THE 2021 evidence-based Jamaica Education Transformation Commission Report and its recommendations for the early childhood sector have focused the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) on a strategic, comprehensive approach.

This prioritises institutional strengthening and capacity-building from the ECC through to early childhood centres; use of research and data to drive evidence-based interventions and garner public support; improving the services for children with disabilities through early identification and referral, and the expansion of inclusive environments. It also focuses on the rationalisation of provision of centre-based services, including converting community-run basic schools into fully government-owned and -operated infant schools or departments, and the provision of high-quality parent support services.

How has Jamaica been doing? This piece allows us to highlight a few notable advances and a major challenge.

First, a strong foundation for home-school partnerships is being crafted using the evidence-based, locally developed Irie Toolbox, which includes the Irie Classroom component that focuses on an emotionally supportive, non-violent classroom, and the Irie Homes component that focuses on promoting positive parenting and reducing violence against young children in their homes. This is being done through a partnership between the developers Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR), The University of the West Indies (The UWI), the ECC, and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (See irietoolbox.com)

Second, the Jamaica School Readiness Assessment (JSRA) evaluation, developed in 2014 and funded by UNICEF, was successfully administered by the ECC in 2022 after a three-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This will allow us to get back on track with identifying children who have additional needs and providing the necessary support.

Additionally, a comparison of pre- and post-COVID-19 readiness data will allow us to evaluate learning loss as a result of COVID-19 and develop evidence-based strategies targeted to those young children who were most impacted by COVID-19 and who need intervention services the most. This is part of a broader early screening, identification, and referral pathway now being finalised to include transition to grade 1 that begins with the Child Heath Development Passport (CHDP) — a monitoring and screening tool provided to all parents at the birth of their children since 2010. Both are supported by UNICEF.

Third, in 2022 the ECC produced a publication that demonstrated the status of early childhood centres relative to the internationally comparable legal and comprehensive standards established in 2005 and first implemented in 2008. The first round of legal inspections of over 2,000 centres took almost three years.

In 2022 some 12 per cent of early childhood centres (282) met 100 per cent of the comprehensive operational standards; 10 per cent of centres (241) met between 70 and 99 per cent; and 26 per cent (609) met between 50 and 69 per cent of the standards. There has been definite progress in the quality of early childhood centres since the standards were implemented (16 centres met 100 per cent of standards in 2016), and this with limited increases in investment.

The Challenge

Despite high preschool attendance (97 per cent), according to a 2021 public expenditure review conducted by UNICEF and the World Bank, Jamaica’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) per-student expenditure (seven per cent gross domestic product per capita) is comparatively low regionally and globally. Data from the 2011 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) reveal that 11 per cent of Jamaican three-year-olds are not adequately developed and there is inequity and 21 per cent from the poorest households are at increased risk of experiencing developmental delay against only three per cent from wealthiest families. Also, according to the 2015 JSRA report of the phase 1 pilot in Westmoreland, 43 per cent of four-year-olds show “a developmental, behavioural, or academic challenge that impacts school readiness”.

While there has been progress in ECD quality at centres and in other initiatives, progress has been slow. Greater investment in the early childhood sector is necessary if we are to fast-track quality early childhood development, rapidly increase academic performance, and reduce crime and violence in our society.

Every moment matters

The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are a once in a lifetime chance to shape their future. Why? Because their brains grow at a speed never repeated in life.

This simple statement encapsulates the goal of UNICEF’s global early childhood programming and reflects the critical role ECD plays in the development of individuals and nations.

Quality early childhood development matters to all of us. Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman showed that every US$1 invested in quality early childhood programmes can yield returns of up to US$16. This occurs partly through higher academic performance and greater educational attainment. However, less well known is that the greatest impact of ECD is the reduction of crime and violence. Failing to give children the best start in life perpetuates cycles of social, educational, and financial poverty that cross generations, causing instability in our societies.

We know that children’s brains are built as they interact with their environments, and in the first few years of life more than one million neural connections are formed each second. The quality of a child’s early experiences is key. Good, quality experiences provide strong foundations for their behaviour, learning, and overall health and well-being.

We also know that all children have the right to achieve their full potential. In order to achieve this, children need to feel safe, secure, and protected from violence; have access to quality health care and nutrition; and have opportunities for early learning and responsive care. Responsive, loving, and stimulating care is critical to brain development. This is facilitated by a child-centred focus on responsiveness through playing, singing, talking, and other activities initiated by stable, significant adults. Play with children is a cost-effective way to stimulate their brains and get those neural connections formed. Anyone can play, anywhere, any time, and the benefits are massive.

Jamaica is well recognised as a regional leader in ECD, with high levels of access to early childhood centres and a strong legal and policy framework. There is strong political bipartisan awareness of and support for ECD. Since its establishment by an Act of Parliament in 2003, the Early Childhood Commission has reported regularly to partners and the Ministry of Education on successive five-year, performance-based, national strategic plans. These plans focus on the core development areas of parenting; health; early screening, identification and referral; safe, learner-centred early childhood centres based on national operational standards; a play-based curriculum; and teacher training.

Jamaica is building out its First 1,000 Days Strategy, focused on children 0-2 years, and is also finalising its ECD policy with support from UNICEF that emphasises the transition to grade 1 and socio-emotional learning.

Attendance at early childhood centres is largely financed by families. Community/church-operated schools and private kindergartens account for about 80 per cent of children enrolled. However, even though families cover most costs, there is often insufficient overall parental participation.

Dramatic differences in teacher qualifications and available resources exist between privately funded early childhood centres that charge higher fees and those that are community operated, highlighting inequity in the early childhood sector.

Maureen Samms-Vaughan is professor of child health, child development and behaviour at The University of the West Indies and was a member of the Education Transformation Commission and inaugural chair of the Early Childhood Commission.

Dr Rebecca Tortello is the education specialist at UNICEF, a member of the Education Transformation Oversight Committee, and a former commissioner on the Early Childhood Commission (ECC).

Send feedback to maureen.sammsvaughan@uwimona.edu.jm and rtortello@unicef.org