OVER 40 early childhood teachers will be better prepared to tackle the literacy challenges they face daily, thanks to their participation in a Jolly Phonics Training Programme that was recently organised by the Sandals Foundation.

The training workshops were held in Hanover, St James and St Ann in July and saw these teachers being taught how to use the intensive phonics programme that is geared towards improving teaching methods in basic and elementary schools. The programme, which has been endorsed by the Ministry of Education in Jamaica, was provided by Devon Headley, who is a senior representative and trainer for Jolly Phonics in the Caribbean.

Educator Joy Baker Campbell, who was among the participants, said the training session was a learning experience for her and three members of staff who attended. Campbell, principal for the Bluefields Basic School, believes the session was timely, given the challenges educators like herself face in the classroom.

“It’s really a programme that will improve the literacy skills of the students because some of them cannot read,” she said. “One of the reasons for that is that many children are not introduced to reading from an early age.”

School principal Audrey Ashmead said she plans to implement some of the things she learnt during the Jolly Phonics Training Programme at her school come September. She said she and her teachers from the Seville Golden Preschool found the programme to be very informative.

“It’s a programme that I would recommend to any schools to use, because it helps the child to read,” she said.

Director of Programmes at Sandals Foundation Heidi Clarke said the organisation’s partnership with Jolly Phonics is in keeping with their ongoing intervention at the early childhood level and the national effort to improve teaching and learning at that level.

“Jolly Phonics offers students a progressive approach to literacy through interaction with age-appropriate technology, books and manipulatives,” she pointed out.