Empowering Women, Supporting Children: The Urgent Need for Childcare Solutions in Uganda

A World Bank report highlights Uganda's critical need for affordable, quality childcare for children under three to support women’s workforce participation and improve child development outcomes. Addressing gaps in policy, standards, and institutional coordination could drive gender equality and economic growth.

A recent report from the World Bank provides a deep dive into Uganda’s childcare landscape, focusing on children under three years old. Conducted as part of the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises Uganda (GROW) initiative, this study underscores how gaps in policy, infrastructure, and support systems create a lack of accessible and quality childcare options, impacting women disproportionately. With funding from the Early Learning Partnership and coordination from Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, the report reveals the extent of challenges faced by Ugandan women who bear the primary burden of childcare, which in turn limits their opportunities in employment and entrepreneurship. Unpaid care work consumes a substantial part of women’s time, with 83% engaged in such activities compared to 53% of men, and this gap widens with young children in the home. Childcare facilities are scarce and concentrated in urban areas, leaving the majority of families in rural regions to depend on informal arrangements. For low-income women working in the informal economy, formal childcare is rarely accessible due to high costs, inadequate policies, and a lack of facilities that cater to very young children.

Scarce and Costly Childcare Services Limit Access for Most Families

Formal childcare for children under three is not widely available in Uganda, with most facilities primarily focused on children aged three to five. Only 1% of the 28,000 early childhood facilities in Uganda provide services for children under three. This limited availability compels many women to either take their children to work, where conditions may not be conducive for childcare, or leave them in potentially unsafe informal arrangements, such as under the supervision of other young children. The high cost of formal childcare, ranging from less than a dollar per day to several hundred dollars per month, makes it largely inaccessible for low-income families. No policy interventions currently regulate these fees or provide subsidies to make them affordable. With no fee caps, private providers have complete discretion over pricing, which exacerbates socioeconomic disparities. The report highlights that in recent surveys, some self-employed women who had access to affordable childcare saw a notable increase in their business productivity, which underscores the economic impact of reliable and affordable childcare on women’s livelihoods.

Lack of Quality Standards Creates Service Gaps

Quality standards for childcare settings catering to children under three remain absent. Unlike regulations in place for older children, Uganda currently lacks enforceable requirements for center-based care regarding caregiver qualifications, child-to-staff ratios, facility infrastructure, or health and safety measures for very young children. Private centers, therefore, operate under highly variable standards, leading to significant disparities in the quality of care provided. Licensing and registration requirements are also poorly defined, leading to inconsistent monitoring and leaving many providers unregulated. The lack of structural and procedural quality standards has resulted in a childcare sector where safety and developmental benefits are not guaranteed, which can adversely affect child outcomes and create gaps in readiness for formal schooling. The Ministry of Education and Sports is developing guidelines that may address these standards for older children, but no similar framework is in place for children under three. Interviews with providers reveal that many lack clarity on licensing processes and often delay obtaining licenses due to the high associated costs and complexity of compliance, which can take up to two years.

Recommendations for Expanded Access and Affordability

To bridge these gaps, the report recommends a multifaceted approach focused on expanding access to affordable, quality childcare, especially targeting children under three. Proposals include demand-side measures like subsidies, childcare vouchers, and grants for parents, alongside supply-side incentives to support providers, such as tax breaks, operational grants, and access to public spaces at reduced costs. The report suggests that employer-supported childcare could play a critical role in improving women’s workforce participation. However, most women in Uganda work in the informal economy, which lacks these employer benefits. Recommendations include introducing incentives to encourage private-sector employers to provide childcare options. Flexible, part-time, or on-demand childcare, as seen in several international models, could also be an effective strategy for working parents.

Ensuring Quality through Standards and Training

On the quality front, the report advocates for the establishment of minimum standards for childcare centers. These should cover caregiver qualifications, training, child-to-staff ratios, group sizes, and basic health and safety regulations. Simple registration requirements with a phased approach to standards could make entry into the sector more accessible while providing inspectors with training on quality assessments could improve enforcement. Establishing consistent inspection procedures could help in maintaining service standards and ensure providers meet minimum criteria.

Building a Cohesive Institutional Framework for Success

Finally, the report emphasizes the need for clearer institutional frameworks to improve oversight and coordination. Currently, responsibility for early childcare services is fragmented across multiple ministries and agencies, with significant overlap between the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development (MGLSD) and the Ministry of Education and Sports. Defining the distinct responsibilities of these entities, particularly concerning children under three, would ensure more effective management and supervision of childcare services. The lack of an integrated data management system further complicates monitoring and reporting, which impacts transparency and accountability. A centralized system could track facility registration, inspection outcomes, and service quality, thereby supporting evidence-based improvements and policies in childcare provision. Additionally, community awareness initiatives are recommended to help parents recognize the benefits of center-based childcare for child development and economic empowerment.

The World Bank report concludes that a comprehensive framework for affordable, high-quality, and accessible childcare services for Uganda’s youngest children could significantly boost gender equality, child development, and economic growth. By supporting women in the workforce and providing young children with safe, nurturing environments, these reforms would help create a stronger foundation for Uganda’s future workforce and foster a more inclusive economy.