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During the past
decade the government of Trinidad
and Tobago through
the Ministry of Education has sought
to improve the quality of early
childhood services offered to families
throughout the country. New early
childhood centres have been established
and in-service training programmes
for staff are continuing. However,
over 40% of our young children
(ages birth – five years)
continue to be denied access to
Early Childhood Care and Education
(ECCE) services (UNICEF, Country
Report, 1999). Moreover, those
who do not have access to community
programmes live in the poorest
communities and if they are fortunate
enough to enter into the formal
educational school system at age
six, do so at a disadvantage. Through
our intervention programmes, The
School of Education is expanding
its reach into those economically
disadvantaged communities by providing
training for community leaders,
parents, caregivers, educators
and policy-makers.
Indeed
investing in early childhood education
is an investment in the future
of the region, and longitudinal
studies have shown that children
who have attended high quality
Early Childhood Care and Education
(ECCE) centres, experience greater
productivity levels as adults and
are less prone to be involved in
domestic and social violence (Schweinhart,
Barnes, Weikart,1993). Quality
programmes and greater access to
training for community leaders,
educators and parents are critical
to maximizing the benefits of investment
in ECCD.
The Trinidad and
Tobago government has committed its
resources to the development of an
early childhood care and education
delivery system. It was in anticipation
of an expanded system, greater community
awareness, and a demand for training,
that the School of Education at St.
Augustine almost fifteen (15) years
ago, embarked on a Certificate in
Early Childhood Education with related
outreach courses in parenting and
in the management of early childhood
establishments.
The continued demand
for a greater knowledge on family
and child development issues by ECCE
educators, administrators and parents
led to the following developments
at the School of Education:
- The establishment of an Early
Childhood Care and Education Project
(ECCEP); and
- The establishment of a research
and training site –the UWI
Family Development and Children’s
Research Centre (FDCRC),
with an enrolment of 80 children
ages 3-5 years.
During the past
fifteen years the School of Education
through its Early Childhood Care
and Education Project ECCEP trained
1,924 policy makers, parents and
educators through its conferences,
outreach courses, and parenting workshops.
Similarly, the School of Education
offers certificate and degree programmes
which address a wide range of issues
and problems associated with ECCD,
in the Caribbean.
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