THIRTEEN women have completed a course in Childcare Management run by the Guyana Association of Professional Social Workers (GAPSW).The Childcare Management course, like the Care for the Elderly programme, was launched as a co-ordinated effort between GAPSW and the Women’s Outreach Programme of the Adult Education Association in 1996. The course came at a time when the GAPSW saw the need to launch a programme for child caregivers.

According to facilitator Christine King, at some stage of the programme, a number of trained social workers came together and produced a manual which they felt would be a useful reference tool for the work of the participants after they would have concluded their training. The manual was also recommended for use on the course.

“Over the years, the Childcare Management course has produced over 500 graduates. Like many of the care professions — teaching, nursing, and social work -– the majority of participants are women,” King said.

She said that a number of graduates have either established their own play schools or day care centers, or are caregivers at such facilities. Mrs. Marilyn Green already had her facility when she enrolled for the course, while Ms. Marcia Smith founded Gifted Hands after completing the programme.

Duration of the course was approximately three months, with ninety-minute lectures on Mondays and Fridays. Some sessions were held on Wednesdays to ensure that all the areas were fully covered.

The main focus of the course was to enable students to gain an understanding of various aspects of Child Care. Problems encountered in the child care environment were examined, and students were exposed to developing the skills needed to deal with those problems.

“Many of the students are employed and were not allowed more than one day’s release from work. Thus they were only exposed to a half-day observation visit at the Gifted Hands learning center for special needs children and Green Acres play school, while other students visited both facilities and were very impressed with the services offered and experience shared,” the facilitator said.

The final course activity was a multiple choice examination with questions drawn from all areas discussed in the classroom.

Apart from three students who were unsuccessful, the general performance of students on this course was good.

She stressed that, unlike a few of the other classes, the students quickly established a bond and supported each other throughout the period. They participated well in class discussions, and even shared personal experiences and other issues relative to the subject areas covered in class.

The graduates are now equipped at an elementary level to practise the skills and techniques to act as child care workers, and identify causal factors for the emotional and behavioural problems of children in their care.