Caregivers now better prepared for child care

Twenty-one caregivers now have a better understanding of Young Child care.

The students graduated last week Friday from a 40 hr course, which specialized in Integrated Infant And Young Child Feeding Counseling.{{more}}

The short Ceremony, which took place at the School of Nursing at Largo Height, featured speakers such as Janice Fraser, Director of VINSAVE, and Judith Hull-Ballah, Programme Manager of the Roving Caregiver Programme, who urged the students to use their newfound knowledge wisely.

“You have to educate…. You can’t stop the business of educating these parents because they will behave as if they never heard it before,” she said.

Speaking to Searchlight, Assistant Nutritionist in the Nutrition Unit in the Ministry of Health Joyce Burgin described the course as a “very intensive” one and stated that its purpose is to inform various health care providers of the feeding practices of young children.

The participants, who are mainly from pre-schools across St. Vincent, are expected to implement the skills they learnt during the course.

The five-day, 40-hour courses included a series of practical and theoretical sessions aimed at educating mothers on the feeding habits of children.

“Some of the specific things they learned are counseling skills… how to listen and how to basically counsel person using new skills,” she said.

These new skills include role-playing, and using counsel cards to improve listening skills. The participants also learnt the importance of breast milk to a child’s health, as well as the correct feeding habits beneficial to young children.

The course, sponsored by the WHO (World Health Organization) and UNICEF, also included a series on providing HIV/AIDS infected mothers with the proper feeding required for their children and their options for breastfeeding. (OS)