TODDLERS attending 45 early childhood institutions (ECIs) across the country are to benefit from a donation of furniture made just for them from Courts Jamaica.

The furniture manufacturer has donated 500 infant-sized sets of chairs and desks which will help the schools selected to better meet the standards of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), which requires ECIs to provide indoor and outdoor equipment, furnishing and supplies that are safe, child-centred and child-friendly.

Acting Executive Director of the ECC Michelle Campbell commended the donation, noting that the furniture will improve the learning environment, making children more comfortable and better able to learn.

The ECC advised Courts on the schools that had the greatest needs.

"The schools that have been identified are located islandwide. These are schools where children are actually sitting on benches, sharing chairs [or] using their legs to write on," said Campbell. "These tables and chairs will be benefitting a whole host of children across the island."

Michelle-Ann Letman, Public Relations Officer for Courts Jamaica, said that the organisation was pleased to invest in the early childhood sector.

"We are always looking to contribute to Jamaica and to the nation's children, and this is part of our efforts to ensure that the children are taken care of within the early childhood institutions."

The Early Childhood Regulations (2005) stipulate that all early childhood institutions must have infrastructure that is suitable and appropriate for the ages of children that come into their care.

Toilets and washbasins should be appropriately installed so that they are easily accessible by children; desks and chairs should be built at a child's level; cribs and beds should be fitted with the appropriate rails; outdoor play equipment such as swings and slides should be placed on surfaces, such as sand and grass in order to prevent children from hurting themselves.

The complete list of standards governing early childhood institutions is available on the ECCs website, ecc.gov.jm.