Early Childhood Supervisors set stage for impressive term

Early Childhood Coordinator Vanta Walters

St. Kitts, April 19, 2010 (SKNIS): Coordinator of Early Childhood Mrs. Vanta Walters says a strategy is in place for the advancement of the unit’s day care programme as the Federation seeks to maintain its high ranking in the region.

The Coordinator told SKNIS that supervisors from Government owned centres throughout St. Kitts and Nevis attended a meeting on April 13th to carry out an assessment of key programme areas including the High Scope Curriculum, the Education White Paper and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Report (ECERS).

She added that this was toward the overall improvement in the execution of supervisors’ responsibilities in their respective centres.

The High Scope Syllabus was discussed in light of recent training undertaken by supervisors. They were asked to indicate ways in which the curriculum had changed the delivery of care in their centres as well as how the children have responded. Plans were put in place to address any weak areas that were identified in the implementation of the High Scope Strategy and to ensure that supervisors had a good grasp of the curriculum.

Mrs. Walters revealed that the Federation has been the region’s leading child care provider for decades, with Islands such as Antigua, Dominica and Grenada currently using St. Kitts and Nevis as a model in the implementation of their respective early childhood programmes.

According to Mrs. Walters, the results of a 2007 survey on the Quality of the Early Childhood Environment in St. Kitts and Nevis were discussed with a view to addressing weaknesses. The ECERS survey was carried out with technical and financial assistance from UNICEF.

Additionally plans for the upcoming Child Month Celebration 2010 were among agenda items. Although Mrs. Walters did not reveal the theme of the June observance, she said that similar to those of the past it would be relevant to children’s and societal issues.

The Early Childhood Strategy for the implementation of the Education White Paper was reinforced at the meeting and copies of the relevant sections were distributed for further study in preparation for its full implementation.

The coordinator disclosed that a similar meeting would be convened with the supervisors of privately owned centres to discuss the Education White Paper, ECERS and the High Scope Curriculum later this year.