^{Bernice Cipparrone from George Brown College, Before and After School Care Coordinator Niela Jones, Senior Policy Manager Pearlyn Henry-Burrell, Acting DCO Adrian Jones, Premier Juliana O’Çonnor-Connolly, Acting CO Lyneth Monteith, Gayle Hunter from Toronto Metropolitan University, ECCE Officer Vanessa Cameron, Early Intervention Programme Manager Cheryl Rock, and Collette Kane from the Parkdale Child Care Centre}

A delegation of Ministry of Education representatives, led by Premier and Minister for Education, Hon. Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, recently returned from a trip to Canada to bolster the Cayman Islands’ Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) sector.

They focused on learning from Canada’s leading practices in ECCE, particularly public-private partnership models. They also observed community-based support programmes for vulnerable children and families and explored potential student exchange programmes and qualification pathways for aspiring early childhood educators.

Key highlights of the trip included visits to ECCE institutions such as the Nelson Mandela and Parkdale Child Care Centres. The group also observed innovative before and after-school programmes like the Early On Programme, which supports young children and their families.

The delegation actively engaged in roundtable discussions with several key education stakeholders, including Dr. Zeenat Janmohamed Early Childhood Education Consultant and Executive Director/Senior Policy Analyst at the Atkinson Centre University of Toronto; the Dean, Deputy Dean and Acting Chair of the School of Early Childhood of George Brown College, as well as a Programme Advisor in the Ministry of Education. These discussions facilitated a valuable knowledge exchange and opened doors for potential collaborations.

“This visit was invaluable in gathering insights on how we can further strengthen our Early Childhood Education programs in the Cayman Islands,” stated Premier O’Connor-Connolly. “We are unwavering in our commitment to providing all our children with the best possible start in life, and the knowledge gained from Canada will be instrumental in achieving this goal.”

Other members of the delegation included Ministry of Education: Acting Chief Officer, Ms. Lyneth Monteith; Acting Deputy Chief Officer, Mr. Adrian Jones; Senior Policy Advisor and Manager for Early Childhood Care and Education, Dr. Pearlyn Henry-Burrell; Early Childhood Officer Vanessa Cameron; Morning and Aftercare Programme Coordinator Mrs. Neila Jones and Early Intervention Programme Coordinator Dr. Cheryl Rock.