A ground-breaking ceremony on the property of the Edward Douglas Early Childhood Development Centre, located in the Douglas Castle farming community of St Ann, marked the beginning of a dream come true for its residents who have yearned for years for a modern facility for the education of their children.

The $43-million project is being funded by the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education Fund (CHASE) and will see the expansion of the school through the construction of additional classrooms and the renovation of the existing building to include a sick bay, staff room, kitchen, and lunch and bathroom facilities for both students and teachers. Furniture, fencing, and play equipment will also be procured under the project.

The school is owned and operated by the Apostolic Church of God and the present building was donated in the 1960s by the late philanthropist Edward Douglas.

Expressing appreciation to CHASE, chairman of the school board Pastor Clifton Gardner said, although the challenges had been many and it seemed a long road to get where they are today, it was very heartwarming to see Douglas Castle becoming a state-of-the-art facility.

W Billy Heaven, CHASE’s chief executive officer, addressing the ceremony on Thursday, November 19, said the organisation has been a vanguard of change within the early childhood education sector for the past 12 years.

“Although it is something which we have been doing for some time now, each time is unique. We feel a renewed sense of pride and accomplishment whenever we are able to reach out to another community such as this… it tells us that we are reaching out to the nooks and crannies of the island,” he said.

Heaven said the facility was one of 750 basic schools across the island for which CHASE has provided funding to support expansion and development for tiny tots. That support, which includes training and development for teachers, capacity building of institution administrators, educators and practitioners, has amounted to some $ 3.3 billion to date.

“We at CHASE take the early childhood sector very seriously, as we see it as a catalyst that will enable the nation’s children to acquire key competencies so that they can achieve their full potential and become socially responsible citizens, contributing to sustained national growth,” Heaven added.

He pointed out that the Early Childhood Education Act provides for the meetings of 12 standards, including physical space — which means that classrooms have to be of a particular size with bathrooms within close proximity; training — which means that at least one teacher in each classroom has to be qualified with a diploma; and health and safety standards.

Speaking on behalf of Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites, Maxine Headlam, regional director for Region 3 of the Ministry of Education, said that the input by CHASE would change the face of education in the Douglas Castle community. She said it was in keeping with the ministry’s goal for all children to have access to a high-quality education, no matter where they come from.

“Our ministry’s mantra is to start them right and make them bright; a right start in socialisation and critical thinking. Children must become accustomed to beautiful surroundings and exposed to the kind of technology and facilities like those in first-world countries because they deserve the best,” she emphasised.

Keith Walford, member of parliament for St Ann South Western, who was instrumental in negotiating the support from CHASE, said it was an initiative that indicates the priority placed on the education of children in Douglas Castle.

“We are confident that some of these children will become scientists and lawyers, once we give them the conveniences and places to learn. We have to make sure that the youngsters are moulded in the right way from the start,” Walford said.