LASCO wades into early childhood assessment
LASCO Money through its partnership with MoneyGram and the Mico University College Students Assessment and Research in Education (CARE) Centre, recently took steps to help parents of 16 kindergarten students identify and address literacy challenges with the hosting of its early childhood assessment initiative at the United Early Childhood Development Centre in Kingston.
Aimed at providing adequate guidance to parents on the best approach to addressing development among the kindergarteners, the two-day assessment evaluated the current academic achievement, behavioural functioning and need for special education support for the students.
According to marketing manager at LASCO Financial Services, Danielle Drysdale, “For us at LASCO Money, literacy at all stages is important and crucial to building confidence and overall child development. Our work alongside MoneyGram, Mico CARE, as well as the teachers and parents of United Early Childhood Development Centre, underscores the unified approach that must be taken to addressing and improving the challenges facing our young students in the classroom”.
Results from the assessment showed students needed development in non-verbal reasoning skills, whereas their verbal skills were found to be more developed. The students’ reading abilities, while average for their age, showed room for improvement, specifically in areas of word reading and phonetic skills.
Commenting on the impact of the assessment, Valarie Smith-White, vice-principal of United Early Childhood Development Centre, explained: “The first few years of a child’s life are a critical time to invest in assessing their strengths and providing help, where needed, to ensure a higher success rate in their academic life. As teachers, we are truly grateful that LASCO Money and MoneyGram have stepped in to reinforce the message that early childhood assessments are a crucial step to improving foundational skills. They are not to be feared”.
The early childhood assessment initiative marks the first in the series, as LASCO Money looks to make even bigger strides to banish the stigmatism that early childhood assessments carry.
