Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting up with a group of Early Childhood Educators from Seneca College and Humber College in Ontario. The reason I met with them is a wonderful coincidence: my sister is in her final year of an ECE program at Algonquin College and as part of this program, she was placed at the daycare centre at Carleton University. Her supervisor, Kate, and her were one day discussing my work here in Jamaican and Kate mentioned that her sister Terry Kelly heads down to Jamaica every year as part of a cultural and educational exchange with the country’s educators. I visited the group last week as they engaged in workshops with up to 200 Jamaican educators.

Called Students Crossing Borders (a non-profit organization), this trip was first made 22 years ago by Lynn Caruso. It has since flourished into an experience that includes knowledge-sharing, service work and cultural exchanges. In addition, SBC aims to facilitate partner schools in Jamaica to shift towards the North American model of focusing on the early years in terms of education. The last couple years, SBC has hosted a professional development symposium. “We have had such a great reaction,” says Seneca College professor Terry Kelly.

Dr. Christine Stennett, a Development Officer with Jamaica’s Early Childhood Commission (a division on the Ministry of Education), says the experience with SBC is a wonderful experience for many reasons. “It is amazing,” she says. “It is a very rich and good cultural exchange, and we have found commonalities. In a lot of ways, we don’t differ, but in terms of expression of (early childhood educating practices) we do differ. People are hungry for knowledge.”

They are also hungry for resources and support. (The following information is based on what I have observed, and does not reflect the opinions of SBC or the Ministry). Jamaica’s teachers receive a salary of about $4,000 per month (or about $50US). In many primary schools, (called basic schools) the facilities are severely lacking. The school is often one room, however, there are usually two or more different teachers with different age groups. So without any kind of divider or wall to block noise from the other groups, the teacher has to compete with the din from the other children. There are often no fans, little in the way of teaching materials, no facilities to cook lunch and the school is often in a remote location, so children have to rise extremely early. But the teachers are dedicated and resilient and often, the community rallies behind them with fundraisers and other forms of support. The teachers are often young women who could have chosen another more lucrative profession.

“We all want the same things for our children,” says Terry Kelly. Workshop topics included Cognitive, Emotional and Social Development, Parenting, Infant Mental Health, Literacy and Writing, the Internet, Physical Disabilities and Autism. In addition to professional development, the group of 25 SBC participants did service work in Riverton (where SBC links with Mr. Junior Rowe, the unofficial mayor) and at the basic school in Jerusalem. Some were brought to tears by the conditions in these communities, where children must contend with things unimaginable for children in Ontario. For example, they must stay away from the known criminals, as well as the crocodiles that live in the community of Riverton (one child said the key to escaping a crocodile is to run around in circles since they cannot make a sharp turn.)

By all accounts, the SBC participants had a fulfilling trip here and a valuable cultural and educational exchange occurred with their Jamaican counterparts. I write about this topic today on Mother’s Day, which makes it especially meaningful. Most Early Childhood Educators are women and mothers, people dedicated to protecting and nurturing a nation’s youth. Happy Mother’s Day!