The Caribbean Child Support Initiative has embarked on the

Caribbean Child Support Initiative June 2007







CCSI Embarks on Phase 2

of its programming

New Phase



T he Caribbean Child Support Initiative has embarked on the 2nd five year phase of its programming

(2007-2011) with continued funding from the Bernard Van Leer Foundation (BvLF) and administrative

and management oversight from the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD)



Phase 2 of the CCSI seeks to consolidate experiences garnered from Phase 1 while exploring new modalities

for achieving the programme purpose of strengthening the care environment for children up to age three by

promoting stimulating and interactive parenting styles in four Eastern Caribbean countries.



PROGRAMME

IMPLEMENTATION WILL

BE GUIDED BY THREE

CORE ELEMENTS:

(1) Family and Community

Interventions,

(2) Knowledge Building and

Application

(3) Policy Advocacy and

Communications.

At the field level, this will

mean continued replication

of the Roving Caregivers

Programme (RCP) with the

addition of new family and

community intervention models

to include Family Learning and

Maternal Infant Child Health

programmes.



Continued on Page 3

New Staff New Focus





D ocumentation and Communication now have an integral

position and role within the CCSI. Effective April 1, 2007, Mrs.

Colleen Wint-Smith, came on board with the CCSI as Documentation

and Communications Officer (DCO). Mrs. Wint-Smith previously

coordinated CCSI’s pilot Regional Radio Project, and was Project

Coordinator with Parenting Partners Caribbean. She holds a Masters

in Media from the New School and BSc. Social Administration,

University of the West Indies.





With research being such a critical component of the CCSI’s thrust

to inform programme development and assessment, as well as

policy formulation and public education, Mrs. Janet Brown has been

engaged by the CCSI as the Coordinator for the Learning Community.

Mrs. Brown - a Social Worker by profession and formerly the Tutor-

Coordinator at the Caribbean Child Development Centre, School of

Continuing Studies at the University of the West Indies - has been

engaged in many research projects and initiatives in the region.









Susan Branker-Lashley (L), Programme Mrs. Coleen Wint-Smith Mrs. Janet Brown

Director of the Caribbean Child Support Documentation and Communications Coordinator for the Learning

Initiative- Officer Community

Chatting with parents at a recent parent

meeting in Castle Bruce, Dominica.

2

Continued from Page 1 - Enhanced the awareness about children’s issues

among various stakeholders





A learning community programme has been

established with an informal network of

researchers studying selected aspects of Caribbean

families and their childrearing practices with special Undoubtedly, while much has been achieved under

focus on the early years. the first phase of the CCSI programming, over

This programme will continue to serve as a conduit the coming years, the programme will invite for

for knowledge building and application throughout strengthening of existing partners and the forging of

the region and will seek to influence public opinion, new ones.

extend the knowledge base of practitioners and

provide a platform for the research community to The programme will continue to be guided by

share relevant data. wide consultation, participatory planning and the

Together with its regional partners, the CCSI will engagement of stakeholders in implementation.

focus increased attention on the need for advocacy

particularly as it relates to increased policy formulation Ongoing assessment, monitoring and evaluation

and implementation for increased resources and will continue to be at the corner-stone of our efforts

attention to the early childhood development sector. to demonstrate measurable outputs, impact and

Crucial to the various advocacy related activities outcomes for parents and children in the Caribbean

will be the implementation of a cross-cutting region.

communications strategy. The communications

strategy will allow for the documentation and

dissemination of key messages derived from both

the field interventions and the knowledge building Knowledge

and application activities. Building Family and

The CCSI programme will therefore be working and Strengthening the

Community

towards a number of short and medium term Application Care Environment Interventions

outcomes for children and their parents, in particular,

the programme will seek to encourage parents to Policy Advocacy

adopt a more interactive style of care which leads to and

improved cognitive and social development among Communications

children growing up in disadvantaged situations.



LONG TERM



Similarly, from a long-term perspective, the

programme would have impacted on the following:



- Expansion of coverage for birth to three year old

children

- Improved (quality) service delivery

- Influenced policy makers about Early Childhood

Matters 3

Family Literacy and children - or more broadly - adults and children

- learning together. Also known as intergenerational



A Caribbean version of family literacy is being

developed by the Caribbean Child Support

Initiative in two project countries. However, the CCSI

literacy, and in some cases, community literacy, the

rationale underlying such work is that caregivers (and

adults in communities) are children’s first teachers;

refers to it as FAMILY LEARNING and has engaged that much learning occurs beyond traditional school

a consultant, Dr. Joanie Cohen-Mitchell, to spearhead settings, and that learning is a life long process.

the development of the Family learning programme,

FLP. CCSI is supporting the start-up and piloting of The best way then to think about literacy in any

two stand-alone Family Learning Programmes in St. community is in terms of literacy activities or literacy

Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines based on tasks. All of us engage in some form of literacy tasks

their existing capacity and level of readiness. The – in our daily lives to help adults and children get

other two RCP pilot countries, Grenada and Dominica, things done, in the home, in the community, at work.

will benefit from the family learning extensions to Children bring home books from school and written

the RCP as well as regional training, materials and communications from their teachers, parents are

curriculum development. expected to help their children with homework. Health

clinics require parents to keep track of children’s

So, what exactly is Family Learning? Dr. Cohen- health records. Instructions for medicines are often

Mitchell developed a concept paper in preparation written on the bottle or packet. In farming, pesticides

for consultations with stakeholders in St. Lucia and and fertilizers have critical safety information written

St. Vincent in May. Excerpts from it are reproduced on the containers. Being able to read can mean saving

here. a life. More and more messages of modern society are

Background: Literacy as a social, situated practice being written rather than spoken (e.g. text messaging

Literacy is part of communication in our daily lives. etc.). We engage in some literacy tasks very easily,

Communication can be in many forms - visual (i.e. because we are used to them and feel confident about

using signs and symbols or color schemes), non- them; we engage in others with a feeling of being

verbal (i.e. using signs we may make with our hands uncomfortable and frequently get other persons to

or other parts of our bodies), oral (using speech), or help us. Family members need to be able to help and

literate (i.e. using written texts of some kind or other). teach each other in order to survive in the fast paced

Many forms of communication combine different world.

elements . Many people assum e that family literacy focuses solely

All of us engage in communication every day of life. on teaching young children and preparing them for

And all of us, including non-literate persons, engage school. But children are not the only family members

in some form of literate communication frequently. who need to make use of literacy and numeracy skills

Non-literate people, like others, use texts; they receive and schools are not the only place where reading and

or send textual communications, they fill in forms, writing are used. Therefore, to understand family

they pay bills. Although they may receive assistance literacy, we must look at how every family member

with writing or reading, they are not excluded from uses (or needs to use) reading, writing, numeracy

literate communication, although the scope of their and communication to accomplish everyday tasks.

communication can be limited. Additionally, the ethnic, racial, and cultural heritages

of families are reflected in the literacy activities in

Literacy, then, is what we call a social practice and a which they engage, especially during special events

“situated’ activity - that is, it is an activity which takes such as births, deaths, and marriages.

place in a particular place at a particular time for a Family literacy is an important concept because the

particular purpose. There are many different kinds of formal content of modern schools often ignores and

literacies, just as there are many different contexts in may not always support the learning that takes place

which literacy tasks take place (e.g. computer literacy, within the home and the community. Family literacy

financial literacy etc.). encourages all community members – teachers,

Family and Community Literacy parents and children- to better understand the needs

Family literacy is a term used to describe parents Continued on Page 5 4

Continued from Page 4 family and a community. Programmes that meet at

least two times a week for a minimum of three hours

each week seems to show higher success rates.

What is a family literacy programme?

Family Literacy programmes are driven by Family literacy programmes integrate all or most

comprehensive, holistic approaches to education in of the following activities:

which family and community members learn and

grow together. Family Literacy programmes address • Interactive literacy and learning activities for parents

the literacy strengths and needs of the family and and their children

community while promoting adults’ involvement in

children’s education, recognizing adults as a powerful •Education for parents in facilitating children’s

influence on children’s future academic success. learning and becoming full partners in their children’s

Family literacy programmes also recognize the education

reciprocal nature of parent-child relationships. Well •Parent literacy training that leads to economic self-

designed programmes provide both adult-initiated and sufficiency and meets adults’ stated goals for using

child-initiated activities literacy and numeracy skills

to support development Early •Age-appropriate education to support

of those relationships and Childhood Adult children’s learning and prepare them

to increase the motivation Development/ Education/

for future success in school and life

to learn for both adult Stimulation FAMILY Literacy

experiences

and child. Opportunities

for community- based •Opportunities to support parents in

Parenting

literacy-based activities for Support their interactions with the school and

all family members also community

feature in programmes that •Community-based literacy activities for children

enjoy success in achieving their goals and sustaining and adults

themselves.

And finally, clear outcomes, ongoing assessment

Four types of structured learning opportunities are (participant gains both qualitative and quantitative)

assumed to occur in family literacy programs: and programme evaluation are critical components to

1) Learning opportunities designed to improve the understanding how and why participants’ lives will be

adult’s literacy and numeracy development; changed as a result of their participation in a family

literacy programme.

2) Learning designed to benefit the child’s literacy,

numeracy and overall development;

3) Learning to help with family management and life

skills (e.g. self-sufficiency outcomes); and

4) Learning opportunities to strengthen family

learning and community-based learning (e.g.

communication skills, parenting skills, school-family

communication).

Family literacy programmes that have been able to

document learning gains and behavioral changes Dr. Joanie Cohen-Mitchell,

among participants provide services that are of Consultant for the Family Learning

sufficient intensity in terms of hours, and of sufficient Programme, introducing the concept of

duration, in order to make sustainable changes in a Family learning to stakeholders in St. Lucia

and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. 5

RESEARCHERS to form a LEARNING COMMUNITY



Researchers with a focus on Caribbean families and child-rearing practices will have the opportunity to

become a part of informal working networks, or a Learning Community, which is one of the pivotal activities

of the Caribbean Child Support Initiative over the next five years.



Creating this Learning Community is ultimately to enlighten those responsible for early childhood policies and

practices and is substantially informed by the literature review and CCSI’s Caribbean Child-Rearing Practices

meeting held in Dominica in May 2006. The Learning Community will draw on experience and knowledge

of regional research colleagues who will designate four primary areas of research focus for specific attention

between 2007 and 2011.



Coordinated by Mrs. Janet Brown, the objectives of the Learning Community include:

1. Upgrading knowledge on Early Childhood development and parenting-related issues;

2. Raising awareness of policy makers and practitioners and larger public;

3. Documenting and giving access to regional practices and research findings;

4. Creating opportunities for advocacy; and

5. Documenting and communicating findings.





The research progress and findings of these networks will be shared annually in a “Learning Event” which

will recommend how such findings can most effectively inform programme development and assessment, as

well as policy formulation and public education.









Researchers, Dr. Carol Logie (L),

University of the West Indies

(St. Augustine) and Dr. Maureen

Samms-Vaughan (R), UWI, (Mona)

sharing ideas at a recent Think-Tank

convened by the CCSI’s Learning

Community to consider and select

the topics for the four annual CCSI

researcher’s “Learning Events.”

Fourteen (14) Caribbean-based

researchers attended the Think Tank

in Kingston, Jamaica, in March 2007









6

Mr. Huub Schreurs (L) Senior Programme Officer,

Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF) and Mrs.

Ruth Phillips-Fevrierre (R ), Coordinator of

the St. Lucia Roving Caregivers Programme,

discuss FAMILY LEARNING AND EARLY

CHILDHOOD issues after a meeting with

stakeholders in St. Lucia in February 2007.

Central to the discussion was the expansion of

the home visiting programme, Roving Caregivers

Programme (RCP) to include a Family Learning

component. “Underpinning and informing

these interventions,” stated Mr. Schreurs, “will

be research on key aspects of child and family

development, as well as communications and

advocacy on policy development in these areas.”

The RCP in St. Lucia is managed by the Early

Childhood Unit of the Ministry of Education and

Culture.









INTERNS CONTINUE TO ASSIST •Contributing to research, documentation,

PROJECTS. communication and advocacy programmes to

inform best practices and policy directions



S ixteen (16) of an estimated thirty (30) Caribbean

students for this year have already been placed

in CCSI projects through the Caribbean Internship

•Contributing to Caribbean integration with

students experiencing and sharing their way of life

and culture with their Caribbean counterparts

Project (CIP). The CIP is a partnership between the

CCSI and the Centre for Population Community Project Coordinator of the CIP is Mrs. Aldene

and Social Change (CPCSC) at the University of Shillingford and can be contacted at

the West Indies (UWI) Mona. csicip@uwimona.edu.jm



By matching students from various departments

of regional universities with those of parenting

support and early childhood development agencies

in Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent &

the Grenadines (CCSI’s project countries), the CIP

is able to support and impact CCSI’s strategies of

work with its partner agencies in the region.

Some benefits of the CIP include:

•Assisting those regional territories in the delivery

of social services and in building the capacity of

local organisations

Education, Communications and Social Work

•Enhancing student learning of theories and practice

students from the University of the West Indies and

skills University of Belize are selected for placement with

projects 7

For the CCSI’s Family Learning Project , the objectives are to:



•Deliver a multi-dimensional, integrated programme of child stimulation, early language development and

parent education through family learning home visits to targeted families.

•Equip parents with the knowledge and skills to support the emergent literacy development of their children.

•Increase the quality and quantity of time parents spend reading, writing, talking, playing and listening to

their children.

•Encourage language development and learning in the home and the community.

•Increase use of literacy skills by parents to meet daily life needs.

•Conduct research to better understand approaches to family literacy interventions in the Caribbean and

measure the outcomes of the interventions for children and their parents.

•Document thoroughly the process and products of the family literacy programme so that it may be

replicated in other Caribbean contexts.

•Mentor local resource persons in FLP methodologies









Caribbean Child Support Initiative

1st Floor, Weymouth Corporate Centre

Roebuck Street,

St Michael BB 11080

Barbados, WI



Tel: (246) 427- 8535-6

FAX: (246) 436-1709

Email: infor@csinews.org

www.cisnews.org





Supported by the Bernard Van Leer Foundation (BvLF)