ECC Partners With Chase Fund to Improve Early-Childhood Sector

With the support of the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund, the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) continues to improve the education and care provided to young children.

Executive Director of the Commission, Karlene Deslandes, notes that partners are instrumental to the development of the early-childhood sector, explaining that since 2006, CHASE has been integral to the funding of activities and programmes geared towards improving the sector.

One of the most recent donations provided by CHASE was a $30-million grant towards the execution of the Jamaica School Readiness Assessment (JSRA).

The JSRA screens four-year-olds for developmental disability, behavioural disorders and readiness for primary school. It is a part of the country’s National Strategic Plan.

Last year, 2,073 institutions and 27,179 students across the country participated in the evaluation between June 20 and July 1.

“With the impact made in the lives of young children and families at the early-childhood level, we can expect continued progress as we strive to meet Vision 2030,” Mrs. Deslandes said.

Annunciation Early Childhood Institution and Brain Building Centre in Hayes, Clarendon, was one of the participants that screened 50 students.

The school’s class teachers completed the JSRA, based on their observation and knowledge of the youngsters’ development, behaviour, and early academic capabilities throughout the school year.

“The tool is like an eye opener, and it enables us now to pay more attention to the students. I think it is a timely initiative, and the information that we gathered… will allow us to better cater to the students individually,” Principal of the early-childhood institution, Doreen Evans Brown, informed JIS News in a recent interview.

Like the ECC, Mrs. Evans Brown is pleased with CHASE’s support to the JSRA, especially as it enables her and other educators to identify challenges in children early to reduce the chances of them developing greater difficulties later.

She is convinced that the JSRA is a game changer, as it will determine whether students enter the regular primary school system without additional support or requiring assistance that can be provided within the classroom. Others will be placed in the special education system.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the Fund, W. Billy Heaven, said the support for the JSRA falls within the Fund’s mandate to support the early-childhood education sector.

This has allowed for teacher training and professional development opportunities for early-childhood practitioners.

CHASE has also invested in the certification of early-childhood institutions, curriculum and infrastructural development, nutrition programmes, and provision of learning resource kits.

The ECC has expressed appreciation to the CHASE Fund for its continued contribution to the National Strategic Plan for Early Childhood Development, which follows the lifecycle of a child.