Chairman of the Board of Directors of the FDCC, Dr Didacus Jules
A regional project, entitled Foundation for the Development of Caribbean Children (FDCC), aimed at strengthening early childhood education, was recently launched during a four- day forum in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Participants heard some of the latest information regarding the development of the brain, and how it relates particularly to children aged from zero to three years.
“We have succeeded in starting that fire,” said Chairman of the Board of Directors of the FDCC, Dr Didacus Jules, “and we hope (and) expect the Foundation will fan those flames so that it becomes a real bush fire across the region.” Dr Jules is registrar of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), and is joined by two women and five other men to constitute the new foundation’s board, which held its inaugural meeting during the four days of the forum. “Strengthening families from the start” was the theme of the forum, which was aimed at supporting the development of vulnerable Caribbean children from zero to three years, and was run from June 27 to 30.
It was a regional, forum of health, education, social development, and parenting support agencies, a release issued by Caricom said. Support for the venture came from the Caricom Secretariat, Caribbean Child Support Initiative (CCSI) UNICEF, the Commonwealth Secretariat, Parenting Partners Caribbean, and the University of the West Indies. Various presentations were made by stakeholders and interest groups, and there were roundtable discussions led by practitioners in the various fields.
The foundation will build on the 10 years of work and experience garnered by the Caribbean Child Support Initiative (CCSI) Programme, which is headed by Programme Director Susan Branker.
The work of the Roving Caregivers, a project supported by the CCSI, was examined and presented as a model to those nations contemplating the development of targeted early childhood services for the most disadvantaged families.
The Roving Caregivers model is presented because it is not capital- intensive and can be implemented without the need for new buildings, and it uses materials parents already have at their disposal.
The Caregivers go to various communities and work with the children and parents in their homes, many of whom are economically disadvantaged, and demonstrate to parents/ guardians how to encourage their young children’s curiosity by simple materials and items they already possess. The new foundation has support commitment from the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF), which has been assisting in the Caribbean for the past 40 years. Bernard van Leer Foundation’s Executive Director Lisa Jordan said the fact that 25 to 30 per cent of Caribbean children do not have the cognitive building blocks they need when they start school is reason enough for the BvLF to give support to the indigenous foundation. “You don’t want to lose 25 – 30 per cent before you even start,” she said.
The new foundation is expecting additional support to come from the business sector, and to this end, each member of the board has made financial pledges to get the work off to a start, while the government of Dominica has already made a token pledge of US$500. The FDCC Board comprises Chairman Dr Didacus Jules; Deputy Chairman Milton Lawrence of Dominica; Directors: Cuthbert Didier of St Lucia; Jennifer Astaphan of Dominica; Dr Jules Ferdinand of St Vincent and the Grenadines; Renee Anne Shirley of Jamaica; Dr Trevor Carmichael of Barbados, and Gregory De Gannes of Grenada. “We need to do what we do in the Caribbean with greater passion,” said FDCC Board Chairman Dr Didacus Jules. “Education is not business as usual, and it cannot be. We need to approach it with imagination and fire, so that we can succeed.”
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