T he Mico University College Child Assessment & Research in Education (CARE) Centre last Friday staged a special Child Month Parents’ Seminar that emphasised the importance of teaching children independent learning and self-determination skills.

Participants in the seminar, held at the CARE Centre in St Andrew, heard from keynote speaker Dr Pauline Mullings who reminded parents of their duty and obligation to foster a child-friendly and safe environment in which their children can thrive wholesomely.

Dr Mullings, who chairs the National Child Month Committee, also encouraged parents to work harder at instilling a strong sense of self-worth and value in their children by acknowledging all their small achievements, even when they don’t get an ‘A’, and not just the major accomplishments.

Commenting on this initiative by her organisation, Angelita Arnold, vice-president for Child Development, Diagnostic & Therapeutic Services, said: “The importance of this seminar cannot be overstated, especially at this time when, even as we celebrate Child Month, we are still grappling with a very disturbing amount of violence and abuse against our nation’s children. It tells us that we really need to teach our children that they do have a voice that they can use to advocate for themselves if something or someone is troubling them.”

In keeping with the seminar’s theme — ‘Cultivating Independent Learning in our Children’ — presenters from the Mico CARE Centre, Shelleka Matthews, associate clinical psychologist; Donna-Neisha Steele, lead special educator; and Triesha-Gaye McBean-Kerr, special educator, took parents through the rudiments of the topic in a very practical and relatable way, focusing on how parents can teach their children independent learning, self-regulation and self-advocacy skills and attributes.

Parents were also cautioned not to over-function for their children as this could render them helpless when faced with challenging situations, where they are not around to assist them.

A case study was used to demonstrate how a young child was able to use his independent skills to speak up for himself and effectively take himself out of a very difficult situation.

The parents shared that they felt enriched and enabled by the new knowledge and strategies that they learnt, which they can immediately begin to utilise in how they train their children to aid their growth and development.

The Mico Centre was established in 1980 to meet the needs of children requiring special education in Jamaica and the English-speaking Caribbean. It offers child assessment, diagnostic and therapeutic intervention services for school-aged children with learning challenges.

The centre resulted from a collaboration between the governments of Jamaica and The Netherlands and is the portfolio responsibility of the Ministry of Education.