Preschool/childcare

The largest demand area in the state’s education system is, without a doubt, preschool education. The prevailing need among working mothers for safe and professional places to look after their children during the work day, particularly in the more urban municipalities, has not been solved by the government or private sectors. Day care centers are managed by the Mexican Institute for Security and Social Services for Government Workers (ISSSTE), and service is provided to women who work for the federal government.  The Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) focuses on children whose mothers work in the private sector. The municipal DIF oversees the general population in local community centers and Multiple Attention Centers.  Presently, the DIF takes care of 5,997 children (forty-five days old to four years) throughout the state.  Finally, several nonprofits, especially in Los Cabos, have opened daycare centers to accommodate working mothers in the tourism sector.

Although private education has a larger geographic reach than public education for pre-school, results for infant development are erratic, since many of these private centers are not regulated by SEPE, and do not have an accredited child stimulation program, nor do they have highly trained workers.