–in quest to awaken love for books from infancy

GUYANA’S first-ever ‘Back to basics: Toddler Reading Programme’ was launched Tuesday at the East La Penitence Health Centre, and from there it will be taken to 361 other health centres across the country.

The new programme is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Social Protection’s Child Care Protection Agency, the Ministry of Public Health’s Maternal and Child Health Unit, and the National Library.

According to Minister of Social Protection, Ms Amna Ally, schools and moreso parents have a crucial role to play in the development of children from young.
She said that studies have shown that babies begin absorbing language while still in the womb, and that sensory and brain mechanisms for hearing are developed since the foetus is just 30 weeks old.

In the circumstances, she feels that it is of utmost importance for parents or guardians to understand that they have the strongest influence over their children from birth to five years old, and that reading to their toddlers is a powerful learning tool.
“It increases a child’s attention span and the parents’ own cognitive ability, Minister Ally said, adding:

“It facilitates the development of their growing brain; it sparks their interest, and grows towards a life-long passion for reading and good literature.”
She said, too, that as parents read to their children, although that toddler may not be able to understand everything they are saying, they are able to listen to sounds and eventually make the connection between words and pictures.

“We are in a knowledge-based era where we have access to critical, scientific research and information on toddlers’ development,” Minister Ally said.
“We have to act; we have to share the knowledge and promote it in the most effective manner possible, so that we can have maximum gains of facilitating the development of our young minds.”

She also made the point that an educated population is essential to a nation’s prosperity, and that the government is hopeful that parents will understand the importance of the project.

“If we as a nation are to realise the dreams of becoming an educated nation, we must ensure that we invest in our valuable human resources, as young as they may be,” Minister Ally said, adding:

“This government is committed to working to ensure that all Guyanese achieve economic prosperity and not poverty; a sense of self-worth and dignity and not self-pity.”

ACCESS TO BOOKS
As Chief Librarian Ms Emiley King observed,through partnership with the National Library, parents will have access to books and resources which support learning and early literacy in children.

“When our team learnt of the programme, we contacted the Child Care and Protection Agency to become a stakeholder in this initiative,” she said.
“In this venture, the National Library will become an active connector as we join with other stakeholders in assisting parents to be their children’s first teachers.”

Also enthused by the programme was Early Childhood Development (ECD) Chief Executive Officer, Ms Lavern Thorne, in that its objective is to promote reading as an enjoyable activity for both toddlers and their parents.
“We have to go back to that stage where our children are put on our laps, and they’re having that engagement time with us,” Ms Thorne said.

“We want to set the foundation for them that when they get to Nursery School, they are ready, because we would have done our parts as parents to help them.”
At yesterday’s launch, books were handed out to all the parents that were there with their toddlers, and the story-telling session with staff of the National Library was a huge hit with the children.

Encouraging parents to take good care of the books they were given and to be careful to return those that they borrowed from the library was Adolescent Health Coordinator at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Oneka Scott.

She noted how pleased the Ministry of Public Health is to be a partner in such a positive venture, and joined previous speakers in stressing the point that early experiences matter.

Collectively, the represented bodies commended individuals such as Apostle Ferreira and Mr. Davenand Sukhdeo of the Canadian School of Arts and Science, who were among the first to donate and act on the initiative.