Dorianne Buhagiar | Balancing work and family life

When was the company set up, and what services do you provide?

The YoYo Kids childcare centre is run by MI Child Ltd, which was set up in 2011.
Our aim is to go beyond simply providing first-class childcare services; we aim to provide parents with a flexible partner to enable them to manage their busy lives. We have now also launched our first summer school programme.

What inspired you to set up a childcare centre?

Yoyo Kids was the brainchild of MI Child Ltd company directors, Josef Gafa and Gianni Zammit, who approached me to come on board to run the new venture. Being very busy business people, Josef and Gianni know the demands on their time and the need for flexibility. Gianni, being a father himself, knows how important it is to have the support infrastructure in place to allow him to cater for client requests that happen at the 11th hour whilst juggling his parental duties. It is the reality of the world we live in; work demands have increased and flexibility and support are crucial in order to be able to achieve a good work-life balance. They set up Yoyo kids with this in mind, and whilst the children are our first priority, our aim is to provide a service that facilitates the parents' busy schedules.

Maltese people have traditionally felt that children are best looked after by family members. How has the demand for childcare services changed over the years?

That has definitely been the case in Malta, however, not everyone is lucky enough to have the luxury of having grandparents or relatives to take care of their children while they are out at work. In addition to this, people are starting families later in life, meaning that grandparents are getting older too and may not have the energy to deal with demanding children for hours a day! Many grandparents today also still work, so parents have had to look for alternative forms of support.

We have seen incredible interest since we opened our doors last February; the requests actually started coming in even in the year leading up to the opening! There definitely has been an increase in demand for good quality, reliable childcare services over the years.

Do you see this as a healthy change? 

Sure. It's a great thing for children to be able to spend time with grandparents and other relatives, but it is also beneficial to a child to step out of home into a new environment where they meet other kids, learn to interact and to play with other children, obviously under the care of by qualified and experienced childcare professionals. Our Yoyo Kid's parents tell us continuously how much their children love coming to us every day! That surely is a testimony to that healthy change.

 You have recently opened a new centre at Skyparks Business Centre. What makes that place great for the parents? And for the kids?

Yoyo Kids is strategically located within a business park and en route to most of the major business zones on the island, making it the perfect location for many working parents.

We provide a safe and caring environment that promotes learning and child development. Our kids are taken care of by trained, experienced and licensed caregivers with impeccable records. We take the recruitment and selection process extremely seriously. Over and above this, the investment made in the childcare facilities is evident as soon as you walk through the doors. The centre is larger than normal; we can take up to 85 kids in the 665 square metres, and the set-up is incredible, with custom-designed play areas and various age-appropriate zones to cater for learning and development. These include the Messy Zone, the Active Zone, the Quiet Zone, the Sensory Activity Zone and an Outdoor Play Zone. The Sensory Activity Zone is great for all kids especially those with special needs. It is a stimulating multimedia environment, specifically designed to encourage them to use and explore their senses.

What makes parents feel safe about leaving their children at Yoyo Kids?

Apart from all of the above, the centre operates in line with international best practice, adheres to all national standards in terms of size, safety and number of carers per child, amongst others, and is of course health and safety compliant.
Also, we understand that the early years are a crucial period in a child's development. Our experienced staff and innovative programs provide our children with an unsurpassed learning experience. But mostly I believe it's because we love what we do. I believe childcare is not a job but a vocation, and we seek to employ people who share my same vision. The children sense that difference. Caring for children is both taxing at times as well as incredibly rewarding.

 How do you see the childcare services industry in five years time?

I think that childcare services will become something of a necessity and that employers will begin to understand the importance of subsidised childcare facilities more. Meanwhile, employees will increasingly favour those employers who understand this fact and who actively help them in striking that work life balance!

 And Yoyo Kids?

In five years' time many of the children with us today will be of school age and we hope they will have all the tools in hand to enable them to get off to a flying start. As the day care numbers continue to pick up, we also have a number of ideas up our sleeves in terms of additional support services to support our working parents. One thing is for sure, the directors at MI Child are amongst the most creative people I have met, and they will certainly keep me busy and keep childcare at the forefront!