Week 3 Blog
Assignment - EDUC - 2
Joanne Erina Lynch
Professor: Dr. Lisset
Bird - Pickens
Date: Saturday 25th
May, 2013
This is an example of the effect on a
pilot project conducted by the Early Childhood Health Outreach (ECHO) that
involved families and children in the community of Calliaqua, a small town that
is located in the parish of St George, on the island of St Vincent and the
Grenadines.
In particular, the Ministry of
Health, Wellness, and the Environment joined in partnership with the Caribbean
Child Support Initiative (CCS); United Nations International Children Education
Fund (UNICEF); Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); and support from
Bernard Van Leer Foundation (BVLF), to converge the Early Childhood Health
Organization (ECHO) concepts into the Primary Health Care System for children
at risk (0-3), by establishing a two-year pilot project in the Calliaqua health district, with a view
of institutionalizing the Roving Caregivers Programme which was conducted in
2006, by extending its reach in a national context. Evidently, the Calliaqua
health district was identified because of the following indicators: A very high
level of poverty; the Roving Caregivers' Program was not existing in the
community of Calliaqua; the unavailability of day care centers; and high
migrant activities.
At the final stage of the pilot
project, the children who were involved received stimulation, which placed them
on an even platform. For this reason, when they entered pre and primary
schools, they were well prepared and would have reached their developmental
milestones. Children were assisted in areas of health, education, and social
development by their parents, since they were empowered to do so. More importantly,
the Early Childhood Health Outreach (ECHO) has a mission which provide
non-formal early childhood intervention services to disadvantaged communities
for families with children from birth to three years (0-3 years), to realize
the immediate and long-term benefits of good quality early childhood
development experiences.
Reference
Early childhood health outreach.
Retrieved from
http://www.health.gov.vc/index.php?option=com-content&view
Joanna,
ReplyDeleteI was interested in reading the research you discussed. I wonder what kind of interventions the program offered for the children to help them reach their developmental milestones. Working in a Title 1 school, I have kindergarteners that are developmentally behind which affect them academically. I'd love to hear more about how ECHO made such a positive impact in Calliaqua. Thank you for sharing your findings!
Jessica Gleadall