• Minister Persaud: ‘Our children are our now, not just our future’

A GREAT step has been taken in the early childhood sector, as the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security (MHSSS) launched the National Integrated Early Childhood Policy, placing Guyana’s youngest citizens at the heart of development.

This was done on Monday at the Herdmanston Lodge, Georgetown, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Canadian High Commission.
A blueprint for action, the newly launched policy aligns with all sectors, including public health, education, child protection, fire prevention, and social services, under a single unified vision: to ensure that all children from zero to three survive and thrive in our world.

Children at this stage need access to nurturing care, health and nutrition, responsive caregiving, early learning through play, and safe environments.
It is a significant turning point and represents a bold vision for Guyana: one where children, regardless of income, job, or ability, can grow up in these environments that are supported by trained caregivers and engaged communities.

With this policy come several guidelines. Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, said the guidelines had emerged after months of work, consultation, dedication, and discussions to ensure a policy that is comprehensive, progressive, and all-encompassing.

At the centre of the policy, Minister Persaud stated, were our children. Specifically, those from zero to three years old.
She highlighted that pivotal to the success of the implementation of the policy and its guidelines, we must ensure that there is always a robust partnership among the Ministries of Health, Education, Local Government, and Human Services to truly have the kind of impact that the Early Childhood Development Policy leads us to.

Minister Persaud remarked, “Early Childhood Development is very, very significant in the lives of children. It allows us to assess their developmental milestones. It definitely gives us a vantage point where we can look at their emotional stability, overall well-being, definitely their mental health, and their health in general so that we can, at a very early stage, pinpoint where children

require extra care, intervention, and, in many cases, the kind of intervention that involves not only their parents but also experts to ensure that they have a better quality of life.”
Through all of this, Dr. Persaud affirmed that we must have not only a policy but also the framework to implement and accomplish the goals of the policy.

In addition to this, the minister revealed that the ministry has registered over 400 early childhood centres and licensed more than 365 of these.
Within the Ministry, there was a collaboration where the Women’s Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) trained thousands of persons across each region in child care and a special programme through the University of Guyana.

The Minister announced that the next step in development is in special needs education.
According to Dr. Persaud, “It speaks to a deep commitment by the government of Guyana when we say, as we’ve always said, our children are not our future, they are our now. And we must ensure that the investment is not only financial, but the investment is in such a way that it tangibly impacts and benefits every child across the length and breadth of Guyana.”

Urging Guyanese to stand united in this “sacred responsibility” to invest in our children with love, care, wisdom, and purpose, Minister Persaud told attendees that each child belongs to us all.
She announced that very soon, the Ministry will be opening its day and night care, and early childhood facilities, the first of its kind in Guyana and in the Caribbean and Latin American Region.

“This is a big deal, because what it does, it brings together all the persons who from the formative years of a child, are so necessary to that child’s growth and development to help the children achieve what we want, to have a happy, healthy, high-quality life through all the days of their childhood across the length and breadth of Guyana,” the Minister said.