Minister of Education, the Honourable Petter Saint Jean has stated that the Roving Caregivers’ Programme (RCP) Dominica has “the absolute dedication of the education ministry.”
Mr. Saint Jean was speaking at the RCP mini showcase held on July 22, 2010 at the CCF Child Development Center in La Plaine.
The minister continued by praising the programme for its initiative in preparing children for formal education from birth. He emphasized “the educational success of any person depends on what that person receives in the first 3 years of life. We, as a country, need to focus on that age group.” The RCP is an informal early childhood education programme that seeks to reach children birth to three years of age who do not have access to any formal early childhood education. Early stimulation for children and parenting education for parents form the core of the programme.
He further commended the programme for wanting to “spread its tentacles” to the South East area of Dominica and encouraged La Plaine residents to “take the programme seriously.”
The RCP mini showcase, a collaborative effort between ChildFund Caribbean (formerly CCF) and the Caribbean Child Support Initiative (CCSI), sought to generate further awareness of the benefits of the programme in Dominica by beginning its series of promotions of the programme in La Plaine and the surrounding communities. It also aimed to market the RCP to a wider audience as a platform to advocate for increased investment in Early Childhood Development (ECD) and, by extension, support models like RCP.
It highlighted the multiplier effects of a non-formal approach like the RCP, promoted the social and economic value of investing in ECD and other family support programmes like RCP while also presenting core ECD principles to help inform policy.
The showcase offered a chance for individuals to view three booths demonstrating five core concepts that has made the RCP successful in the parish of St. David. Booth One, highlighted ‘Training’ and ‘Research’. The Rovers are trained professionals, certified to be Caregivers and ‘Research’ which, shows evidence of the benefits of RCP for Parents, Children, Rovers and the Community.
The second booth for the showcase demonstrated ‘Play and Toys’ and ‘Home-visiting/Stimulation.’ RCP is of the view that a child’s first learning begins at home. More so this learning can be improved through playing with our children and using toys. Play and toys can enhance children’s cognitive, physical, social, and language development.
The final booth themed ‘Income Generation and Enterprise Development’ encompassed the RCP’s mantra of ‘helping families help themselves’.
“The RCP provides agricultural plants, material for craft making and animals for rearing purposes as a means of income generating opportunities said RCP Coordinator Nisbertha Buffong.
“I believe the RCP is a good programme and we need it here in the South East” emphasized Michelle Lee, a parent in attendance at the Mini-Showcase.
The mini-showcase was a follow up from the successful staging of the RCP Showcase on November 10, 2009 at the Krazy Koconut.
Disclaimer: The comments posted do not necessarily reflect the views of DominicaNewsOnline.com and its parent company or any individual staff member. All comments are posted subject to approval by DominicaNewsOnline.com. We never censor based on political or ideological points of view, but we do try to maintain a sensible balance between free speech and responsible moderating.
We will delete comments that:
See our full comment/user policy/agreement.