June 2014
Eighteen hard-working Jamaican ECEs are now back home in Kingston, Jamaica.
As I reflect on their nine days of sharing, touring, learning,
and play, I am warm in the heart. The
group consisting of Basic School, Preparatory School, and Day Care practitioners
brought a wealth of knowledge and faith and passion to Canada. They also home-made food and treats to
share. This tells me that in addition to
all the other fundraising, and trip preparation, they were also shopping and
cooking before they came to Canada; most for the first time.
Under the leadership of Dr.
Christine Stennett of Jamaica’s
Early Childhood Commission and ongoing Students
Crossing Borders Jamaican co-director, Mr. Junior Rowe, the team came with
goals to further the knowledge and understanding of early learning and care
environments that are play-based and revolve around inquiry and the view of the
child as more than an empty vessel. This project is the manifestation of the work and vision of Students Crossing Borders' founder Fintan Kilbride and his successor, the late Lynn Caruso. http://studentscrossingborders.ca/
Community organizations in the GTA generously opened their
doors, gave their time, and shared their experience with our visitors. Many thanks go to the following:
Family Day Care
Services for sharing the expertise, time, and kindness of Lisa Shortall,
Vilma Raymundo and her team, Diane Daley, and for and informative morning and
lunch discussion at the wonderful Don Valley Ontario Early Years Centre. http://familydaycare.com/
Humber College School
of ECE, especially Marsha Barrett, Laura Oyama, Alison Hughes, Bernadette
Summers, Trudy Ruf, and their Jamaican Canadian students. The insights from those who know both cultures was invaluable. The Humber group were also instrumental in organizing the trip, but hosted a full day of knowledge
exchange between Jamaica and Canada. We
also need to thank the staff of the
Humber College Lab Schools for their generosity of spirit and time. The Jamaicans were still talking about what
they learned through discussions from you.
Macaulay Child
Development Centre who generously shared the time and expertise of Lorraine
Kirlew MTAH is now on FACEBOOK so LIKE
us www.facebook.com/MoreThanAHaircut http://www.morethanahaircut.ca/ and her colleague Anthony Peculiar Davis. They
presented and led a discussion around the innovative More Than a Haircut
Barbershop Project of the Afro Caribbean Fathers of the Eglinton West
neighbourhood. Marsha Barrett arranged
this event with Seneca College and the Jamaican team. Many of the group said they’d be taking back
fresh thinking around fathers and their roles.
The Hincks Dellcrest
Team, including Rochelle Fine, Ramani Jayakumar, Andrew McDowell Reesor, Grace
Lockwood, who shared a view to the value of family programs, the Toy Caravan, and
the wonderful Learning Through Play theory and resources.
Upper Canada Child
Care’s Ashton Meadows Child Care Centre team led by Colleen Pakkadis, and
Tammy Nucci. The group was truly
inspired by your rich and natural early learning environment. Your staff modelled best practice, and the
environment truly was the third teacher. A special thank you to Rahila Iqbal and to Darlene Nantarath. Their explanations and modelling really
helped deepen the understanding of the application of play-based learning. They brought theory to life!
School Photo: yrdsb.ca
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The York Region
District School Board, represented by Sandra Sanz. The Jamaican teachers were intrigued by the Ashton Meadows Public School Full Day
Kindergarten classrooms and evidence of purposeful play in action. Thank you to the Kindergarten teaching teams
who allowed us into their space.
G98.7 FM Radio
Station, especially Fitzroy Gordon Founder, President, CEO & Station
Manager, and Nicola Harris for featuring the work and trip of the Jamaican ECEs
and sharing their work with the community.
So warm! Dr. Stennett sounded
like such a media pro in her interview!
June Williams and the
Seneca Lab School Team who let our large group wander and wonder about the
lovely and intriguing environment. The
Jamaicans were really feeling moved to re-purpose simple items to make their
classrooms and outdoor areas richer with the simple materials you
modelled.
The Seneca College
School of ECE, especially Mary Fisher, Amy Shotbolt, Jo Blay, Josephine
Umuhaya Muhoza, Kathrina Lalog, Jennifer
Sabitini, Sharon Quan-McGimpsey, Tracy
Cunningham, Nancy Cannon, Patricia Robertson, Gail Nisker, Cindy Smith, Jinder Virdee, Lynne Besner,
Cindy Smith Valenti, my ECA330CO class, and my ECA304 classes, and dear Bernie Dinnard-Williams from the Lab School! These wonderful people helped with
fundraising, advice, sharing space, carting things back and forth, supporting the Jamaican Cultural Sharing
Night Event, and many other thoughtful gestures.
Toronto Catholic
Children’s Aid, especially Nicola Wheatle, and Jennifer Brown. They did air port pick-ups, shopping trips,
resource sharing and brought welcome baskets and chicken foot soup!
Kids Come First Child
Care staff for all their cooking and hard work and coming out and singing! http://www.kidscomefirstccc.ca/
Students Crossing
Borders members and supporters, including Bernadette Hart and her family,
Fariba Langaroodi and her family, Dr. Clive Forrester, Sara McEwen, Michelle
Pegler and Braydon Campeau, Kim Martyn, Farnoosh Droodgar and her family,
Caitlin Wood, Rima Dib, Susan Snyder, Kathy Boelsma, Elaine and Paul Forrester, Barb Culbert, Rose
and Katelyn Forgione, Ricardo Thomas, Shawn Patterson, Nikita Kaarls-Edwards
and Melyssa, Megan Shotbolt, Terry Wilson, my family; Evelyn Harrison and Mary
Beth Kelly all added to the planning, moral, professional, and financial
support of this professional development project. Thanks also to those who provided sweaters and jackets to keep the Jamaicans warm.
The Jamaican Team,
for reminding us all about passion, joy, faith, hard work, music, dance,
colour, kindness in our work and in our play. Colette Allen, Jenneta Brown,
Shari-Kay Boyd, Petagay Hamilton, Arlene Latibeaudiere, Rosemarie Lewis, Shani-Lee Small- Murray, Jermena Nelson, Wilma
Reid, Junior Rowe, Nordia Brown-Riley, Nicole Vassell-Salmon, Christine Stennett, Angela Bowen Stewart, Salome Swearing , Mervie Walker, Hillary
Whittick, Rochelle Williams, Charmaine Williams.
As special thanks goes to our partner in Jamaica, Mr. Mark McFarlane who was unable to
come with the group this time. We missed seeing you my friend. Thank you for your ongoing help with our
projects on your end. Our partners here missed getting to meet with and thank
you in person.
