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.