7 meeting and 2 interamerican csr & early childhood meeting proyectos actividad documento...the...
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7th Meeting and 2nd Interamerican CSR & Early Childhood Meeting
October 11- 12 2012
Marie Archer Hitchins
Barita Education Foundation (BEF)
Kingston, Jamaica 1
Demographic Overview
Jamaica is a small island in the Caribbean
Population approximately 3M
Official Language – English
Spoken Language - Jamaican Creole
2
Economic Overview
Moved from what was mainly agrarian economy to a service oriented economy
GDP Per Capita – US$5,562 - 2011 (WB)
Unemployment – 14.3% - 2012 (STATIN)
Debt to GDP Ratio – 128.3% - 2010 (PIOJ)
Global Competitive Index 2011-2012 ranked Jamaica at 107 out of 142 countries
3
Global Competitiveness
Why are we here & How do we increase our competitiveness?
Have we invested enough in human & social capital?
Is our economic underperformance tied educational underperformance?
What can we do about it?
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Educational Challenges Children underperforming at primary and secondary levels.
Thirty Percent of primary school graduates can illiterate
Fifty Five Percent innumerate
National Council on Education (NCE)2009
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Implications for Development
A service economy requires a labour force that is:
Literate
Numerate
Able to think critically
Able to communicate effectively in English
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Hence the Need for a highly developed ECE programme in
Jamaica
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Overview Early Childhood Sector
2,000 pre-schools & day-care centers
Ninety Percent Enrollment in pre-schools
Churches heavily invested in pre-schools & primary schools
This indicates that parents have bought into the importance of education at the early childhood level.
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Community Schools
99% of the pre-schools and day-care centers are community based and privately operated
Schools must have a Board of Management
The Operators are Members of the community
Operators & teachers inadequately trained
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The Model
Community-based
Privately owned & operated
Low-cost
Delivered by untrained personnel
High coverage nationally
99% enrollment
Community & Parent support
Policy Support
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Is The Model Working & what are the Policy Implications?
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Government’s Commitment
2004 established Early Childhood Commission (ECC). An inter-sectoral body comprising health, education and social welfare services
Responsible for:
1. Developing Policy & Regulations
2. Regulating Programmes & Services
3. Establishing Standards
4. School Inspections
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The Early Childhood Commission
Establishment of a comprehensive legal, regulatory and policy framework:
Early Childhood Act and Regulations, 2005
National Plan of Action for ECD
National Strategic Plan for ECD
National Parenting Policy
National Parenting Support Commission
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ECE as a Social Contract
The Early Childhood Programme in Jamaica is a tripartite arrangement between the:
Community
Government
Private sector .
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Barita Education Foundation
Managed by a private sector company
Engaged in ECE
Critical Player
A model for CSR in Early Childhood Education
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BEF Board & Students with Former Minister of Education/Prime Minister
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Barita Education Foundation: Vision
Students acquire strong foundational skills in Literacy and Numeracy
Students transition successfully to Primary School
Teachers equipped with skills in Numeracy and Literacy instruction for effective teaching
Parents equipped to support their children
Optimum educational outcomes for Partner Schools
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The Friends & Barita Investments
• Five-year community based literacy project managed by three businesswomen
• Barita Investments Ltd., the oldest stock brokerage firm in Jamaica, principal sponsor
• Programme assumed by Barita Investments Ltd.
• Foundation established in 2004
• Focus on training, skills transfer & instruction
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Barita Education Foundation: Board of Directors
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The Programme The BEF Programme is a Two-year intervention
which focuses on:
Literacy
Numeracy
Parenting support
Using an integrated Agenda that incorporates
Teachers & Parents
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Barita Education Foundation Enhancement Programme
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Literacy
Enhance the knowledge and instructional skills of Pre- School teachers in:
Letter knowledge
Word Recognition
Phonics
Comprehension
Penmanship and Writing
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Building Fluent Readers
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Numeracy
The B.E.F. Teachers lead the guided learning sessions with demonstrations that connect knowledge and application.
Classification
Seriation
Number sense
Measurement
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Life-long Problem Solving Skills
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Parenting Support
Social workers arrange discussions and activities to:
Promote parenting awareness
Improve parenting skills
Encourage participation in school’s activities
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The BEF Team
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School Selection
Need-based
Process of Evaluation
Weakest schools selected
Most vulnerable schools selected
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Evidence-based Implementation
Every child is assessed. A programme of instruction is developed in order to:
Improve the level of learning for each child.
Train the classroom teacher in the most current approaches & strategies in planning, instruction & class management with special emphasis on reading and arithmetic.
Each school is allocated one trained teacher who acts as a Mentor Teacher.
The Mentor Teachers are supervised by the Programme Coordinator.
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Outcomes
Students engaged in the learning process Students learning at the pace and at the level required for their age group Teachers empowered with new knowledge & technologies Parents encouraged by the process Community benefits
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Results
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Best Practices
Assessment
Training
Active Engagement and Supervision by the Board of BEF
Signed contracts of agreement between the school and BEF.
Consultation with Parents
Parents advised of the programme’s implementations
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Challenges
• Inability of the host teacher to carry on the programme and transfer knowledge after BEF exit.
• Modified the programme to address these needs.
• Included a monitoring mechanism.
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Corporate Social Responsibility
1. National Engagement
2. Private Sector awareness
3. Private Sector commitment
Financial Support
Technical Expertise
Management Support
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Corporate Social Responsibility
In Jamaica we have now come to the point in our development where companies
are beginning to understand that CSR is not charity, but rather an investment in their communities which over the long
term will redound to them.
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CSR in Early Childhood Development the Cornerstone of economic development.
Let’s Make A Difference !!!!!!!!!
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