that same day.  Our current nanny, who's been with us for 2 months and is the daughter of my parents' caretaker in the province / countryside, seems to be working out . . . for now.

Referrers are also given a referral / finder's fee.  Make it a point that you don't give them the fee until after the nanny stays for at least a month. Or make an agreement with the nanny that you'll withhold PhP500 of her salary and give it to her after her 2nd month, so as to discourage her from leaving her job in a short period of time.  Referrers have been reported to barangays (local government unit) because employers are complaining that the referred house help leave shortly after giving them the referrer the fee. It's like a scam / fraud.

Hello FilAmericanMom,

Thanks a lot for your views!!!
It does help

Its been a week in Manila for us and we got robbed,trying to find a house lost our phone
things have been tough.

Will get in touch with you.

Hi FilAmericanMom - would you have anymore reliable referrals? Am in need of one (after my encounter with one agent which is not really working out and slowly.....argh). My current yaya kept on triggering us to terminate her (3 times / 4 months that she's been with us) and finally she said that she would like to leave the job. I've got no choice but to get her to help us out till I find a replacement.

Thank you so much in advance
Sam

yphuishee wrote:

Hi FilAmericanMom - would you have anymore reliable referrals? Am in need of one (after my encounter with one agent which is not really working out and slowly.....argh). My current yaya kept on triggering us to terminate her (3 times / 4 months that she's been with us) and finally she said that she would like to leave the job. I've got no choice but to get her to help us out till I find a replacement.

Thank you so much in advance
Sam

Hi Sam,

I don't refer house help. In the past, well-meaning friends would recommend house help who in turn were recommended by their house help. When they ask how things are doing, I feel like saying, "Are you in your right mind?!! What in the world were you thinking!!!!". I don't want to embarrass them so I just politely say, "Things just didn't work out." And besides, it was their house help who referred the yaya. I just don't want to be put in their shoes. A good yaya is really hard to find. Most likely you will go through several before you find a good one who will stay for a long time.

Hi,

Just moved to Manila, were you able to find a decent daycare for your kids

Hi, first i would like to ask where in Manila will you be staying? how old is your child? what kind of Day Care are you looking for? there are different child care centers already in Manila those who cater to 3 to 6 years old, some are playschool, preschool, or learning centers, day care centers are those initiated by barangays, in the malls there are play centers, there are limited almost none thats more of a baby sitting where you can leave your child while you work the whole day, its up to you what kind of care you are looking for your child, you cannot fully trust a "yaya" to be perfect (housemaid), you can also search online but you gave to check it out first and not rely on what she/he said, children needs the utmost care during their delicate growing up years and I do know how parents specially moms feels. You can try if you like to inquire also at wise todds home day care but its up to you to decide of course.

Looking for job as nanny/babysitter,  zero nine nine eight two zero zero three zero five one