A large crowd turned out in response to the Early Childhood Commission’s (ECC) first certification fair at the Karl Hendrickson Auditorium, Jamaica College on Friday, August 26.
The fair, which was designed to bring greater awareness about the operating standards for certification of early childhood institutions, had operators, practitioners, teachers, and parents from as far as the western end of the island in attendance.
Antoinette White, principal of the Ebenezer Methodist Basic School in St. Ann says she found the Fair to be quite beneficial. “It was very good. The parents who came along with me were more aware of the standards that the ECC requires for the operation of basic schools.” She continued, “I think the ECC should have more of these fairs, but in other sections of the island.”
Audrey Forrester-Saddler who is principal at the St. Simon Basic School in Admiral Town, Kingston also had high praises for the event. “Very informative. Visiting the booths, I was impressed, a lot of valuable information was shared and it was so much easier for me to understand the standards in the simple way they were broken down. It also made a difference that I was able to talk with someone from the ECC directly.”
The ECC which is a regulatory agency of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, sets quality standards for early childhood institutions (ECIs) and works closely with the ECIs to help them meet the standards.
The standards cover requirements for people who work in ECIs; how children are taught, fed, cared for and protected; how ECI buildings and grounds are maintained; how ECIs interact with parents and the community; and how well the ECIs are managed. Schools that meet all the standards are then certified by the ECC.