Education Minister, Petter Saint Jean, has stated that the fact that more emphasis is placed on the development of preschool children as opposed to children aged three years or younger, is an approach that requires some rethinking.
Speaking at a handing over ceremony of educational materials to various Child Day Cares on Wednesday morning at the Windsor Park Conference Room, Saint Jean stated that more focus must be placed on the stimulation of children aged zero to three years old.
“Our activity here this morning is part of the whole thrust. Importantly you may ask ‘why rethink early childhood development?’ See, very often, more emphasis is placed on our children at the preschools and not enough is given to the children who are younger. Therefore, you will recall that during the National Symposium in my address I made an urgent plea for us to focus the attention on the stimulation of children 0-3 years,” he said.
During the event, the Ministry of Education handed over a number of manipulative toys to representatives of 17 Child Day Cares, and the Roving Care Givers program, which is in keeping with the government’s mandate of providing such educational tools.
The Day Cares which received materials included; Future Generation for Christ, Mother’s Love, Early Childhood Development, RCP, and Lisa’s Day Care, among others.
Saint Jean stated that research shows the first three years are the “most critical in ensuring a successful future.”
“In fact there is much empirical evidence to show that children are supposed to be stimulated from the womb. That is why I then call the parents to read to their children and to speak intelligently during the period of pregnancy. The time has come where we need to do away with the baby talk and speak intelligently to our children,” he affirmed.
He reminded the caretakers that the vision of proper early childhood development begins with them seeing that they are “the first institution of learning.”
“You are the key in ensuring that our children receive a solid foundation, a good foundation for life. Therefore your focus cannot just be on custodial care, it goes beyond feeding and simply paying attention to the child’s hygiene. Attention must be placed on the development of the cognitive, social, and emotional skills the fine and gross motor skills, among many other,” he said.
He reiterated that early stimulation is of “paramount importance”, however, he cautions that the process of stimulation is most critical.
“The stimulation must be done through active interaction between parent and child, between children and children and not by placing the television screen or a smartphone before these children,” he remarked.
According to him, the government of Dominica remains steadfast in its commitment to the Dominican people.
See presentation to the different Day Cares below.
Too late for you though Petter ! What a shame !
When these little miracles come to our world, the first line of education is from the home, they are then prepared and ready to attend school, the way they behave at school, gave the teachers ideas of how they were brought up at home. The minister is asking for the parents support.
Peter it’s time for u and your government to
Goooooooooooooo pre schools and day care
Get a little subversion from government and it
Seems is beg we begging a whole year and rules
Before we get de money pack up and leave
I love the way Petter preaches to people as if he is an expert. He does it so well !
Peter ,in my opinion if Dominica was a country you have no right out there. Those crimes you have committed are punishable by dozens of years in jail. Don’t think you have gotten away.
Time will tell.
As an educator, I give praise to the fact that onewants to stimulate the young brains, with the use of manipulatives. However, these are not simply for brain stimulation. They are for development of their fine motor skills and language development. While the early education teacher uses these colored stimuli in the classroom, think about how much of that had been done in the past and there is not much to show for it. Parents are the first teachers. Children gain brain stimulation through the love and attention they get in their environmental spaces. Work with what we have, not what the man who writes a book makes us believe. The colors of the manipulatives are right there in the house, in the yard and in the community. Have the children search for their own truths. That is how creative minds are developed. Errors and failures are not negatives, as we were taught in the past, they are stepping stones to creativity. Study the past and present; Einstein, Steve Jobs andother innovators.
From 0 – 6 years, the child should be imbued with values such as love, kindness, honesty, respect, peace and justice among others. If these virtues are deeply embedded in a child at the suggested ages above, the child would most likely grow up to become a law abiding and productive citizen. We sometimes put too much emphasis on academics much too early and neglect the behavioral training. When we fail to positively reinforce good behavior in children and focus just on the academics, many of the children grow up to become educated derelicts.
I totally agree and would add that grooming children for exams at the age of nine is a form of child abuse.
I agree with pastor and Education Minister, Petter Saint Jean, that there is a need to rethink on the development of preschool children as opposed to children aged three years or younger.
I believe we are living in a new Dominica and children need to be educated from age zero if they are going to survive. For example, children age zero MUST be taught to take blows on their heads by government ministers, so that they could get their house much sooner than the dasheen man got his and wished he had taken his blows much sooner. So yes pastor St. Jean it is important for us to start teaching them from age zero, how to take their blows so they could be rewarded much earlier
I beg to differ. Up to the age of five children develop best in a caring and stimulating home environment. I grant that financial restraints make this preferred option impossible for many families. But it is that aspect that needs re-thinking.
The chunky books, the fold-outs and the pop up ones help them. Mobiles and rattles encourage eye-tracking, and blocks encourage problem-solving skills. Buy educational toys for them, sing them nursery rhymes and name parts of the body. A lot of the time parents limit their kids because they think they are too young to learn. I endorse your reasoning Mr Minister.
Agreed. That is a critical stage. In the first three years of the child’s life we should build literacy with that child. Not necessarily by teaching the child to read on his or her own, but by reading to them and communicating through smarter means. So out with the goo-goos and in with smart language and reading. This helps prepare them for academic successes!
Very Very good venture, love this Mr. St. Jean.
Just one question “why isn’t PAM DAYCARE apart of this recognition ????? ”
Pam is doing a very very good job with the children, I know because my daughter goes to her daycare. It is so very unfortunate that certain daycares gets recognition and others don’t.
Kudos to you Pam