Financial assistance for pre-school kids
(CNS): Following government policy which ensures that all Caymanian children have the opportunity to attend pre-school, the Ministry of Education is advising parents of children born between 01 February 2005 to 31 January 2006 who would like their children to attend pre-school but are unable to meet the costs that they can apply to the Department of Education Services (DoES) for financial assistance.
This policy, which that has been in effect since 1992, ensures that no Caymanian child of 4 years of age whose parents wish him or her to attend pre-school would be disadvantaged because of the parents’ inability to pay. The policy ishowever, limited to parents whose combined income falls below the certain limits specified on the application forms.
These are available at any pre-school, as well as from Room 2 at the DoES Building on Thomas Russell Avenue or from the Education Offices at Countryside Savannah. The completed forms should be returned no later than Wednesday 30 June to either of the DoES offices and all requested documentation must be attached. Parents are asked to note that the department will be unable to process any application received after this date.
Parents are advised to contact Kate Marnoch, Head of Early Childhood Services, on 244-1815 if they have any questions.
Category: Local News
An early childhood department with only a head of unit and no other staff? Am I the only one who see’s something wrong here? I do think preschool assistance is a good thing and it has been around for a while. The issue is can the government prove that the children who received this funding actually did better or entered school at the same level as their peers? I doubt it. It is not a secret about the quality of our early childhood programs. It is a fact that the best programs are heavily attended by ex-pats. The unit was suppose to improve quality across all programs. Our Caymanian children deserve quality and should not have to settle for less because of what we can afford. It is true about the education department scrutinizing preschool assistance forms and telling some families to cutback and there are families who receive funding who can afford to pay on their own. For 4 years Kate Marnoch has been in charge of this unit and million of dollars have been wasted. Change does take time but 4 years! we should be seeing some real significant changes by now. There is plenty of research out there on programs that have turned around and have become quality programs and it did not take them 4 years. We the Caymanian people should sue our education department for misuse of our money. Ivan was a horrible thing that happened to us but we bounced back. What government has done to our children is a shame and a disgrace. Who knows how long it will take us to repair this damage. Wake up all my fellow Caymanians and lets start taking a stand! May God bless us and our youngest who deserve a better life than what our government is setting up for them now.
How can you have a "Head of Unit" with no employees? How many preschools have Mrs. Wahler or Minister McLaughlin visited in an official capacity; none! Under the current management ECS is a total failure and Cayman’s youngest children suffer for it. What a shameful waste of time and money. It is time to vote for a change!!!
Hey "Election ploy??? You stup!" as you say
"As it clearly states, this programme has been in place since 1992" Why don’t you make sure of your facts before you post. Do a little research on the internet. Check out the below article that says this unit was not there until 2006!!!!!!!
http://www.caymannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000044/004493.htm
The reason this unit was developed was because the government pushed our children into the private sector as a result of overcrowding in the primary schools. They couldn’t solve thier own problems so they threw the babies to market forces! What a way to take care of our future generations!
CNS: The unit was started in 2006. The policy of financial assistance has been in place, according to the ministry release, since 1992.
Does anyone know if the amount of the funding has increased since 1992??
Right now ECS pays $408 per child. With the cost of living going up how can you expect preschools to provide equal services with schools like Tiny Tots, First Baptist Wee Care, Montessori and others that are charging $600 to $800plus per child. Now that is inequality!
Now that the Education Law is in place, the government has the power to regulate and control preschools and daycare facilities as a fact of law. Tell me how many they are going to force to close down by imposing regulations and restrictions without providing any financial support to the schools themselves!
Seems to me Minister McLaughlin values primary education and high school education WAY ABOVE preschool as they are the only facilities not getting the millions of funding that the private schools are getting!
Maybe the Minister didn’t get the education in his first seven years that was needed to give him common sense!
God Bless the Cayman Islands! But God please get McLaughlin out of the LA!
Election ploy??? You stup! Did you not read the article??!! As it clearly states, this programme has been in place since 1992 and I personally am aware of many Caymanian children who benefit from it……
Ok you stup! Of course there are Caymanian children benefiting from this assistance. This assistance is only for Caymanian children. Read the article. Anyone who gets this funding benefits. If I could get government to pay for my childcare that would be a great benefit., but I make to much money for this program.
ELECTION PLOY.
This is a shameful and blatant election Ploy!!!
One needs to ask where the money is for this programme this year????
COME ON GOVERNMENT–Do not promise anymore!!!
ECS is disgraceful. What about the article in the Observer on April 26th?! Why are Caymanian children allowed to remain in overcrowded schools while ex-pat children go to better schools? Why are some families that are over income given preschool assistance while others are turned away? What happened to all the ECS employees? Where is our government when we need them? Mrs. Wahler-Minister McLaughlin don’t care about Caymanian preschool children!????
Don’t think that if you are a singe parent you will be assisted! There are no ecceptions made to this application for single parents who make more than salary specified on the application. I think this is is quite unfair because I know of two income famillies making over the combined salary that are getting aid . Young single parents trying to make it need assistance too!
When I applied as a single mom, I was told by Mrs Marnoch that if I had had more children then I would have qualified for aid. What is the government trying to say? Go make your situation a little worse then we’ll help you? XXXXXXX My view is that If they reintroduced the reception class back into the schools there would be no need for the financial aid because it will not be necessary for the children to attend pre-school at the 31/2 to 41/2 year age.
Be ready to be investigated, interrogated and told you need to cut back on basic living expenses before you apply. You practically have to be living on the streets to qualify.
I have an idea, WHAT EVER HAPPEN TO THE " IRONWOOD FUNDS" that was started a few years ago by McKeva Bush, Edna Moyle, Roy Bodden and the other M L A,s
Remember when the public had the out rage of them raising their salaries right after the 2000 election. How soon we forget, that money if they continued to deposit it could go to assist such a program today.