Early Childhood Commission Takes Certification Drive to Region Two

The Early Childhood Commission (ECC) in the Ministry of Education and Youth, continues to provide support to early-childhood institutions (ECIs) in meeting the requirements for certification.

Approximately 200 early-childhood practitioners and operators in the Ministry’s Region Two benefited from the staging of the Commission’s certification fair held at the St. Mary Parish Church in Port Maria on March 30.

The event, which was attended by portfolio Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, sought to raise awareness about the 12 operating standards for the certification of ECIs.

Operators of institutions, practitioners, teachers, and parents from Portland, St. Thomas and St. Mary, who participated in the fair, were immersed in a raft of informative sessions and exposed to displays on how an early-childhood institution should operate.

In her remarks, Mrs. Williams said that the push to get ECIs to conform to the 12 standards is critical in setting the right foundation for teaching and learning at this first stage of the education process.

“The ECC, as an agency of the Ministry of Education and Youth, is encouraging all interested parties to have their operations regularised. We cannot leave our most vulnerable children to the whims and fancies of everyone – even where they may have good intentions,” she said.

To date, 301 of the approximately 3,000 government and private ECIs have been certified, and Mrs. Williams indicated that several others are inching closer to attaining certification, with the diligent guidance of the ECC.

“Where we are now, not everyone is at the standard yet, not everyone is complying with the 12 standards, but many of the institutions are on their way. You can see them moving from standard one to two to three to four [and upwards],” she said.

She noted that the ECC carries out inspections and helps the schools to move from one stage to the next in the certification process.

Mrs. Williams had high praises for the execution of the fair and was visibly pleased with the high turnout of early-childhood practitioners and teachers.

“There is a lot of information available here for persons who own basic schools, which are private institutions and infant schools, which are government-owned and government-financed. As I walk the booths, I see on display, examples of how the early-childhood institutions should be, what they should have inside of them, how they interact with the children,” she pointed out.

Manager, Community Relations at the ECC, Tanisha Miller, told JIS News that the fair formed part of an integrated approach to get more ECIs in Region Two certified, as a number of these institution have not yet met the 12 operating standards.

The standards cover the areas of staffing; development and educational programmes; interactions and relationships with children; physical environment; indoor and outdoor equipment; health; nutrition; safety; child rights, child protection and equality; parent and stakeholder participation; administration; and finance.

“We took the fair to Region Two because we want to ensure that right across the board, there is equality between [the regions] where we work with them to have more institutions certified. As it is now, Region Two has the least amount of early-childhood institutions certified, hence the reason we would have taken the fair to region two,” she noted.

Ms. Miller is reminding players in the sector to ensure that they fulfil the certification requirements to facilitate the development and learning outcomes of the students.

“If it is that persons need more resources, if it is that they have questions they want answered based on the legal requirements, they can always contact the Early Childhood Commission for these institutions to become certified,” she pointed out.

The certification drive was welcomed by the operators and practitioners in providing a clearer understanding of the processes, procedures and policies surrounding the ECC’s operating standards.

Principal of Gospel Chapel Basic School in Annotto Bay, Theresa Wizzard, told JIS News that she benefited immensely from the fair, which was packed with useful information.

“It has been a wonderful experience. I have gotten so much information on the certification of our schools based on all the standards. I visited all the booths and I have garnered a lot of information that can help me with the certification of my school,” she said.

Principal at Moses Baker Basic School in St Thomas, Carino Madhoo, said that the fair provided practical information on what operators of ECIs need to do to get their institutions certified.

“The fair was exciting. I can see all the standards laid out. Our [regional] supervisors are here and they instructed us as to what is going on. If you have your policies and your plans, you can come and you can get them viewed to make sure that when you get back you have the right information to complete them,” she told JIS News.

“Some schools need to know more about what is needed for certification and all the areas are [showcased] here, which is good,” Ms. Madhoo noted further.

The other services offered at the fair included help from the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) to complete fire safety plans, fingerprinting services by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) for police records, and interactive sessions on nutrition and food handling with teams from the Ministry of Health and Wellness.