The
efforts by the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) to have more Early
Childhood Institutions (ECIs) certified by August 2017 are bearing
results. The Board of the ECC has set a target of 100 more ECIs for
certification in the next ten months.
“I
am very confident that we can attain the target set,” says Trisha
Williams-Singh, the ECC’s Board Chairman. “Already the responses
from the more than 2,000 ECI operators and practitioners at the two
Regional Certification Fairs held in St. Andrew and Portland have
been very positive; 155 applications by ECI practitioners for police
records among other things, have so far been processed at the two
events.” Williams-Singh pointed out. Police records are among the
staffing (Standard One) requirements for certification. To date only
17 ECIs across the parishes of St. Ann; St. James; Westmoreland and
Hanover, representing a mix of public,
private and corporate-sponsored institutions have been certified.
The
twelve (12) legal standards for the operation of ECIs in Jamaica
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. A Certificate of
Registration when issued is valid for five years.
Standard
Two which addresses Developmental and Educational Programmes at ECIs
has been reflected in the National Age-Four School Readiness
Assessment which was rolled out in May 2016. Just
under 40,000 children at age four participated in the two-day
national assessment in May 2016. The objective was to determine
students’
state of readiness to access primary level education.
The assessment
is also used to support learning and instruction, and to identify
children in need of additional support services. Honourable Ruel
Reid, announced recently, that 92 per cent of children at the
early-childhood level are at the required learning development
stage..
For
more information on the work of the ECC please visit :
website at
www.ecc.gov.jm
Twitter: @ECCJA and Instagram:
@earlychildhoodcommission.
Contact:
communications@ecc.gov.jm.
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