KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minster of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Ruel Reid, today informed the Senate of the appointment of an oversight committee for the Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector.

Senator Reid told his Senate colleagues that given the wide-ranging needs of the sector, the government has appointed the oversight committee, which is chaired by Professor Maureen Samms-Vaughn, expert in child health, development and behaviour.

Reid said that the committee would be responsible for overseeing the development of a comprehensive strategy, to revitalize the vision for Jamaican children eight years and younger.

“We expect that the work of this committee will advance the ECD sector further towards internationally-accepted levels of quality,” he told the Senate in a statement on the government’s early childhood programmes.

He said that among the areas recognised as imperatives were improvements in the mobilization of resources, development of a comprehensive ECD policy and review of early childhood specific and other relevant legislation and the delivery of co-ordinated programmes and services for young children.

“We believe that a review of existing legislation for young children, including the Early Childhood Commission Act (2003), the Early Childhood Act and Regulations (2005) and other relevant legislation is necessary at this time to ensure a comprehensive legislative framework is provided to meet the needs of young children,” Reid noted.

Balford Henry