National Early Childhood Foundation Launched

A National Early Childhood Foundation has been launched, which will provide support for early childhood institutions and aid in the development of the country’s early childhood education system.
The foundation was launched by Lorna Golding, wife of Prime Minister Bruce Golding, at a press briefing held recently at Gordon House to announce new initiatives to assist basic schools.
Mrs. Golding will head the foundation which, she said, has the full support of the wives of Members of Parliament on both sides of the House of Representatives.
“Having heard the different views of the failure of children to reach their true potential in our country, we felt very guilty and responsible,” she said.
“We have decided to come together as wives, parents and teachers fully committed and highly motivated. pulling our resources to make a positive contribution to the growth and development of our nations children,” she stated.
According to Mrs. Golding, the foundation will create an environment, which will enable its members to work collaboratively with local and foreign stakeholders to improve the lives of all children in Jamaica.
Outlining the vision of the foundation, she explained that the organization will be working towards achieving “a positive change in the physical, mental, spiritual and cultural life of all Jamaican children, which will result in them being responsible citizens, environmentally aware, culturally alert, brilliant, energetic, technologically equipped individuals, who will be able to function in this global world.”
Mrs. Golding said the foundation will, among other things, fast track the development of prototype early childhood institutions, support children at risk, and assist with nutritional needs.
Minister of Education, Andrew Holness, in his remarks, pointed out that the Government is not just concerned with providing the financial resources to the early childhood institutions but to also help them with the human and technical resources that they need.
The foundation, he said, will assist the process by providing funding and the necessary community, business and technical support, to improve the holistic development of these institutions.
Currently, there are more than 2,800 early childhood institutions across the island of which only 29 are owned by the government.