Jamaica-themed learning kit launched

The developer of a new learning tool, named 'Little Jamaican Early Childhood Learning Kit', is hoping that it will have a big impact on young learners across the island.

Founder and CEO of CHEETAH Toys & More LLC, Dr Paulette Trowers, launched the learning kit recently at the Union Gardens Infant School in Kingston, with several tiny tots in attendance. The kit has more than 30 books, poems, puzzles, posters, reward stickers, completion certificates, playing and flash cards, and animation.

The resources include concepts such as colours, shapes, numbers, letters, phonics, animals, and related short stories. It targets children zero to three years old, parents, guardians, and teachers.

Trowers says the initiative to develop the kit began in 2018 and is based on market research that showed very few existing early-childhood books that are fully aligned with the Jamaica Early Childhood Curriculum Guide. She is encouraging individuals and members of the private and public sectors to purchase kits for donation to early-childhood institutions across the island.

"I want us to partner in making educational resources available for every child, regardless of their socio-economic background, any pandemic, or their lack of access to Wi-Fi. Let us therefore pledge our support to a child or school," Trowers urged.

Chairman of the Human Capital Development Commission of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, Maya Morris-Walrond, commended CHEETAH for its work and expresses interest in supporting the initiative.

"Having these resources which are culturally sensitive and customised to our little Jamaicans is noteworthy and it also feeds into our national curriculum, the early-childhood curriculum. The work being done by CHEETAH is part of a larger mission to meet the goal of Jamaicans being empowered to achieve their fullest potential as we build a world class education system," Morris-Walrond said.

Senior Director of Planning and Development in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Vivienne Johnson, said the ministry has enjoyed a productive working relationship with CHEETAH, particularly in the publication of materials for students preparing to sit the Primary Exit Profile exams. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Early Childhood Commission, Trisha Williams-Singh, highlighted the evolution of technology and its role within the teaching and learning process.

"No longer do we expect to reach the nation's children with chalk and talk, as with our foreparents. We now have the opportunity to make the learning experience a more memorable one. Technology in education provides the content needed for meaningful engagement, which promotes a higher level of productivity when intertwined with physical interaction," Williams-Singh said.

This was further endorsed by Trowers, who opined that "the world is changing, and the way that our children learn is changing. We are in the business of education, and so we must change the way that we do business".

Moderator of the launch event and social media influencer Basillia Barnaby-Cuff said that the launch of the kit is timely, considering that 2022 is the Year of the Early Childhood Development, as declared by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen on January 25.

"With the launch of the Little Jamaican Early Childhood Learning Kit, I am sure that it will aid in helping our children to get the best education right here in Jamaica," Barnaby-Cuff said.