Lower Cost for Early Childhood Care

(ZIZ News) — Relief is coming for parents of children attending early childhood centres on St. Kitts.

The Director of Early Childhood Development for St. Kitts and Nevis, Jacqueline Morris is praising the government’s subvention policy which she said will serve as a great help for parents, centre operators and most importantly, children.

Beginning in February, parents of children up to five years of age will receive a $25 subsidy.

“The Early Childhood Development Subvention Policy actually refers to the government’s commitment to the provision of a weekly subvention to each child from low income households who are enrolled in early childhood centres in St. Kitts. The fee actually would be paid directly to centres but these centres must be registered with the Early Childhood Development Unit of the Ministry of Education,” she said.

Director Morris said there are several additional benefits to be reaped from the initiative.

“It means that parents will be able to access the service at reduced cost to them so they at least will be able to retain some of that fee in their pocket to do other important business for their families and for instance, if the school fee is $75 weekly in a particular centre then that parent would only have to pay a part of, and let me add that the subvention is really $25 per week for every child that qualifies for the service,” she said.

While the subvention targets both private and public centres, Morris said parents of children enrolled in public centres, which meet the requirements, will no longer have to make payments.

“When it comes to government centres, because I mentioned earlier that the subsidy will be for children in both public and private centres, so when it comes to government centres, it’s really a great treat for them because it means parents will be exempted from the payment of school fee in government centres,” she said.