Individual Consultancy - Strategies to Expand Childcare Services Using Underutilized Spaces, Mexico City, Mexico (7 months)

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

Context and Scope

Access to affordable and quality childcare services is a key challenge for low-income families in Mexico. The coverage of children attending Childcare Centers (Centros de Atención Infantil, CAI) in Mexico is low—around 11%—compared to other countries in the region. Besides, access to childcare in Mexico remains highly unequal. Around 60% of children attending CAIs belong to the wealthiest quintile of households. Moreover, most centers are located in non-marginalized areas, with the exception of the CAIC model run by the DIF, which has less than half of its centers located in areas of medium, high, or very high marginalization. This highlights that low-income families living in marginalized and highly marginalized areas have the least access to childcare centers. 

The burden of care and its challenges most drastically affect women in informal employment. Currently, 54.7% of employed women work in the informal sector—a higher rate than men, who are at 49.5%. These workers lack social security, do not contribute to a pension, and are not entitled to maternity leave, childcare services, or caregiving leave, making them one of the most vulnerable groups with significant challenges in balancing work and caregiving responsibilities. 

A closer look at the challenges of expanding services reveals that existing CAI hours are similar to school hours—8 a.m. to 4 p.m.—with some variations. However, depending on parents’ jobs, this schedule may be inadequate or insufficient to support their caregiving responsibilities. Additionally, there are spaces that serve children but only cover half a workday, or public spaces that are only used for part of the day and remain unused the rest of the time. On the other hand, the current care offerings that free up parents’ time are concentrated in CAIs. However, in Mexico other types of care services that have been very successful in other countries—such as home-based family care, paid in-home nannies, and agencies that connect services with users—have yet to be regulated and fostered. 

Some alternatives to address the challenge of extended hours and underutilized spaces remain unexplored. Increasing the number of part-time care spaces using existing and underutilized infrastructure could help reduce time poverty among caregivers (mostly women), promote their self-care, and ensure quality childcare. 

Work Assignments Overview 

Adjusment of timeline and technical proposal given in the procurement phase. 

2. Assessment of Public Infrastructure for Childcare 

3. Estimation of Potential Demand   

4. Identication of potential New Childcare Spaces  

5. Proposal for Operational and Financial Models   

6. Final Report with Strategic Recommendations   

Deliverables 

*Each product must be delivered to UNICEF; it will be considered a final version after UNICEF's approval.  

**Estimated dates, final dates will be established once the contract is awarded. 

For more information, please check the terms of reference:  TORICS~1.PDF

Minimum Qualifications required: 

1) Education 

2) Work Experience / Knowledge / Skills 

A minimum of 8 years of experience in the design, evaluation, or implementation of social policies or public service delivery, particularly linked with the spatial provision of the services.

Demonstrated experience working with government institutions, international organizations, or NGOs on projects involving territorial planning, service expansion, or social protection.

Specific Experience:

Proven experience in conducting territorial diagnostics and identifying opportunities for the repurposing of public infrastructure. 

Experience in designing and costing public service models, including the development of scalable and cost-effective operational strategies. 

Strong background in quantitative and qualitative research, including the use of statistical tools to estimate service demand and assess population needs. 

Familiarity with gender-sensitive, child-perspective and equity-based approaches in the design of care services or social programs. 

Experience in preparing technical reports and visual presentations for high-level decision-makers, ideally in collaboration with UN agencies or public sector partners. 

Demonstrated capacity to engage with diverse stakeholders and facilitate participatory processes. 

Desired Skills 

Ability to work independently and collaboratively, managing deadlines. 

Demonstrated capacity to engage with diverse stakeholders and facilitate participatory processes. 

Experience drafting executive and technical documents for international organizations, governments, or public institutions. Must present a technical document related to design, evaluation, or implementation of social policies or public service delivery, particularly linked with the spatial provision of the services.

3) Language

Evaluation Criteria 

1) CV and Work Experience Assessment.

2) Technical Proposal Assessment: 

Please consult the following document for further detail regarding how to prepare your financial proposal:

The intention is to have a cost breakdown as detailed as possible. 

The economic proposal must be presented by the consultant indicating the COST PER DELIVERABLE, as well as the breakdown and explanation of the proposal, signed and in a letterhead. 

Costs must be considered for all project expenses.

Costs must be fixed for the entire project. 

Present your proposal in Mexican pesos; if you are a foreign provider, you must send your offer in US dollars 

You can review the following example to prepare your financial proposal: