By Lila Jones | Project Associate
The Caribbean Education Foundation (CEF) team recently traveled to Jamaica to assess best practices for the launch of our Learning & Technology Center. As a result, the team conducted visits to an Education Center in an inner-city community in Kingston, Jamaica, somewhat similar to the Learning Center we will launch.
We wanted to gain insight on the inner operations of the Education Center, meet with the children, parents and assess their experiences in utilizing the space. In addition, the CEF team met with the Center Director and conducted in-depth interviews on its internal workings, which proved extremely insightful.
The Center consists of a Library, Homework Area, 2 Computer Labs, Classroom, Area for Art Projects such as Basket Weaving and Painting; and a large outdoor space for playing and activities.
We learned that the children used the space right after school to do homework, while other students received tutoring in subject areas in which they struggled. The space was right next to an all age school, which provided a great convenience for both the children and a few teachers who volunteered tutoring services at the Center. Likewise, due to the location, the clients at the Center ranged from small children to older students. The Center made an impressive use of the space to help the entire community, not only children, as it also offered Reading and Literacy Classes to many adults in the evenings, after the children had gone home.
Overall, the Center seemed to be making a huge impact on the students who used the space and is helping to transform the community.
Although our CEF Learning & Technology Center will be different in several ways, as we will focus on high school students from ages 12-18 and emphasize technological skills development, our team gained invaluable knowledge from spending several hours at the Education Center, which we will implement when we open this year.
We are very excited about our launch and you will be the first to know once everything is all set to open our center doors!
Thank you very much for your continued support! You make education of brilliant, poor children possible.
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