Saturday, 25 May 2013




Week 3 Blog Assignment - EDUC - 2


Research that Benefits Children and Families - Uplifting Stories

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

 

 

 

1 comment:

  1. Joanna,
    I 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

    ReplyDelete