Children at Play

If you visit Jamaican rural and inner-city communities you will notice an absence of properly equipped playgrounds for children. The typical social space in the average community is comprised of a football field, suited with a cricket pitch and a club house, where community meetings are facilitated. A space where children and the young at heart can scream and interface with tools that provide opportunities for individual, supervised and group play, as depicted in the photos presented throughout this article, are rare.

Individual Play

I am young at heart and I must say that this playground delighted me much. I tried out everything and screamed like the kids when things got intense. Residents informed me that it has become a favorite hang out spot for many youth from across the various inner-city communities of Kingston, Jamaica. Face-to-face conversations, as well as direct traffic of youth, throughout my visits, revealed that various age groups came to enjoy the rides–Jamaicans and non-Jamaicans, residents of surrounding communities, and as far as St. Catherine. It was also visible that children were able to play according to their pace and preference while guardians socialized.

Youth conversing

In addition, the variety of activities that are available to the disposal of children facilitate healthy and non-combative play. This playground, residents say has its biggest crowd in the dusk hours of the day. They say that the soldiers who watch by Heroes Park play a vital role in restricting the times of use–otherwise children will play right around the clock. For the young people of the communities surrounding Heroes Circle, the playground is a breath of fresh air–we don’t feel hungry when we are here, no one thinks about war between their communities, we meet and talk to new people, and there is a lot of safe fun at no cost.

Playground

The playground benefits from protection provided courtesy of the officers on duty at the National Heroes Park–which is seen as an integral element of patrons’ feelings of safety. It also benefits from the protection of Jamaica’s national heroes, whose monuments are visible in the background. Aside from this site, patrons with whom I conversed could name only one other location, the Hope Garden and Zoo, where children could interact. Its rating was very low because of its cost, distance from the communities, and lack of interactive tools. Many patrons admitted that the slides were a first time experience, as well as many of the other rides. The excitement in the faces of the users and the increasing numbers of patrons that streamed in, as the evening got later, were definite signs of the potential of this small playground in bringing about cohesiveness amongst the children of Kingston, as well as within and across their communities.

Monument in background of playground at Heroes Park

My visits to this playground have reassured me that peace and unity within inner-city and poor communities, affected by crime and violence and inadequate realization of economic and social rights, is achievable. Providing opportunities for positive interaction is critical, which this–historic, colorful, dynamic and centrally located–playground has done quite successfully.

Now that it is operating and has a steady following, there is need to pay attention to the issue of maintenance; as an examination of the structure revealed the need for a system to ensure that the various components are kept in their optimum condition, in response to heavy usage and wear and tear. The big question here is: Who will take ownership of the maintenance function–users, surrounding communities, private sector, Government, or the implementing organizations/ donors? If we fail to mobilize support around maintenance of the playground it will not exist long enough to be a meaningful contributor to community cohesiveness and the fulfillment of the donors’ desire that it will be an instrument through which,  “God [will] bless the children of Kingston, Jamaica.”

Donor Board

Preschooler Reading

This is my first article on early childhood development. I decided to write it because I felt the need to document and share a few personal experiences educating my daughter in a home school environment. The focus of this article will be on the development of cognitive skills in early childhood between birth and six years.

I became a mom, five years ago, in July 2003, and since then I have taken an avid interest in early childhood and human development. As my bible, I rely heavily on Laura Berk’s, Development Through the Lifespan–a keepsake that I discovered in a bookstore a few years ago, which has become a mom’s companion. Call me a fanatic or something, but I am a sucker for tracking my daughter’s development and preparing her for new skills.

In June 2008, I had the joy of hearing my daughter, Taitu, read words from signs off billboards for the first time. Then she was four years. Now, at the end of the year and six months later, she has fully understood the concept of sentences; reads up to five full sentences at a time and makes meaning of them; reads and makes meaning of warning labels on products, titles of stories and books; reads the digital and analogue clock; performs addition and subtraction; and writes letters. All this progress makes me excited and it reminds me of how much attention and effort our children need to develop their full potential. Berk noted in her book that “the more literacy-related experiences young children have  in their everyday lives, the better prepared they are to tackle the complex tasks involved in reading and writing.” For me a literacy and cognitive rich environment translated into ongoing purchases of scrap books, markers, crayon (wax and pencil), chalk, putty, rulers, storybooks with beautiful and catchy pictures and large text, notebooks, pens and pencils, letter cards, and number cards. In addition, the provision of a computer-aided learning environment, lots of clear wall space to promote the child’s creativity on a very large palette, the presence of active conversing in the home, evidence of a love for and engagement by both parents in activities that promote reading and writing, and the constant placement of encouraging signs around the home.

It is indeed hard work, especially for working parents–my daughter is always learning and I am always working to support her efforts. She doesn’t take a break. Her activities are self stimulated, and they depend heavily on the the apparent attentiveness of her parents. Children model all our actions, including our will to learn, read, write, and communicate with the world. As a human rights researcher, I spend significant amount of time reading and researching. I keep a small library in my home and I make it available to my daughter for use. Though she has given me many autographs in my prized possessions, I am encouraged by the fact that she is initiating cognitive opportunities by interacting with my books.

I notice many parents and preschool teachers around me everyday being overly focused on drilling in the ABC’s and 123′s in their kids’ heads, but Berk advises that, “in early childhood, adults need not be overly concerned about the correctness of children’s interpretations of written language. Instead, they can help most by accepting preschooler’s ideas and supporting their active efforts to revise and extend their knowledge.” Berk draws on Bradley and Caldwell’s 1979 publication in articulating a model home environment that promotes cognitive development in early childhood:

1. Stimulation through toys, games, and reading material
2. Language stimulation
3. Organization of the physical environment
4. Expression of pride, warmth, and affection
5. Stimulation of academic behavior
6. Modeling and encouraging social maturity
7. Variation in daily stimulation
8. Avoidance of physical punishment

In Jamaica, parenting is a much discussed topic–in light of the fact that some youth are graduating from the secondary level of the education system and are functionally illiterate, as well as the claim that youth under 18 years are involved in executing major crimes and are delinquents. Teachers in the public system often times complain that parental support of children’s  education is weak, leading to a lack of reinforcement of the value of education by children. With this said, much capacity building is needed to support parental and early childhood development in Jamaica. Good parenting produces confident children with high levels of cognitive development. I leave you with the words of Dr. Dorothy Law Nolte’s (1972) verse Children Learn What They Live, as a guide in raising such children…

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.