CHIEF Executive Officer of the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) Kaysia Kerr is encouraging parents to provide structure for children during the time that they will be out of school due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, last Friday announced the closure of schools for 14 days, beginning March 13.

“The time at home should be considered home-schooling and the timetable should be used to guide the continuation of work across the core subjects – mathematics, English, reading, literature, reading comprehension, and social studies,” she said. “Parents must ensure students read ahead, copy assignments from workbooks and complete them,” she added.

Kerr further advised parents to maintain the school routine by ensuring that children go to bed early and wake up early to begin schoolwork.

“Know what the children are doing…monitor their play, because we need to keep them safe while they are at home,” she said.

She said that for students preparing for exams, this is an opportunity to revise, get additional practice in the areas that present them with challenges, work to complete school-based assessments (SBA) and use the appropriate digital platforms to share completed assignments and get feedback from their teachers.

Meanwhile, Kerr has implored parents and guardians to follow the precautionary guidelines related to COVID-19 as outlined by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

She said they should be mindful that not everything being circulated on social media is factual. “They should only trust updates from the designated government officials.”