Instil Good Values And Attitude At An Early Age’- Education Officer

Madge Linton, Assistant Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture’s Early Childhood Unit, has called on parents and educators to work to instill good values and attitude in children at an early age.
She said with the most important period of a child’s development occurring between birth and five years, it was essential that their attitudinal behaviors and ability to reason be shaped at this stage.
“You’re going to let them learn the attitudes, the social graces, of being kind to each other, being polite, being considerate and this is where things like the golden rule comes in,” she pointed out.
Stating that play was important to the learning process, Mrs. Linton said, “Play is the natural medium through which children develop. So they should be engaged in healthy, robust playing where they are just having fun. That is the child’s business at this stage.”
On another matter, Mrs. Linton informed that officers from the Ministry had been visiting resource centers and parent teachers associations across the island to communicate the importance of early childhood education as the Ministry attempts to fulfill the national mission of full basic school enrollment by the end of this year.
“Wherever we find ourselves, we ensure that we articulate the importance of these children going to school and be off to a very, very good start,” she told JIS News recently. Early childhood enrollment is now at about 94 per cent of the four to five age cohort.
Early childhood education is the focus for Labor Day activities this year, with emphasis being placed on restoring, repairing and refurbishing early childhood facilities. Renovation of the Islington Basic School in St. Mary, the country’s first early childhood facility, will be the national project. The theme for the day is “Play your part.give your children the right start.a first rate Early Childhood facility for your community.”