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| What is the Barita Education
Foundation? |
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The Barita Education Foundation is a charitable
organization committed to improving literacy and
numeracy at the Early Childhood Level in Jamaica.
The Foundation is supported financially by the Barita
Group. |
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| What is the Foundation's
Mission? |
| The overall mission of the
Education Foundation is to:
Provide support in the development and
implementation of educational programmes for young children
in Jamaica, ultimately impacting on our nation’s future.
The Foundation achieves this by dedicating the resources
available to the areas of literacy and numeracy as well
as training and sharing any expertise gained with colleagues
and supporters in the Early Childhood Education arena. |
What are the Objectives of the Foundation? |
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Based on the problems identified through school-based
evaluations, (which include interviews with the principals
and teachers as well as the assessment of the children),
core objectives have been developed for the Foundation
in each school. These include:
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| The implementation of a one (1) year school-based
Training Programme with special emphasis on
assessment, grouping and instructional strategies in
the areas of literacy and numeracy. |
| The establishment of a Resource Center in each
school so that all students can benefit from small
group instruction, be exposed to sufficient literature
and develop good reading and problem solving
skills. |
| The development of a Parenting Programme, which
involves going into the communities to improve
parental awareness, understanding and involvement
in order to ensure that the educational and physical
needs of the children are met. |
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| History of the Programme |
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Barita's belief in the positive impact of corporate citizenship
on our nation's development led to the launch of the
Barita Education Foundation in October 2004. Prior to
this, Barita supported a feeding programme at the
St. Martin De Porres schools. In tandem with the feeding
programme, a group of concerned citizens called, “The
Friends of St. Martin de Porres”, was invited to assist in
improving literacy and numeracy skills among students at the schools.
A comprehensive analysis of the methodologies
used and the performance of the children indicated
that weaknesses existed in the training process. A programme
was therefore developed to assist with training so
as to improve numeracy and literacy in the schools.
Barita supported the efforts of “The Friends of St. Martin
de Porres” through major long-term financial sponsorship
and guidance, and eventually expanded and took over the
work creating the R.E.A.D. (Reading for Educational
Achievement and Development) and M.A.T.H.
(Mathematical Approaches and Techniques for a Headstart)
programmes.
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The Foundation at Work |
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As administrators of the programme, Barita has six full time
teachers on staff who go into the schools and incorporate the
programme under a structured framework with the School
Boards, Principals, Education Officers, Teachers and Parents.
Comprehensive assessment and training through direct classroom
intervention are key components of the programme.
Depending on the needs of the schools, the Barita teachers
spend a year or more implementing the programme, thereafter
offering a monitoring service to each school.
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| Our Achievements
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Three years after the official launch of the Foundation,
there has been significant growth in the number of schools
benefiting. The Foundation grew from two (2) schools in
2004 to ten (10) schools in 2007.
| School | Location | # Of Students |
| St. Martin De Porres Basic | Gordon Town | 132 |
| Whitfield All Age | Maxfield Avenue | 176 |
| Nannyville Basic | Nannyville | 58 |
| Readiness Early Childhood | Waterhouse | 46 |
| Majesty Basic | Majesty Gardens | 80 |
| Seaview Basic | Harbour View | 169 |
| St. Anne’s Infant | North Street | 121 |
| St. Alban’s Basic | Denham Town | 52 |
| Tower Hill Missionary | Olympic Way | 133 |
| Smurf’s Early Childhood | Westminister Rd | 138 |
Considerable strides have been made in these schools.
The following graph highlights improvement in the
Reading Levels of Class 3 (ages 5 -6) students in one
of the schools where the programme has been implemented.
Please note that Pre-Primer is the first stage in
learning to read and Primer is the reading level below
Grade One that children are expected to master before
entering Grade One in our primary schools.
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