EARLY EDUCATION AND CARE IN JAMAICA: A GRASSROOTS EFFORT J.W. Morrison, University of Missouri-Colombia Colombia. Missouri USA V. Milner MICO College Centre for Child and Research in Education Kingston, Jamaica, WI.

************* INTRODUCTION Jamaicais the largest ofthe English speaking islands in the Caribbean. The population is a youthful one with 63% of the 2,460,700 residents being below the age of 30. The preschool population of 0-4 years is estimated to be 11.5% of the total population. Following over 460 years of colonial rule, the island became an independent nation in 1962. Like many other developing countries, Jamaica has to spend a large proportion of the national budget on debt servicing (currently about 49%). This seriously curtails the amount of funds available for education and services for children.

strong factor in Jamaica is the tradition of community action at the local level to satisfy urgent social needs (Bernard van Leer Foundation, 1972). In 1938, Rev. Henry Ward established the first Community School in Jamaica for children under six in the rural area ofIslington. In an article in the Jamaican newspaper, Daily Gleaner, Rev. Ward stated that he established a school for 3-6-year-olds who had been "left unprotected, running about the streets while their parents went to work•.•.a pathetic picture with dangerous possibilities. The situation was a challenge and wefelt that something should be done" (Bernard van Leer Foundation,

Early education in Jamaica has its start in the latter part of the 19th century. A few privileged women who entered the teaching profession were allowed to teach only the infants of the elementary schools and the few infant schoolsacross Jamaica The 1920s and 1930s experienced a great demand for the care ofchildrenoffemales needed to work in factories. This obligation gave rise to the infant centers and private schools operated mainly by churches or private individuals, especially elderly women (Ministry of Education, 1990).

1972, p.12). It was through his efforts on behalf of the Community School that the Jamaican government's attention was drawn to the need for a more organized system of care and training for children in custodial care. During this period several Community Schools were started. "Schooling" then was traditionally offered to children in whatever local facilities with teaching by whatever method the teacher might be able to devise. The government provided subsidies to these schools and two school inspectors were allocated. Community Schools for 3-6-yearolds eventually became known as Basic Schools.

Two other factors are related to the beginning of early education in Jamaica. There is the strong motivation, even in the poorest of families, towards education and the determinationofparents to provide their children the best possible schooling within their financial resources. Another especially

The 1960s saw much concern expressed about the poor perfonnance ofmany children in the primary school system throughout the country. It was felt that children were not receiving the stimulation and training inherent in good early childhood 51

program based on the van Leer model and budgetary allocation for funding Basic Schools, therefore, making early education and care available to more children.

programming. The University of the West Indies (U. W. L), in particular D. R. B. Grant and his associates at the School of Education, was crucial to the development of the community supported Basic Schools. The Bernard VanLeer Corporation, a major employer in Jamaica, through its philanthropic policy of putting profits into local educational systems, made available substantial funding. With this financial support, Mr. Grant began a five year project in the four eastern parishes of Jamaica. The project was responsible for the formulation ofthe Project for Early Childhood Education (PECE) manual and a series of curriculum guides. Additionally, bi-monthly training workshops and summer institutes were established to train members of the community recruited as teachers in these schools.

Day care sponsored by private sources is available to those who can afford the services. Individuals and independent businesses support day care facilities that generally serve urban areas. Child care philosophy/policy The philosophical base for the early education programs in the country is eclectic. Programs draw from the theories and practices of many including Montessori, Pestalozzi, Piaget, Froebel, Dewey, and Bruner (Ministry of Education, 1983). The ECE Unit of the Ministry of Education identifies the intent ofthe programs to be the promotion of physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and creative competence through a child-centered approach geared to the Jamaican situation and experience. The need for constant evaluation and revision of the curriculum has been both recognized and implemented. The main focus is on the needs of the children, most of whom come from a disadvantaged background (Springer, 1984).

Child care sponsorship Up until the time of the Community School, sponsorship of early education/care of children was done privately and by the government, reaching a minuscule portion of the population In October 1941, Rev. Ward and his associates presented to the Jamaican Board of Education a report calling for the establishment of ''play centres" as an integral part of the Jamaican system of education. The government's official response was that if it funded the education of children below six, this would reduce its capability of meeting the needs of school age children (Bernard van Leer Foundation, 1972). This official viewpoint remained substantially unchanged for several decades.

The report Early Childhood Education in Jamaica (Bernard van Leer Foundation, 1972) indicated that by the mid-1960s American ideas (Head Start) on compensatory education for the "disadvantaged" had assumed some importance in Jamaican education. It was assumed that if a "Head Start" type program could undertake the social deprivation in America, then a similar approach could be used in Jamaica. It was felt that because the Basic Schools are strongly rooted in the most deprived sections ofJamaica this could serve as the medium through which the Head Start concept could be a vehicle for theoretical and experimental work. The result ofthis belief was the Project for Early

In 1970, following the evaluation of the Bernard van Leer Foundation funded early childhood project, the Jamaican government lived up to its promise committing itself to the setting up of the Early Childhood Education Unit (ECE Unit) within the Ministry of Education. This move allowed for the expansion of the teacher training

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Childhood Education (PECE) in Jamaica mentioned earlier in this work.

Basic Schools, Infant Schools, Infant Departments, Independent/Preparatory Schools, and day care. Funding for each program may be government supported, private, fee supported, or some combination of the three. Independent School is the government identification for private educational institutions.

The ECE Unit of the Ministry ofEducation ( 1991 ) formulated national goals for the Jamaican early childhood program: 1. To identify social, intellectual, physical and emotional needs ofthe child and develop and implement programs to meet these needs;

These programs vary broadly in quality and focus. In order to provide pre primary education to an estimated 90% of the children in the 4-6-year-old cohort a mix of government, community, and privately fimded institutions has been developed. Wide disparity in the quality of education exists both between government supported and independent schools and within the community and private school systems themselves.

2 To co-operate in developing and maintaining continuous research and evaluation ofteaching and learning activities in early childhood education; 3. To identify, educate, and train various types of personnel needed for optimal development and utilization of suitable curriculum materials and methodologies in early childhood education on an ongoing basis;

Within the Basic School system, much will depend on the level of support given by the community and the interest and involvement of any church, service club, or other organization which may have "adoptetf' a school. In general, the more active the involvement, the better the school. Although the fees charged at Basic Schools are minimal, this requirement works against the interest of the children in the most deprived areas. In 1992,1,627 Basic Schools served 108,438 children.

4. To help parents (and teachers) understand the specific role they play in the physical, mental, social, and emotional growth of children and to improve the quality of parent/child (teacher/child) interaction; and 5. To develop and maintain co-ordination of early childhood education with other sections of the education system and to cooperate in the design and implementation of relevant joint programs with other sections ofthe Ministry ofEducation.

The least variation is seen in Infant Schools and Infant Departments for which the Ministry of Education has :full power, authority, and responsibility in terms of management, capital, and recurrent expenditure, employment, and conditions of service for staff, most of whom are trained teachers in early childhood education. No fees are charged. In 1992,16,577 children were enrolled in 119 Infant Schools and Infant Departments.

Day care programs throughout Jamaica are expected to provide much the same in programming as just presented. But, in fact, the facilities provide little more than custodial care for the 0-4-years-old in the facilities.

Child care and education programs Facilities available to parents with children under six needing out-of- home care include

The Independent School education system's 53

standards recommended for day care programs include the promotion of children's physical, emotional, social, and intellectual growth and active and passive learning experiences that will develop social competence, self esteem, and positive self identity. Although the recommended program of the Ministry of Youth and Community Development includes these provisos, custodial care appears to be the main focus of most centers. The typical operational hours of day care centers is full day.

quality tends to vary widely, according to the quality ofthe staff and the fees charged. Many programs are heavily academically focused while some others reflect the best early childhood education practices. No accurate figures for enrolment in private schools are currently available. The number ofregistered day care centers in May 1993 was 89. Of these, 17 were government operated while 72 were private centers. Many of the private centers are operated by persons with teaching or nursing qualifications. All charge fees (daily or weekly), some of them quite high. Recently four centers have been established by large businesses for their staffs and it is felt that these could probably provide the model for what day care should be in Jamaica. Currently there are 63 recognized homebased day care centers in operation offering care to small groups of children. These programs are expected to meet all the requirements ofa recognized center.

Child care teachers Qualificationsfor teachers in the various preprimary programs differ. Basic School teachers must adhere to qualifications that include being ofsound mind and having love for children. All first appointments are temporary and are not to exceed three terms. At the end of this period the teacher may be offered an extended appointment if all ofthe aforementioned qualifications are met. Basic School teachers generally have only minimal academic qualifications and no formal training. They are regarded as paraprofessionals and receive continuous inservice training.

The ECE Unit makes the following recommendations for curriculum and scheduling for pre-primary education programs - the curriculum should include organizedplay, stories, action songs, care ofa children ~ garden, foundation work in reading, writing, and number work, and arts and crafts. Facilities with appropriate sized furniture, floor space, and equipment are desired. The latter is not always possible due to a lack of sufficient funding to meet all program needs. The school day for programs should include a daily session with a morning snack break of 15 minutes and a lunch break of one hour. Teaching-learning activity periods should not be less than two hours in the morning and one and a halfhours in the afternoon. Basic Schools operate five days a week unless there is a workshop day, then four days a week. Private schools, Infant Schools, and Infant Departments are open five days a week (Ministry of Education, 1991 ). The

Because of the minimum qualifications of the Basic School teachers, the ECE Unit has set up on-site programs to provide ongoing in-servicing. In servicing is provided by teacher trainers, education officers, or Resource Center personnel. Resource Centers are expected to strengthen and assist the work of the teacher trainer. The focus of the center is on teacher development and curriculum renewal. In this effort the center stresses the use of sound education practice and it demonstrates the multi-disciplinary and coordinated services approach to early childhood education. Teacher-pupil ratios are typically 1 :30, the exception is the one teacher school where 54

The diredor ofa day care center is required to

the enrollment is not to exceed more than 20 pupils. The teacher is responsible for implementation of the program for the children in the classroom. The work of the teacher is under the immediate supervision of the head teacher ofthe Basic School.

be literate, healthy, have a genuine love for children, willing to upgrade hislher knowledge and skill in the area of child development and related subjects, and prepared to abide by the regulations governing day care center operations and standards. Child care workers are responsible for the care of the children in their group. They are under the immediate supervision ofthe director ofthe facility and must fulfill the first three of the aforementioned criteria. If the worker is not literate a plan should be laid out to ensure that he/she will become literate within a specified time. Salary for child care workers is generally minimum wage. There is a very high staff turnover in day care due partly to poor remuneration. New staff with minimal qualifications are recruited only to move on soon as they have acquired training and experience. The care giver and child ratio is recommended to be no higher than 1:10.

The salary ofthe teacher ofthe Basic School is secured from a government subsidy, minimal fees charged the pupils' parents, subventions from the sponsoring body, and fund raising. The government portion is just over minimum wage so all Basic School teachers receivethe same government salary. The amount of the supplement to this from the other aforementioned sources varies from school to school. The salary of the average Basic School teacher is classed as low. Infant School and Infant Department teachers

hold qualifications above those of Basic School teachers. Most of the teachers are graduatesofteacher training colleges and are paid on the government scale for trained teachers. The teacher pupil ratio for these government schools is presently 1:42, a recommendation is being explored to lower the ratio to 1:35. Teachers are under the supervisionofthe school principal and ECE Unit education officers.

Child care administrators. In 1970 the Ministry ofEducation authorized the creation ofthe ECE Unit which oversees the early childhood education programs in Jamaica. It is presently being headed by Mrs. Myrtle Johnson, chief education officer, and her staff of senior education officers, education officers, resource center officers, and teacher trainers.

The qualifications of teachers of 4-6-yearolds in Independent Schools, vary. Some teachers have no formal teacher training qualifications and may have been promoted from a teacher's aide position to that of teacher on the basis ofproven performance. Many teachers, however, are graduates ofa teacher training college. In the more prestigious preparatory schools, many ofthe teachers have a bachelor's degree with some being qualified at the master's level. The standard of performance expected in these schools is very high for both teachers and students.

These administrative officers are responsible for supervision of all pre primary education programs on the island as well as curriculum development, project supervision, and inservice training. As of 1993 the ECE Unit has been mandated the responsibility of supervising all Independent School early childhoodprograms. Thus the three separate strands of early childhood education government, community, and private schools, will finally be brought together as far as

instructional supervision is concerned.

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percentage is higher. Unfortunately, because of the way in which statistics have been reported in the past, it is impossible to give an exact figure for this age group. Day care facilities, private or government supported, serve onlya srna11 portionof the 0-4-year-old population.

In terms of the Basic School system in Jamaica, the Ministry of Education views them as community schools, therefore, its majorresponsibility is limited to the injection ofquality into the teaching-learning activities which take place in these schools. Education officers supervise, oversee, and participate, in part, in curriculum development and in-servicing for all preprimary programs. Officers must have minimum qualifications of a bachelor's degree plus five years of teaching experience. Many of them have master's degrees or are in the process of completing requirementsfor the degree.

Eligibility. All children are eligible to attend government subsidized and supported preprimary programs and day care facilities. Unfortunately, there are not enough facilities to enroll all ofthe childrenbelow the age of sixneeding out ofhome care. Other facilities (private kindergartens and independent schools) charge fees that are prohibitive for attendance by the majority ofthe population.

The teacher trainers are responsible for the on-going training ofover 4,000 Basic School teachers throughout the island. Their educational requirements should include a diploma froma recognizedteachers' college, or preferablya bachelor's degree, as well as five years ofteaching experience.

Ages. The various child care facilities also

vary in the age range of children enrolled. Home-based and day care facilities generally havechildren from infancy to age four. Some independent school programs begin children at age three as do some Basic Schools. But the typical age for enrollment in Basic Schools, Infant Schools, and Infant Departments is four.

Resource centerofficers set up and supervise Resource Centers. This officer will have the same qualifications as the teacher trainer.

Summary Since 1962 there has been a determined effort by the government and private sector organizations in Jamaica to provide basic health and educational services for all children. This has been limited by financial constraints and, therefore, innovative schemes have had to be developed to provide low-cost programs, particularlyfor preschool age children, including those with specialneeds.

Principals and headmasters/mistresses will have more than the minimum qualifications of the teachers in their facilities. Generally, they will havebeenteachers in the classroom prior to being promoted on the basis of performance and/oradditionalqualifications. Children in child care Earlychildhood education is available for the majority ofchildren up to age six throughout Jamaica. There are 1,746 government or community-based pre primary education programs that serve approximately 125,000 children. This enrollment represents approximately 82% of the age group 4-6 years(Statistical Institute of Jamaica, 1992). When one takes into account the children enrolled in privatepre-primary programs the

Historically, access to facilities for young children has been based on the social and economic status ofthe family. There is still a wide discrepancy between the services available to those who are financially secure and those who live a marginal existence, but important gains have been made. As a small 56

developing country, Jamaica has already moved beyond the level of meeting its children's most basic needs. Infant and child mortality, the general level of nutrition, the percentages of children who are fully immunized, and the number of children within the preschool-age population receiving education, are all at acceptable levels although there is no room for complacency, particularly for children living in the most depressed urban areas. Important legislation related to the lives of young children has been enacted. A system ofcommunity-based Basic Schools has been established, staffed mainly by persons with minimal educational qualifications, these persons are working under the supervision of qualified teaching personnel. Although not ideal, this approach has been instrumental in bringing education services to young children in every comer of the island. The importance of early stimulation has been demonstrated through research and the implementation of innovative home intervention programs for children with special needs.

them andextend their scope, particularly in the face ofcontinuing economic decline. The key

to the success of the programs is the training and monitoring of the workers at the community level which must be on a continuous basis with constant upgrading of skills. Increased remuneration tied to the upgrading of skills could provide an incentive for these workers to remain within the system A well qualified and dedicated cadre of supervisory personnel is also necessary for developing effective community-based programs.

BmLIOGRAPHY Bernard van Leer Foundation, ( 1972). Early childhood education in Jamaica. The Hague, Netherlands: Author. Ministry of Education (1991). Guidelines 3676 for management and administration of basic schools. Kingston, Jamaica:Author. Ministry ofEducation ( 1990). Early childhoodfocus. Kingston, Jamaica: Author. Ministry of Education (1983). Early childhood education readiness programme. Kingston, Jamaica: Author. Springer, H. ( 1984). Early childhood education in Jamaica - A report on an advisory committee at the request of the Jamaican government. The Hague, Netherlands: Bernard van Leer Foundation. StatisticalInstitute ofJamaica. ( 1992). Demographic statistics. Kingston, Jamaica: Government Printing Office.

Community-based programs appear to be a viable approach for Jamaica. However, all are under-funded. With systems already in place, the challenge now is to both 1IUIintain

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