RCP celebrates 4th year

The Roving Caregivers Programme celebrated 4 years of service to the families and children in SVG on July 20, 2008. Four years is a short period of time; however, it has been sufficient for the RCP to have impacted over 400 children, 300 families and various communities which participate in its home-based stimulation programme.{{more}}

The Roving Caregivers is an informal early childhood programme replicated from Jamaica. The programme is aimed at improving childrearing practices for children. This is achieved by stimulation for children birth to three who have no access to daycare services; capacity building, training and advocacy.

In the homes, children are exposed to activities which cater for the development of their physical, social, emotional and cognitive skills. This stimulation also assists in their preparation for not just preschool but for life.

Parents have observed positive changes in their children’s verbal and social skills. Additionally, parents are taught to conduct stimulation activities on their own. According Mrs. Judith Hull Ballah, project coordinator of the RCP “This [parent stimulation] is one of the long term benefits of RCP which is to build the capacity of the parents to provide appropriate childrearing practices”.

Over the four years the Rovers (home visitors) have participated in several training programmes; at present they are pursuing the NCTVET Level One certificate course in Early Childhood Care, Education and Development. Rovers and supervisors also continuously attend workshops and utilize interns received under the Caribbean Internship Project, thus strengthening their capacity to deliver improved childcare services.

The RCP has also used the media to assist in its mandate of awareness and advocating for improved childrearing practices in St. Vincent and the wider Eastern Caribbean. This has been achieved through the assistance of the local media and the community radio in Sandy Bay.

The RCP has and will continue to provide service to the children and families of St. Vincent. Interestingly, it achieves this with only one project coordinator, two supervisors and 24 home-visitors. The RCP is based at the lead agency VINSAVE. The programme receives assistance from external funders, but encourages local agencies and the Government to “buy-into” this intervention.