— initiative to support sensory learning, literacy development for 214 children

THE Rotaract Club of Georgetown Central (RCGC) has adopted a sensory room at the David Rose Special School as it expands its long-standing literacy initiative to better support children with special education needs.
The initiative forms part of the 12th edition of the club’s Project R.E.A.D.—Read Everyday And Discover—which this year is focusing on sensory learning under the theme “READ-Regulate”.
RCGC President for the 2026-2027 Rotary year, Tevianne Griffith, told the Guyana Chronicle that the initiative reflects the club’s belief that every child deserves a space where they can learn, explore, express themselves and thrive.
She said READ-Regulate combines literacy activities, sensory-friendly spaces and community collaboration to support children with special education needs.
“This year we’re also going to be undertaking an initiative where we’re adopting the sensory room or the SEN unit at the David Rose Special School,” Griffith said.
“We would have [sic] done a needs assessment, reached out to the Ministry of Education as well, and we were advised that this is something that we can definitely embark on to impact the 214 children that are enrolled at the David Rose Special School.”
Following the needs assessment, Griffith said the club identified a range of items, including tools, toys and other equipment that could support the development of the sensory space.
Some of those items have already been purchased and work has begun to equip the room.
The club intends to continue upgrading the space throughout the current Rotary year, which began on July 1, 2026 and runs until the end of June 2027.
Griffith said there is also potential for the initiative, once successful, to provide useful lessons for the development of similar sensory-friendly spaces elsewhere.
“We are more than happy to collaborate with the Ministry of Education, the David Rose Special School, our major donors, CNOOC, which is [the] China National Offshore Oil Company, Bowen’s Experience Cooperation; those are our major donors for this leg of the project, this 12th edition, and we are extremely excited to be able to impact the lives of the children at the school,” she said.
THREE-PHASE PROJECT
READ-Regulate is being implemented in three phases.
The first involves the adoption and initial outfitting of the sensory room, while the second was a Literacy Games Day. Both activities were completed on Saturday.
The third phase is expected to be held virtually on Monday and will focus on empowering teachers and parents of children with special education needs (SEN).
Griffith said educational and literacy specialists will be invited to provide practical guidance to parents and teachers.
“We’re going to bring in some of the educational experts or literacy experts, whether it be lecturers that [sic] have been trained in this space, to give teachers and parents tips and tricks on how to better help the children learn at school, as well as at home, and develop strategies with them as well,” she explained.
Asked whether RCGC could eventually work with the Ministry of Education to support the development of other sensory-friendly spaces, Griffith said the possibility could be explored.
“It’s something we can look into, and Mr Cheong, who’s the Chief Education Officer, he did express the need for it to be a sustainable project,” she said.
“So what we’re focusing on right now is the year that we have to create an impact right now throughout this Rotary year.”
Griffith noted that Project R.E.A.D. has been sustained by the club for 12 years and said future RCGC leadership could continue supporting the initiative where opportunities exist.
Through this year’s programme, the club hopes to combine its traditional focus on literacy with an environment designed to better respond to the different learning needs of children at the David Rose Special School.