60 New Parents’ Places by September

The Ministry of Education is seeking to establish 60 parents’ places across the island before the start of the new academic year in September.

This was disclosed by Chief Education Officer in the Ministry, Grace McLean, during an interview with JIS News.

She informed that currently, there are seven parents’ places, which were instituted last year, and the Ministry has been working on the establishment of additional places “for a while.”

She said that the new facilities, which will mainly be situated in schools, community centres and parish libraries, are being sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development(USAID).

“We have identified the institutions where they are going to be, we have identified the focus areas and we have also been meeting with the parents to get them sensitised,” Ms. McLean told JIS News.

“We are doing a series of training sessions with a view of having 60 of these places being fully operational before September of this year and then we will gradually move towards putting the others in place for next year,” she informed further.

She reminded parents that their participation in the centres is integral, as the facilities are there to assist them.

“(The) parents are the ones that have to show the interest for the parents’ places to be sustainable…we want to appeal to our parents just to come forward to support our young people…we need all the help that we can get to build a better Jamaica,” she stated.

Parents’ places are comfortable and attractive centres that parents can go for information, courses, workshops, mentoring, recreational activities, income-support training and when possible, diagnostic and therapeutic services.

The Parents Place Initiative seeks to identify, coordinate and build on existing efforts within Jamaica to strengthen and support parents in their increasingly difficult task of raising children.

Contact: Chris Patterson