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The alleged abuse of toddlers by their nannies at a Bengaluru daycare has rattled parents across India. From cameras and caregiver training to regulation and red flags, Swati Popat Vats , president of the Early Childhood Association (ECA), India, speaks to Mohua Das about what parents need to know

How badly has the daycare abuse case in Bengaluru shaken up parents and their trust in daycare centres?
It truly has, because these are horrific cases and not just isolated lapses. As an association, our worry is twofold. The first concern is that many mothers, out of guilt, may leave their jobs to take care of their children, because childcare in India still largely falls on the mother. The second is that it will create a serious trust deficit in early years centres. Both outcomes are detrimental because children need quality care and education during their early years. Losing confidence in good early childhood centres is not good for families or the country.

Is live streaming or continuous monitoring the answer, or does it raise privacy concerns?
Live streaming is never the answer. It is unsafe and could put children in even greater danger. Imagine a live feed of your child being accessible to 20 other parents. In many cases, those feeds are also seen by drivers, domestic staff, and others in the household. That means many people can observe your child, learn their habits and routines, and potentially misuse that information. It can also increase parental anxiety, with parents analysing every small disagreement or emotional moment outside its full context. Recorded CCTV footage, which can be accessed when required, is very different from live streaming. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, also treats children’s images and videos as personal data, making the handling of live streams more complex.

What does the law require of daycare centres? Are CCTVs compulsory?
The biggest problem is the regulatory dichotomy. Since education is a concurrent subject, every state has its own regulations. Daycare centres come under the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), so state education departments cannot regulate them. The WCD primarily focuses on anganwadis rather than the private sector, so regulations for private daycares are rarely enforced. After incidents like this, many states mandate CCTV coverage with a minimum of 30 days’ recording. But there is little monitoring to ensure compliance. Only four states — Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka and Haryana — have specific regulations governing creches or daycare facilities, and even these stem from the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017, requiring establishments with 50 or more employees to provide creches. They are not comprehensive licensing laws for standalone daycare centres. India still lacks a uniformly enforced national regulatory framework, unlike countries such as Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US.

Where are the regulatory gaps?
In grievance redressal, background verification of staff, and regular inspections. Training is a major concern. Many caregivers do not know even the basics of child care and instead bring their own incorrect parenting practices into the classroom. Parents should also know what training staff members have received, but those details are rarely shared. Ultimately, there needs to be far greater transparency. At the ECA, we have consistently demanded a separate ministry for early childhood as we have for culture and transport. Today, the care and education of children from birth to six years are divided between two ministries. A dedicated one could regulate and oversee children in the foundational years.

For small children who cannot articulate abuse, what behavioural or emotional signs should parents watch for that might indicate something is wrong?
Many times, when we ask parents why they did not report something earlier, they tell us they simply did not believe their child. A child’s first response is often crying. Make it a caring daily ritual to ask your child, ‘Did you cry in school or day-care today? Why?’ Don’t ask it as an accusation or interrogation, because then the child may stop sharing. If your child suddenly does not want to go to preschool or daycare, that is a red flag, and parents should gently ask more questions. Similarly, if your child suddenly starts bedwetting, develops eating issues, or shows noticeable behavioural changes, those are warning signs. Parents should also pay attention if their child repeatedly says that another child is always crying. That, too, can be an important red flag.

Beyond surveillance, what kind of training and emotional screening should be mandatory for caregivers working with very young children?
Childcare is not low-skilled work. It requires specialised training and accountability. The ECA is currently developing a skill-based certificate course for helper staff that will enable parents to ask not only about the qualifications of teachers but also those of helper staff. Parents should ask whether a preschool or daycare has been audited by a professional organisation, the qualifications of every staff member, whether police verification has been completed, and what training the staff has received. Every centre should maintain a minimum of 30 days of CCTV recordings, and every staff member should sign a zero-tolerance policy. Ultimately, India must move towards universal daycare regulation, where every childcare centre is licensed, inspected, developmentally appropriate, and fully accountable for every child’s safety and dignity.