SUNDAY 16 DECEMBER, 2018 – UWI TODAY
5
70
th
ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE
RESEARCH
– ISSUE ARCHIVE SEPTEMBER 2009
“We live in a fishbowl,”
says administrative director, Dr
Carol Logie, repeatedly, as she guides a tour of the facilities
at the Family Development and Children’s Research Centre
(FDCRC) on St John’s Road in St Augustine.
Althoughmost people refer to it as the UWI Pre-school,
it is much more than a school, as its formal name indicates.
Founded by The UWI’s School of Education in 1988, the
FDCRC is practically a learning lab in many ways. While
its design and ongoing upgrades are meant to integrate and
express a specific philosophic and theoretical approach to
early childhood education, it is also an active classroom for
trainees in the field.
The physical structure has been recently upgraded,
presenting a charming façade that is idyllic to a fault.
The serenely cheerful spaces—areas earmarked for every
possible activity, all built on the scale that suits 3-5 year-
olds—must make parents wish that they could transpose
this completely into their households.
The Centre is not, as many people think, exclusively for
the children of UWI staff, and although the waiting list is
long, Dr Logie says people are welcome to come and have a
TheCentreholds:
A respectful image of all children as competent,
capable, and equipped with an enormous
potential for development
That children’s rights are to be respected
The belief that all adults in the environment
are co-researchers and co-constructors in the
educational process
The child’s role in constructing knowledge
through exploration and relationships
The value of observation, documentation, and
individual and group processes as important
elements of the programme
Its environment as a source of well-being and
an educational force that will work in the best
interest of every child
The importance of fostering self-expression,
learning and communication through the use of
a wide range of media
The value of collaboration among stakeholders
in the educational system
The importanceof the relationshipamong school,
community, family life and values
The reciprocal influences of diversity, ethnicity,
and family norms on high-quality early childhood
care and education
look at it to see whether its “distinctive approach” appeals to
them. They have an annual open day and a book fair which
provide ideal opportunities for exposure.
“Parents have invested heavily in their children,” she
says, adding that they see it as a site of investment (instead
of a carnival costume) and so they do what it takes to pay
for enrolment.
It was just a few days into the new term so the children
were all fresh at it, but they seemed very able to adapt to
the expectation that they set their own places at the table,
washed up after themselves, chose their own activities and
took responsibility for their choices.
Even so, amidst all the freedoms and ownerships on
offer, it was obvious that it wasn’t a free-for-all and the adults
were guiding andmonitoring them constantly.The children
are kept within adult supervision of a 10:1 ratio, and there
is a discreet overhead observation deck where students can
study the children from behind a glass window without
interrupting their activities.
Everything is worth studying in this laboratory of ideas.
It’s a fishbowl in there.
UNDERTHEMICROSCOPE
Children at the Centre
Diane Phillips is the Centre’s Supervisor and an integral
part of ensuring that things run smoothly on a daily basis.
