Nestle Opens Its 1st Ever Day Care Center

Nestlé Philippines, Inc. (NPI) has unveiled its newest addition to support its Life Balance Program— the CERELAC CARE (Children’s Activity, Recreation, and Education) Center located at Lower Level 1 of the Nestlé Center in Rockwell. 

Inaugurated on October 6, 2008 by Chairman and CEO Nandu Nandkishore, HR Director Gid Manuel, and Chairman of Little Dipper Learning Center Ed Travis, the CERELAC CARE Center provides a venue where children can participate in developmentally appropriate cognitive, physical, social, and emotional activities right at the workplace, while giving employees the opportunity to enjoy quality time with their children during break times at the office. 

Guests from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) graced the inauguration and ribbon-cutting of Nestlé’s first ever day care center. F&C Director Peter Noszek, Liquid Beverages BEM Afnan Ashan, CERELAC CMM Nicola Mayuga, and CHUCKIE CMM Kristy Tesoro also participated in the opening ceremony. 

The CERELAC CARE Center is a child-friendly facility with a number of amenities, such as a rubberized play area with lots of educational materials, giving kids an area to work off their high energy levels, essential in honing their motor skills. Several books, computers, and other learning tools are also available to nurture every child’s cognitive growth. The Center also offers the comforts of home away from home: a nap area with sleeping mats, a baby changing area, restroom and a common shower area for convenience. The Center features the CHUCKIE Fun Room, which can be enclosed for special kiddie functions or learning activities like reading and educational entertainment. 

According to HR Director Gid Manuel, the Company understands the importance of the early years in the development of a child’s values and self-esteem, and is a firm believer that children learn a lot through self-discovery and play. “We recognize that through all these, it is important to nurture the relationship between parent and child. The CERELAC CARE Center gives employees the opportunity to practice responsible parenting during their children’s formative years,” Gid explained. 

An open house was held from October 6 to 10, 2008, so employees’ children could try the facility and experience the fun learning activities offered by the day care center. 

The CERELAC CARE Center offers two sets of class programs for employees’ children aged 2-6 years old. Parents can enroll their children to the half day morning or afternoon classes for PhP2,000 per month, or to whole day classes at PhP4,000 per month. Classes are from Mondays to Fridays.  “The enrollment is good for one school year, which started on November 3, 2008 and will end in March 2009,” volunteered HR Specialist for Employee Relations Marese de Vera, adding that there are now 12 children enrolled. School year next year starts in June, which is aligned with the normal school year. 

Nestlé has partnered with The Little Dipper Learning Center (LDLC) for the regular class programs. LDLC offers a unique program that incorporates technology with the arts as a way to growth and development for young children. It offers a wide range of learning experiences for children, introducing them to a wide variety of interactive settings, helping them discover valuable learning that suit learning styles (visual spatial, auditory, aesthetic, etc.). While the LDLC’s program through the CERELAC CARE Center does not aim to compete with existing pre-school institutions, it does provide quality early child care development programs for employees’ qualified dependents.

SOURCE: Nestle Family Balita (November 15, 2008)