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ST. KITTS & NEVIS. EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT. HISTORY. St. Kitts was the first British West Indian Colony (colonized in 1624) St. Kitts was the first French West Indian colony (colonized in 1625)
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ST. KITTS & NEVIS EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY • St. Kitts was the first British West Indian Colony (colonized in 1624) • St. Kitts was the first French West Indian colony (colonized in 1625) • British and French occupied the island jointly until 1713 when French portion was taken over by Britain
Influences on Education • British past • Slavery and its after effects
Population • More than 90% of the population is black. • The rest of the population is made up of Whites, East Indians, Chinese, and Arabs
Problems of the Black Population • Lack of land ownership • Poverty • High rate of migration • Single parent (usually single mother) families • High rate of teenage pregnancy
Solutions • Children reared in extended families • Community mothers work together to provide child care services
First Early Childhood Centres • Established by Christian churches as part of their evangelical programmes • The Moravian church began work in 1787 • The Methodist church began work in 1797 • Indigenous preschool programmes were later run by neighbourhood mothers
Government Involvement • Establishment of Early Childhood Development Unit in late 1970s • Feeding Programme with assistance from World Food Programme • Laws Governing Early Childhood under the “Child Welfare and Protection Act” (1994)
Mission Statement • To provide high quality care and education for the maximum number of children in their early years of life and facilitate collaboration between family, community, and those who are providing early childhood care and education in order to prepare the children for primary school and life in general.
Philosophy • Importance of the child • Recognition of the traditional values of childrearing on the islands • Impact of the forces of social modernization on the situation of the child and family
Nursery (birth to 3 years) Preschool (3 to 5 years) Day care centres )birth to 5 years) Percentage of birth to 5 years population in Early Childhood Centres 401 1489 804 2694 out of 4000 =67% Provisions
Curriculum • Integration of High Scope, Servol, Perceived Societal Needs • Written by preschool teacher under the guidance of the Early Childhood Coordinator and the Curriculum Development Unit • Focus on the Whole Child
Training • Inservice • one month induction for new workers • monthly workshops for supervisors and other • Full Time • no local training in earl.y childhood. • available training is for primary and • secondary education
Needs • Establishment of government centres in communities that are not served • Local teacher training in early childhood development • Greater opportunities for higher level (degree) training in early Childhood • Additional staff for Early Childhood Development Unit • Teachers manuals to accompany curriculum