McCam Centre Latest Institution to Get JIS Heritage Material

Sixty eight special needs and gifted students of the McCam Child Care and Development Centre, Papine, Kingston, have received educational materials from the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) as part of the Agency’s Heritage Week activities.
Education Co-ordinator, Debra Valentine, told JIS News that she was delighted to receive the materials, at the handing over ceremony on Tuesday October 20 at the school.
“They are lovely posters, books and flags, which will be very useful, because cultural awareness is a part of their curriculum here at McCam and the Early Childhood curriculum that the Ministry of Education (MOE) has put out,” she said.
She explained that the materials will boost the children’s awareness, understanding and appreciation of their culture, as far as national heroes and symbols are concerned.

Education Co-ordinator at the McCam Child Care and Development Centre, Papine, St. Andrew, Debra Valentine, is presented with Jamaican flags and other educational materials by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Donna- Marie Rowe, on Tuesday October 20 at the school. McCam is the fifth institution to receive Heritage materials from the JIS.

Chief Executive Officer of the JIS, Donna-Marie Rowe, pointed out that the Agency was pleased to respond to the request, which came from a JIS staff member whose child attends McCam.
“We are happy to support the work of McCam, and to contribute to your heritage display. This donation reinforces our commitment to raising the national consciousness of our people. You are among the first set of schools to receive our newest Heritage posters, which were printed by the JIS in time for Heritage Week this year,” Mrs. Rowe told the recipients.
Explaining the work of McCam, Ms. Valentine said that the institution has an integrated early childhood setting, which has both typically developing children and those with special needs, educated side by side in the classrooms.
“It’s quite a range of special needs which includes learning disabilities, developmental delays, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and autism. We don’t necessarily cater to gifted children, but we have some children who are very bright, who move developmentally much quicker than their counterparts,” she said.

Education Co-ordinator at the McCam Child Care and Development Centre, Papine, St. Andrew, Debra Valentine, accepts a number of posters, including the newly published posters of the Jamaica’s national heroes and symbols, from Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Donna- Marie Rowe, on Tuesday October 20 on the school’s grounds.

She also pointed out that her Special Educator training gave her the perfect foundation to assist those with special needs.
According to the Principal and Founder of the institution, Pauline Watson Campbell, there is a greater awareness now about children with special needs.
“The Government is committed to developing programmes to assist. It’s a team of persons, including speech therapists that are needed, because teachers need the assistance,” she said.
“Any class will present students with behavioural problems which may develop into more severe problems,” she pointed out.
The JIS donated heritage material to five schools as part of its Heritage Week activities. The schools which have benefitted are: the John Austin All Age, Pennants, Clarendon; Wilson’s Run Primary, Trelawny; Wonder World Child Care Centre, Vaz Prep and McCam Child Care and Development Centre in the Corporate Area.