A vegetable garden is a gift, wards of the state living at the Nest Children’s Home in Kingston say, they have wanted for a while now. On National Children’s Day, which was observed on May 21, they received that gift from the Government, through the Backyard Vegetable Gardens in Residential Childcare Facilities (RCCFs) initiative. The Home received the first set...

Ms. Vana Taylor has been working in the Tourism Industry for more than 30 years and has earned the respect of her peers as being the “go to” person, especially during times of crisis. As President of the St. Ann Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Taylor is also a powerful voice in the business community. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett,...

Leaders for the Youth Advisory Council of Jamaica (YACJ), the National Youth Council of Jamaica (NYCJ), and the Jamaica Union of Tertiary Students (JUTS) were appointed on May 14. The introductions were made by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s State Minister, Hon. Robert Morgan, who explained that the Ministry intends to keep the youth’s voices at the forefront...

The help of 11-year-old Paris Roper has enabled many other students at the Portland-based Mount Pleasant Primary and Infant School, to overcome some of the hurdles of online learning. The teacher at the school, Anthony Ross, tells JIS News that the “well mannered and rounded student” has been very willing to assist other students with issues that they encounter to...

Children in Jamaica have a right to be protected from abuse and harm, and those rights are safeguarded in the Child Care and Protection Act (CCPA), which came into effect in 2004. The legislation promotes the safety and well-being of children across the country. Children’s Officer at the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Carolyn Beckford, said that the...

Impacted by COVID-19, and having to deal with being employed only two days per week, Denise Williams Bailey overcame the challenges to become an agricultural entrepreneur. The 35-year-old was trained in accounting and hospitality and worked in some of the major service establishments over the past decade, both in Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Mrs. Williams Bailey is now Head...

When Sasha Hill noticed her three-year-old daughter, Dejanae Gayle’s diminishing vocabulary, her maternal instinct told her there was a problem. She said among the noticeable factors indicating there was an issue was the fact that after birth, she was not hitting her milestones as the “normal” child would. “What was significant was that she started to hit her milestones at...

With the massive spike in the use of information and communications technology (ICT) to interact, maintain family contacts, participate in online school and play games, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, parents and guardians are being encouraged to protect children from online perils. Regional Director for the Western Region with the Child Protection and Family Services...

Bridging the literacy gap among students, beginning from the primary level, has always been a key priority of the Government as it strives to improve the educational outcomes of the nation’s children. Having recognised that parental involvement is crucial to achieving this goal, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, through the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) is rolling out...