KINGSTON, Jamaica — Students attending three early childhood institutions in Portland, Trelawny and St Catherine benefited from free health checks recently during the Sagicor Foundation’s three-day health tour for its adopted schools.

The health tour, which was held between April 6 to 8, saw students at John Anglin Basic School in Warsop, Trelawny; Bermaddy Basic School in Linstead, St Catherine; and Charles Town Basic School in Charles Town, Portland, having their vision, hearing and oxygen saturation levels screened.

Michelle-Ann Letman, corporate social responsibility manager, Sagicor Foundation, noted that while the primary objective of Sagicor’s Adopt-A-School programme is to support children’s education by improving their learning environments, health is an equally important area of focus.

“The annual health tour remains a crucial part of our engagement with our adopted basic schools, because health plays such an important role in the learning process,” Letman said. “Our children in early childhood facilities are at a critical stage in their physical development, and it is important to spot any irregularities in their sensory or vital organs, so they can be corrected early.”

A combined total of over 60 students each had the opportunity to board the Sagicor Wellness bus, on which friendly nurses guided them through a series of fun and interactive check-ups. Representatives from Sagicor’s Life, Bank and Investments branches in the various parishes also visited the schools and presented the students with goody bags on behalf of the Sagicor Foundation.

The three schools under this year’s Adopt-A-School programme were selected from a pool of over 100 nominations to benefit from major infrastructural upgrades, thereby improving their rankings with the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) and positively impacting the communities in which they are based.

The Sligoville Early Childhood Development Centre in St Catherine, Beeston Spring Early Childhood Institution in Westmoreland, and Cornwall Gardens Basic School in St James, were renovated by the Sagicor Foundation last year to the tune of over $20 million.