DOLNA is a child-care facility that is open to babies (6 months and above), toddlers as well as young children. Dolna is situated within the campus to facilitate parents working in NCBS, InStem and C-Camp to avail of on-campus childcare. The campus surrounds also provide free space and lush greenery for the children to move around and learn through stimulated activities under supervision of a well-trained and experienced staff. The creche staff currently consists of 4 teachers and 13 full-time caregivers that look after the needs of approximately 60 children. The mandate of Dolna is to ensure that children of NCBS, InStem and C-Camp employees grow in a safe and intellectually-stimulating environment.
Children entering Dolna are divided into four age groups: 6m - 2 years, 2 - 3.5 years, 3.5 - 5years and 5+ years. The activities carried out in these sections are age-appropriate and take into account the different learning curves, capabilities and needs of various children. At the same time, the integrated but porous infrastructure of the different sections of Dolna enable free mixing between children of diverse ages. Child care at Dolna tries to take into account the individual personalities and needs of each child. At the same time, there is also an effort to allow them to grow and explore their possibilities through various combined activities such as martial arts, swimming, music, dance and art. Teachers also actively engage with school-going students to try and help them with homework. Dolna has a regular schedule of educational and entertaining field trips and nature walks to nearby places like science museums, historical sites, botanical garden etc. During the holiday season, these activities expand into longer field trips and other creative activities to ensure that children remain engaged and happy, while allowing the parents to work at their regular schedule.
Dolna is multi-lingual and teachers typically engage with students in English, Kannada and Hindi. Most teachers are comfortable in 3 or more languages. Because Dolna is situated within the NCBS campus, children benefit from science-related activities such as bird watching or campus walks with students and faculty of NCBS, and other advantages that typically come with being part of a growing campus. Indeed, Dolna's proximity to three campuses and access to their various facilities makes child care at Dolna a unique experience.