THE staff and children of Tidy Tots Educare in Black River, St Elizabeth, are finally back in their classrooms which had been destroyed by the strong winds, rains, and flood waters associated with Hurricane Melissa.

After almost three months the early childhood institution reopened on being refurbished through assistance from JN Life Insurance and NORTAS Engineering and Contracting Ltd.

Janet Clarke, principal of the day care and kindergarten centre, which serves children from two months to six years old, recalled the devastation that struck when Hurricane Melissa made landfall in October last year.

“The damage was significant. We lost the roof, ceiling, partitions, windows and furniture. The wind destroyed everything,” said Clarke.

With the building rendered unusable, the institution’s 100 students could not attend school. Some of them stayed home, while others enrolled at different schools.

“We had to engage the parents to let them know what was happening because we had no roof. Earlier this month, we got a temporary location at another early childhood institution in New Town. They allowed us to use three of their classrooms,” Clarke explained as she pointed out that the emotional toll on the community was immense.

“To see my hometown destroyed this way and that the younger children couldn’t come to day care or school was hard for us as teachers. Other children had to move out of the community because their homes were destroyed. Currently we are only able to engage about 50 students,” added Clarke.

In the immediate aftermath of the Category 5 storm, teachers and other staff members returned to the wrecked building to begin clearing debris. But it quickly became clear that restoring the school would require far more support.

“When I came here shortly after the hurricane to see the damage, all 13 members of staff were already here trying to remove the rubbish. There were parents who tried to help, but we couldn’t do it alone. Many teachers and parents had lost their own homes, but we were determined to resume school,” Clarke noted.

Assistant teacher at Tidy Tots Amoya James, said the sight of the destruction was heartbreaking.

“We were so overwhelmed by the damage and the fact that the students wouldn’t be able to resume school. It was even harder because many of us were affected as well,” said James.

Realising the urgency of the situation Eleanor Muir, whose son attends Tidy Tots, recorded a video of the destruction and shared it on her
WhatsApp status. The school also launched a
GoFundMe campaign to raise support for repairs.

“I found it necessary to seek assistance for Tidy Tots by way of social media because it is one of the leading early childhood institutions in the parish,” Muir said.

“The curriculum shared with students, to include my son, is incredible as creative skills are highlighted daily by the instructors. As such, I saw the need to highlight the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa to seek assistance to rebuild the institution because that would allow the students to continue their education journey,” added Muir.

The video soon caught the eye of Susan Holness, chief of underwriting and new business at JN Life Insurance.

“When I saw what Hurricane Melissa left behind, I felt sad and wanted to see it first-hand. After I visited, I initiated discussions at the next JN Life senior management meeting to see how we could assist,” said Holness.

For Othneil Blagrove, chief of sales and marketing at JN Life, the devastation hit close to home.

“The area where Tidy Tots is located has significant meaning to me because I spent most of my childhood there,” he said.

“When I learned the school was affected, Ms Holness and I knew we had to assist,” added Blagrove.

Holness then reached out to NORTAS Engineering and Contracting Ltd whose CEO Nichlous Stewart immediately agreed to help. The firm committed to providing the labour free of charge, while JN Life purchased all the materials.

“From the passage of Hurricane Melissa, I had a burning desire to help with the rebuilding process. I wanted to assist an early childhood institution or a home for the elderly. When Ms Holness approached me, I was happy to help. My team was eager as well,” said Stewart.

With classes having resumed the principal, beaming from ear to ear, is full of gratitude.

“We are grateful for the assistance from JN Life Insurance and NORTAS. It means our students can now resume learning in a comfortable environment. We didn’t want to start school without a roof or under conditions not ideal for learning. Words cannot express our gratitude,” declared Clarke.

Post-Melissa impact assessments conducted by the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) indicate that 466 of the island’s 2,420 early childhood institutions were affected by the hurricane, representing significant disruption across all regions.

According to the ECC, the impact varied in severity, with 175 institutions experiencing mild damage, 159 moderate damage, and 132 severe damage.

A total of 55 certified institutions were among those affected, while 28 institutions were rendered temporarily inaccessible due to flooding, debris, or infrastructure damage.

The ECC has reported overall, the disruption affected approximately 24,058 infants and 2,305 early childhood practitioners, with the most significant concentration of impact recorded in regions 3, 4, and 5.

Notwithstanding these challenges, the ECC has reported that recovery across the sector has advanced significantly. The ECC said at the end of January 2,399 of the island’s 2,420 early childhood institutions had been reopened, representing approximately 99.1 per cent of all ECIs.

“Hurricane Melissa tested the resilience of our early childhood sector, but it also highlighted the strength of our systems and the unwavering dedication of our practitioners,” said Dr Karlene DeGrasse-Deslandes, executive director of the ECC.

“Our priority remains ensuring that every child returns to a safe, nurturing, and emotionally supportive environment, while we deliberately rebuild and strengthen services across affected communities,” added DeGrasse-Deslandes.

Ariel Garriques, individual life administrator, JN Life Insurance, drills screws into a dry wall as Shamoy Martin, sales support officer, JN Life Insurance, watches during the refurbishing of Tidy Tots Educare in Black River, St Elizabeth.