KINGSTON, Jamaica— The Early Childhood Commission (ECC) this morning issued an advisory reminding stakeholders about the teacher-student ratios as outlined in the Standards for the Operation, Management and Administration of Early Childhood Institutions.

The ratios according to age group are:

Children 0-12 months old – 1 adult to 5 children

Children 13-35 months old – 1 adult – 8 children

Children 3- 5 years old – 1 adult to 10 children

The ECC says the standards are mandatory for early childhood workers, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to observing the ratios, the commission said staff should be assigned to the same group of students each day to reduce exposure and cross contamination.

The sector comprises 646 private basic schools, 404 public ones, and 1,659 that are supported by public-private partnerships. There are 24,602 children registered in private basic schools, 15,758 in public infant schools, and 69,825  in public-private schools at the early childhood level.