BARBADOS' CULTURAL INDUSTRIES DEVELOPMENT BILL APPROVED BY CABINET FEB 2013
Professional Development Experiences in Early Childhood ... Proyectos Actividad... · Professional...
Transcript of Professional Development Experiences in Early Childhood ... Proyectos Actividad... · Professional...
Professional Development
Experiences in Early Childhood
Education in Barbados
Prepared and presented by
Catherine Blackman – Education Officer, ECE
Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, Barbados
Overview of Barbados
• The most easterly Caribbean country
• Approximately 260,000 people
• Independent since 1966
• Free compulsory universal access to education at
primary and secondary schools (ages 5 – 16)
Background to the
Development of Early
Childhood Education (ECE) in
Barbados • 1950s – 1960s
– Immigration of men to Britain, Panama and other parts of the world to
work
– Need for mothers to go out and work
– Community person administering care to neighbourhood children
– Older sibling taking care of younger siblings and therefore could not
attend school
Background to the
Development of Early
Childhood Education (ECE) in
Barbados • Late 1960s – 1970s
– Emergence of the Child Care Board, Child Care
Board Act and related legislation
– Legislation governing health and health care
• 1980s
– Greater focus on 3 year olds in the system
Background to the
Development of Early
Childhood Education (ECE) in
Barbados
• Late 1980s
– ECE Association of Barbados was formed
• 2000s
– Thrust towards universal access for 3 year olds
• Plan of Action
– increase the number of nursery
schools
– offer assistance to private
institutions that provide
additional space
– develop a standards document with accompanying legislation
– provide training for teachers working with the 3 year old cohort
Expansion of ECE Programme
in Barbados
Expansion of ECE Programme in
Barbados • Objectives
– achieve the United Nations Declaration on
Education for All
– implement CARICOM’s Plan of Action to
address early childhood issues in the region
– provide universal access for all 3 year olds
Agencies Catering to the Birth to
Three Cohort • Child Care Board
– organisation, Act and accompanying legislation established in 1969
– revision of the Act in 1981
• Role of Child Care Board
– provide and maintain Child Care Centres
– place children in foster care
– register and license private day care centres
• Role of the Ministry of Health
– ensure the well-being and safety of citizens
– early stimulation of babies and infants
– provide educational programmes on health
issues for mothers and their off-spring
Agencies Catering to the Birth
to Three Cohort
Professional Development for
the Day Care Worker
• National Certification Programme - Basic
Certificate Course in Child Care
• On site training relative to programme
planning and curriculum monitoring
• Seminars and workshops
• Observation of best practices
Professional Development for
the Nursery School Teacher • Teacher certification
• Degree in Early Childhood Education
• Post Certificate in ECE
• General interest course in ECE
• Pedagogical training in ECE Care and Development
• Seminars and workshops
• On-site training
• Observation of best practices
Professional Development -
Parental Involvement
• Parent Volunteer Support Programme
– Phased based training including inter-alia:
• An Overview of ECE
• Basic Principles of Child Development
• Characteristics of Young Children
• Disciplinary Techniques
• Networking and Collaborating with Organisations and
Agencies
Professional Development -
Parental Involvement • Parent Education for Development in Barbados
(PAREDOS)
– The provision of Pamphlets, newspaper articles, radio and television, community initiated lecture/discussions and monthly parent education forums. (Over 50,000 parents and children are reached annually).
– Parents workshops, seminars and conferences (over 500 parents and adolescents are reached annually)
– Parent support groups, individual and family sessions (over 1000 parents and children are reached annually)
Professional Development - Early
Childhood Education Association
of Barbados
• provide early childhood educators, caregivers and
parents with opportunities to exchange
information to keep abreast of current trends and
innovations in early childhood education
• sensitise educators, caregivers and the wider
community to developmentally appropriate early
childhood programmes and practices
Professional Development - Early
Childhood Education Association of
Barbados
• conduct workshops, seminars and conferences in early childhood education care and development
• assist in providing wherever possible resource material for use in administration of early childhood programmes
• establish a closer working relationship among persons involved in the care, education and development of young children.
Professional Development -
Regional Collaboration in ECE
• Collaboratively developed ECE standards and learning outcomes documents
• Foster greater awareness of areas such as child rights, nutrition, health care, environmental health and early interventions for hearing and speech, through regional workshops
• Consensus building on critical ECE matters
• Strategies for collecting statistical information relative to ECE
• Exchange visits to observe areas of best practice in other
countries within the region
• Increased provision of
developmentally appropriate
resources to foster a more
child-centred approach
to teaching
Professional Development -
Regional Collaboration in ECE
• Development of training modules
• Greater collaboration between agencies responsible for the ECE cohort
• Regional collaboration led to revision of legislation and standards documents for birth to three cohort
Professional Development -
Regional Collaboration in ECE
Conclusion
While there has been some improvement in the collaborative efforts of the relevant agencies, there is still work to be done as it relates to the birth to three cohorts.
What is now expected is a closer synergy between these agencies as we strive to ensure that adequate provision is made for the development of the young children of Barbados.
This is critical as their future growth is highly impacted on by the early foundation set through the provision of quality resources and professional development activities.
Thank you for your attention!