Childcare monitoring and services took a leap forward as the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security (MoHSSS), in partnership with UNICEF Guyana and with funds from the Canadian government, recently concluded an Early Childhood Development (ECD) capacity building session with Registration and Licensing Officers (RLOs), Child Protection Officers (CPOs), and Primary Caregivers countrywide, a UNICEF release stated recently.
It also informed that the training which lasted a week, included sessions on Early Childhood Development Practices, Schedules and Routines for Childcare settings, analyzing diverse facility scenarios, Registration and Licensing Officers Portfolios and Assessments, and the importance of play in the early years.
Further, the Caregivers along with the RLOs and CPOs were also engaged in a one-day training on the effective use of the 100 early childhood development kits that were donated sometime last year.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud who spoke at the graduation ceremony, congratulated the participants on completing the sessions and charged them to share their new knowledge with peer and parents in their respective regions.
“I have no doubt that we will see the elevation of care as it is provided across all the regions in Guyana. For many regions it may be newer than others, for other regions it may require changing things a little differently moving with the fast-paced progress of our country so that we can provide what is needed for the parents and children of today’s generation.”
The Minister also commended UNICEF and the Canadian government for continuously injecting resources to enhance childcare delivery services in Guyana.
Area Representative of UNICEF Guyana and Suriname, Nicolas Pron, also congratulated the participants, took time to highlight some key factors necessary to ensure that children achieve their full potential. “As is their human right, they need health care and nutrition, protection from harm and a sense of security, opportunities for early learning, and responsive caregiving with parents and caregivers who love them.”
He went on, “I am most certain that this training has provided you with the necessary tools needed to further enhance the oversight you provide in ensuring that the caregivers understand that the first 1,000 days of a child’s life matter and we look forward to seeing great outcomes from the different facilities.”
Meanwhile, Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana and Suriname, Mark Berman, who also attended the ceremony cheered the participants as well as the MoHSSS for their efforts to expand and spearhead early childhood development in Guyana. “I want to thank you all for being part of this effort to ensure equal delivery of quality early childhood services to all of Guyana’s communities no matter how remote.”
The High Commissioner also disclosed that Canada has announced a CA$9.5 million collaboration with the Government of Guyana to train 2,000 students in the technology sphere. “These students’ successful entry into this programme is a useful part during the quality of early childhood development and Canada is proud to support both ends of the learning spectrum,” he said.
According to the release, the officers who attended the training programme, described the sessions as informative since they have learned many new techniques to enhance their service delivery when interacting with children and parents.
Child Protection and Senior Probation and Social Services Officer, Orette Francois, echoed this sentiment. “The sessions have given me knowledge that I didn’t have before. I know early childhood is critical in the development of children, however, I did not know the techniques to bring out certain things. In my capacity, this will now help me to incorporate what I would have learnt here in my ordinary parental training to assist parents to get their children at a better level.”
While Registration and Licensing Officer in Region 10, Duanne McFarlane, said he was grateful for the information, “It was a refresher for me because I am early childhood trained, but with the added information I will go out to my Daycare Centres and share my knowledge and engage more with the supervisors so they can enhance the knowledge and skills better in their facilities.”
And Senior Childcare Officer, Huette Moore, said, “The session brought new light to what is happening in our community today and some of the challenges that daycare and caregivers face along with how they deal with the children. Being a part of the training brought the knowledge to know what is expected to happen in the daycare to stimulate learning and helping the children meet their utmost development as they grow.”
To further promote early childhood development in the regions, UNICEF handed over 300 banners to the MoHSSS that depict Positive Early Childhood Development messages for Parents and primary Caregivers. The messages written in English, Spanish and Warrau languages are expected to be placed in childcare facilities across the country, the release added.
