GOVERNMENT needs to reconsider the opening hours for day nurseries.

That call came yesterday from president of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), Marilyn Rice-Bowen, who was speaking at the launch of the YWCA's second breakfast club.

"Our day nurseries are not mirroring the working hours that women, who happen to head most of our households, are working. Our day nurseries are closing early, parents are working later," she said.

She said later opening hours would not only generate work for unemployed women, but women who were working would be able to function in "a more settled mental state".

Rice-Bowen also made a plea for breakfast clubs in schools.

Observing that studies showed that a number of Barbadian children were going to school without breakfast for various reasons, she said the stakeholders needed to respond accordingly.

She said the clubs would be even more necessary if Government made good on plans to start and end school earlier.

"We applaud that effort, however, if you're going to open schools earlier, then breakfast clubs must be in those schools," Rice-Bowen said to applause. (YB)