Get it right at ECCE schools

PRIVATE early childhood care and education (ECCE) centres have been granted a three-year moratorium to adhere to registration guidelines for private schools in TT. The proposed guidelines require preschools to supply information on their location, curriculum, timetables, school layout and student evaluation procedures which are expected to align with the Education Ministry's plans to improve monitoring and evaluation of these centres.

Private centres outnumber government-assisted institutions by more than four to one, so these schools deliver a critical service in preschool education. There are 631 private centres catering to preschool children.

Cabinet approved policy for the Education Ministry in June, and the Government's promise to monitor private ECCE schools during the three-year grace period cannot remain talk. Its recent efforts to bring children's homes up to standard in compliance with licensing laws, now in effect, demonstrates the results that can be achieved with oversight and collaboration between state regulators and private stakeholders.

The Education Act is being amended, and any changes to legislation must insist on improved standards and monitoring of compliance by the Education Ministry.

At the onset of pandemic lockdowns, Minister in the Ministry of Education Lisa Morris-Julian took specific responsibility for ECCE schools, which faced two years of difficulty in working with children in the very small window of screen-time acceptable for children at that stage of development.

ECCE facilities are more than just institutions for daycare and early education. They provide the first foundation of learning, engage future students in the joy of discovering the new and even, more critically, serve as an early warning bell for developmental impediments to young children.

The capacity of ECCE centres to properly identify developmental issues and either manage them or guide parents to centres that are better equipped to assist must become a priority in the planned evaluation of ECCE centres.

When preschools fail to engage the developmentally, disadvantaged child, valuable time is lost in educating children at a suitable pace. Every ECCE centre should have at least one member of its permanent staff trained to identify these challenges early, because indicators can be subtle.

Along with identification, appropriate and prompt support for both students and parents must become part of the student support response. There aren't enough trained teacher-aides now to meet current demand for supporting special needs children.

Improving the identification of development disabilities will place even greater stress on the Student Support Services Division, and it must be equipped to meet new demands much earlier in the student learning cycle.

The Minister of Finance declared the education system of TT to be modern, inclusive and accessible in his 2023 budget presentation. For far too many children living with developmental disabilities in this country, that's a hollow boast.

The Government has an inclusive education policy to guide its actions in this regard, but for the policy to have an impact on the children it was written to serve, it must be put into action.