Basseterre: St. Kitts, February 16, 2021: The Early Childhood Development
Unit (ECDU) held a Covid-19 Sensitization Session with nursery caregivers
aimed at briefing caregivers on ways to “maintain healthy, safe and hygienic
protocols to mitigate the spread of Covid-19”.
At the session held at the Early Childhood Development Unit’s Conference
Room, Victoria Road, St. Kitts on Tuesday 16 th February, Director of the Early
Childhood Development Unit, Ms. Kimona Browne disclosed that nursery
caregivers have been participating over the past weeks in training sessions
supported by UNICEF.
The sessions were divided into two components. Component one, focused on
providing the nursery caregivers with instructional and pedagogical
knowledge to improve the learning environment for the infant toddler stages.
Component two of the program, a collaborative endeavour with the Ministry
of Health, focused on, health, hygiene and safety so as to promote effective
responses to the changing demands of childcare brought about by the Covid-
19 virus.
“In this component, a sensitization session…will enable supervisors and
proprietors to develop knowledge and skills to maintain effectively, health,
hygiene and safety protocols in nurseries, during and beyond the Covid-19
pandemic” Ms. Browne explained
Ministry of Health representatives, Mr. Oren Martin, Senior Environmental
Officer and staff nurse at the Joseph N. France General Hospital, Ms. Stephanie
Hodge in their addressed the attendees reinforced the need to follow the
established Covid-19 guidelines to help mitigate the spread of the virus.
In her address Nurse Hodge, provided tips on ways in which the child
caregivers can safely abide by the Covid-19 protocols with the aim of keeping
both themselves and the children safe from transmission. One such strategy
mentioned was the “distancing strategy”.
At the end of the session the nursery caregivers were provided with an Infant
and toddler Covid-19 kit to help in their fight against the spread of the virus.
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