Daycares are being closed, and people are told to leave their children with neighbors

The Ministry of Family and Social Services has launched a new project for working mothers called "neighbor mother." There are no daycares, no kindergartens… Homes are being turned into small, makeshift daycares, and according to the ministry's statement, the goal is to "protect children and increase access to quality care services."

Sounds nice, doesn't it? Instead of dropping your child off at school, leave them with a neighbor, and have that neighbor look after multiple children in their home. They are almost marketing it as an "alternative film model for childcare"!

But this is where the film breaks:

How will these "neighbor mothers" be selected? How will they be supervised? What safety, hygiene, and educational standards will be applied? With news of violence and scandals coming from daycares, schools, and care homes in Turkey every single day, who will guarantee the safety of children in this project? In the event of a possible accident, who will be held responsible—the neighbor mother or the ministry?

In the first phase, 22 neighbor mother candidates in Ankara received training, and for only 5 days. Yes, you heard that right: five days! Child development, first aid, care… It is all supposedly handled in that time. The ministry even stated that they won't just let anyone who says "I want to be a neighbor mother" do it; those selected will be people who have received childcare training from public education centers. That's great. But haven't we seen people in this country practicing professions with fake diplomas? How reliable are certificates given after three-to-five-day courses?

The real concern is something else: Experts are talking about the possibility of this project opening up space for religious sects. Will the "older brothers and sisters" who were a nuisance in the past now enter our lives in the guise of a "neighbor mother"? It is easy to close down daycares opened by municipalities; it is even easier to cancel their certificates and lock their doors. But is it more logical to entrust children to the neighbor next door with a few documents?

A child is not a toy. You cannot just sit three or four children on a rug spread out in a living room and say, "There, we have provided care services." Replacing educated, supervised, and healthy daycares with this project is, in my opinion, irrational.

We hope the "neighbor mother" project is shelved before it is implemented. Because it is better to turn back from a mistake as soon as possible. Entrusting our children to a "neighbor aunt" with just a certificate is not wisdom; it is outright gambling.